While we don’t have a crystal ball that can tell us what the most popular names of 2019 will be, we can still take a pretty good stab at predicting some of the names that you’re going to be hearing more and more in the new year. New years always come with a lot of change, and the baby name world is going to see a lot of new monikers rising the ranks in 2019.
From old classics that have been out of circulation for a while, to contemporary names that have been slowly staging a takeover of the baby name charts, these names are going to be popping up all over the place once January rolls around. If you’re looking for a soon-to-be trendy name to add to the top of your baby name list, here are some of the cutest names that are going to be all the rage in 2019.
Everly
Unless you’re a big fan of 50s music, there’s a pretty good chance that you haven’t heard of The Everly Brothers, but you have probably heard one of their hit songs such as “Bye Bye Love.” The brothers, Don and Phil, are probably two of the most famous people to bear Everly as a last name, but it’s likely that we might just might see a wave of famous first-name Everlys coming at us in the near future.
Everly’s existence as a given name rather than as a last name is fairly recent. The name first popped up on U.S. charts in 2012, and has seen a steady increase in use since then. It hasn’t been around long enough for it to be very common yet, but its jump into the top 100 names in 2017 means that this name is headed down the path to becoming one of the hottest of 2019.
Waylon
Another moniker that’s both connected to a classic musician and growing the ranks as a given name is Waylon. Country music fans will recognize this name as that of singer/songwriter Waylon Jennings. Jennings himself can be credited for the rise of popularity of the name, which is a variation of the name Wayland.
Waylon first showed up on baby name charts back in 1968, but Jennings’ legions of fans didn’t quite bring the moniker into the mainstream. The name fell off the charts in the late 90s, but reappeared in 2002, the year of Jennings’ death. Since then, it has seen a slow rise in popularity and broke into the top 200 names in 2016. In 2017, it made it to its all-time high ranking of 161. Given Waylon’s steady trajectory towards the top of the charts, it seems likely be a top 100 name by the time 2019 rolls around.
Eliza
Eliza is a name that has been around for a while, but has often been obscured by the popularity of its more formal form, Elizabeth. The name has been on the rise over the last few years, in no small part thanks to the wild popularity of the smash hit musical Hamilton. One of the show’s central characters is the historical figure Elizabeth Schuyler Hamilton, wife of Founding Father Alexander Hamilton. In the show, as she did in real life, Elizabeth goes by the nickname of Eliza. Mrs. Hamilton isn’t the only musical Eliza of note. The name is also that of the protagonist of My Fair Lady, Eliza Doolittle.
Hamilton debuted on Broadway in 2015, and in that year the name Eliza jumped from 212 to 175 on the baby name charts. It has seen a respectable increase in popularity since then, reaching 140 by 2017. You’re going to be hearing this name quite a bit in 2019 as it continues to rise up.
Jameson
While the first thing that comes to mind when you hear the name Jameson might be the Irish whiskey, that’s going to change in the next few years as a fresh wave of baby boys with the name hits the world. Originally a last name meaning “son of James,” Jameson has been a fairly obscure given name for most of American history. It wasn’t seen on the baby name charts until 1969, and was sporadically seen over the next few decades, although it never gained a lot of traction.
The last few years, however, have seen parents rushing to give the name to their baby boys. It entered the top 100 for the first time in its history in 2017 and is only going to keep growing in popularity through 2019. In a few months, you’re going to hear Jameson far more in daycare centers than you will in bars.
Luna
This lovely name has Latin roots and means “the moon.” Luna is also the name of the ancient Roman goddess of the moon. The name was on U.S. baby name charts for a while, but it fell out of the rankings in the 1920s. It wasn’t seen on the charts again until 2003, the same year that the character of Luna Lovegood was introduced in the Harry Potter books with the release of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix.
The name has been rising up the ranks since then, and not just in the U.S. Luna has been popping up on charts all over the world, and is popular in many European countries including Spain, Sweden, Norway, Belgium, and France. It has been in the top 100 baby names for a couple of years, and doesn’t appear to be going anywhere but up in 2019. Be prepared to hear this name wherever your 2019 travels take you.
Rowan
You might not have heard Mr. Bean say much, but you will be hearing the name of the actor who played him a lot more in the coming year. Rowan Atkinson is best known for portraying the kooky character, and his name is being given to more and more baby boys each year. It’s a little too soon to tell whether or not any of them will follow in Atkinson’s comedic footsteps, but with so many little ones bearing the name, it’s likely that at least one of them will be on your TV (or streaming service of choice) before you know it.
