Just like cuisine (canapes in the '50s have been replaced by tapas), fashion (bell bottoms in the '70s are the skinny jeans of today), and music (from Whitney Houston dominating the charts in '80s to Ariana Grande holding court at the moment), trends are inevitable. And depending on perspective, they may seem to shift over time or drastically change overnight. Either way, looking back over time at how trends have developed and morphed can be truly fascinating. And looking ahead, of course, is most definitely a beloved pastime, especially when reaching the end of a calendar year. With 2018 coming to a close, it's understandable that trend-watchers are looking to 2019 and forecasting what people are sure to be loving in all facets of life.
Parents are sure to be especially intrigued by the baby naming trends that those in the know are predicting for 2019. After all, some mothers and fathers may be looking for inspiration from the names and naming strategies that are on the rise. Others might want to do everything they can to steer clear of names that other parents are loving en masse, preferring to go with something that will stand out and be less common. But even those who are going with, as opposed to against, the tide will find that the names rising in popularity are absolutely unusual, perhaps even eyebrow-raising.
Lauren Wattenberg, founder of BabyNameWizard.com and the author of the Baby Name Wizard guidebooks, tells CafeMom that hot new sources of inspiration for baby names in 2019 include video game characters, beloved colleges or universities and sports stadiums, western-style prefixes, "hidden O" names, and names that incorporate the letter "X" — maybe even two of them. Here, several examples from each category to look for in the year ahead.
SHEPARD
One of the hottest sources of inspo for baby names is video game characters, according to Wattenberg. Baby boy name Shepard is among the rising names in this group.
RAYNE
Another video game-inspired name is the girl name Rayne, which means queen or, in Latin, helpful friend.
LEON
Wattenberg points to unisex option Leon as one of several rising video game-inspired names. It has Greek roots and means "lion."
PRINCETON
Wattenberg says names of colleges and sports stadiums are on the rise. Among them: the baby boy name Princeton, inspired by Princeton University (and its location, Princeton New Jersey).
BERKELEY
Unisex name Berkeley is another one in the college category gaining popularity, chosen as a nod to the Northern California school.
EMORY
The name Emory, inspired by the Atlanta-based university, could work for a boy or a girl. It means "industrious leader" in Old German.
DUKE
Possibly from the North Carolina-based university, Duke is a boy name rising in popularity.
WRIGLEY
Fans of the Chicago Cubs might pay tribute to the historic ball park by giving their LO the unusual moniker Wrigley.
NEYLAND
More and more, parents might be considering the name Neyland as a tribute to the stadium in Knoxville, Tennessee, home of the UT team, the Tennessee Volunteers.
KINNICK
The home of the University of Iowa Hawkeyes, Kinnick Stadium is inspiring parents, too.
WILLOW
Names that end in an "o" sound, but not the letter "o" are on the rise, including Willow. Taken from the name of the tree, which is derived from the Middle English wilwe (willow).
MARLOWE
A unisex option, Marlowe means remnants of the lake — a boggy area — in Old English.
ARROW
Possibly used for a boy or a girl, hidden "o" name Arrow has an adventurous feel.
MARGOT
One of the most classic hidden "o" names, Margot is a girl name that means "pearl" and has been linked to Queen Marguerite de Valois (1553-1615), wife of Henry IV of France.
WESTON
Wattenberg says parents in "cowboy country" are going with more names that start with "Wes/West," like baby boy choice Weston.
OAKLYN
Cowboy country parents are also inspired by names starting with Oak, like baby girl option Oaklyn.
RAELEIGH
For girls only, Rae names — like Raeleigh — are rising in popularity among the cowboy-inspired group, Wattenberg notes.
PHOENIX
Unisex option Phoenix is among the rising crowd of names that have that "X" factor that parents are loving lately, Wattenberg shares.
HENDRIXX
Some parents are going for names with a double X, like boy name Hendrixx.
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