Rowan isn’t just on the rise for boys, either. In 2017, the name came in at 140 for boys, but had also jumped to a rank of 212 for girls. The name’s transition into a gender neutral name on the rise for both boys and girls means that you’re definitely going to be meeting a lot of little Rowans for years to come.
Nova
PBS lovers can now rejoice that the name of one of its most beloved shows, NOVA, is shaping up to be a pretty popular baby name choice for little girls. The name comes from the Latin word “novus,” meaning “new,” but its ancient roots don’t mean that this name is old. Nova didn’t become a given name until the 19th century. Although the name has been on the charts since 2011, it had previously completely dropped off the list for decades – the last time Nova was seen was in 1938.
The name’s growth has been stratospheric — it jumped from a rank of 884 in 2011 into the top 100 at 95 in 2017. Its huge leap in popularity isn’t restricted to girls, either. While it isn’t nearly as popular for boys, it did make the name charts in 2017, coming in at 916. Nova can also be found on the baby name charts in England, Wales, Canada, and the Netherlands.
Ezekiel
The name Ezekiel has ancient roots. A major prophet in the Old Testament, Ezekiel has a book named after him in the Bible. The name comes from the Hebrew name Yechezqel, which means “God will strengthen.” The name began to be used in the English-speaking world during the Protestant Reformation in the 16th century, but fell off the U.S. baby name charts in the 1950s. Recent years have seen a revival of the name, however, and it looks like Ezekiel is finally about to have its moment in the sun.
Ezekiel started trending upward in the 1970s, although its ranking remained below 500 until the late 90s. In 1997, it entered the top 500 at 466, and slowly gained traction as the new millennium began. In 2017, it entered the top 100 names at 82. Ezekiel joins other popular Biblical names starting with the letter “E,” including Eli and Elijah.
Leilani
The beautiful Hawaiian name Leilani is finally catching on in the continental U.S. — and it’s about time. The name has a couple of meanings. It comes from the Hawaiian words “lei,” which means “flowers” and “child,” and the word “lani,” which means “heaven,” “sky,” “royal,” and “majesty.” The name can be translated to “heavenly flowers” as well as “royal child.” With so much significance packed into one lovely name, it’s no wonder that so many parents are turning to this moniker for their little girls.
The name has been on and off the baby name charts since 1937. In 1996, the name came back onto the charts at 931, and has been on the rise since then. In 2017, it rose to 129 and is now poised to enter the top 100, which means that a lot of babies born in 2019 are probably going to be given this regal name.
Maverick
Whether you’re paying homage to the classic 1986 film Top Gun or just looking for a bold name for your little boy, Maverick is sure to be a crowd pleaser. The name originated as a surname, but came to define an independent person who doesn’t play by the rules. The term was inspired by Samuel A. Maverick, a 19th century pioneer who didn’t brand his cattle.
As a given name, Maverick first hit the baby name charts in 1958 and 1959, but wasn’t seen again until 1994. It has remained on the charts since then, and has slowly but surely been inching its way to the top of the list. It broke into the top 100 names for the first time in 2017 at 85. While the name’s recent popularity might seem ironic considering that the word is all about non-conformity, Maverick is distinctive enough to still stand out from the crowd of baby names in 2019.
Iris
You might associate the name Iris with the flower, but the name has even deeper roots. Iris means “rainbow” in Greek and was also the name of the Greek messenger to the gods who was the goddess of the rainbow. The name feels a little bit old-fashioned, which is to be expected since it has been on the baby name charts since 1880, the first year that the Social Security Administration charted top baby names. It’s currently at the most popular ranking it has ever had, and was ranked at 149 in 2017, proving that this name definitely deserves a resurgence in the 21st century.
Iris is poised to enter the top 100 within the next few years, and is part of a larger trend of nature-inspired names seeing a modern revival. Other names that you’ll be hearing a lot of in 2019 include Rose, Violet, Daisy, Ivy, and Jasmine.
Amir
Some of the names that will be beloved in 2019 are ones that reflect our nation’s cultural diversity. One name that’s going to be everywhere in 2019 is Amir, which means “treetop” in Hebrew and “commander” or “prince” in Arabic. Amir has been ranked low on the charts since 1976, but has been rising in popularity over the past few years. It hasn’t broken into the top 100 yet, but was ranked at 149 in 2017 and, at this rate, will soon become one of the top names in the U.S.
Amir is trending in several other countries as well. It is in the top 100 in Spain, France, Russia, and Belgium, and makes the charts in the Netherlands, Italy, Bosnia and Herzegovina, England, and Wales. Its international popularity means that your little Amir will find himself in good company, even if he travels far and wide.
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