These May Be The Top Baby Names Of 2020

As we near the end of 2019, many baby name experts are looking back at the choices that were popular among parents this year . But the folks at Nameberry are also looking forward and examining the baby name trends likely to make a splash in 2020. 

The popular name website’s editors compiled a list of top baby name predictions for 2020 based on the picks that “saw the biggest increase in interest” from Nameberry visitors in 2019 compared to 2018. 

“Our top baby names are a radical departure from the official national list, which suffers from a considerable time lag,” wrote Nameberry co-founder and CEO Pamela Redmond. “We won’t know which names were really used most often for babies in 2020 until May  of 2021. The names here offer baby namers a heads up on trends and specific names destined to get more popular in 2020 and beyond.”

Below, find Nameberry’s list of hot baby name predictions for 2020 and Redmond’s explanations for each pick. 

Girls

1. Adah  All girl names starting with the letters and sound Ad  have been rising quickly in recent years, including Ada  and Adele , Adelaide  and all spellings of Adeline . Adah , a biblical name pronounced AH -dah, is a fresh choice with deep roots.

2. Reese  Actress Reese  Witherspoon had a highly visible year in 2019, between “Big Little  Lies” and her book club. Now her name is poised to take off a la Scarlett  (Johansson) and Adele . Reese  is the phonetic spelling of the unisex Welsh name meaning ardor.

3. Mika  Journalist Mika  Brzezinski undoubtedly had some influence on the popularization of her name, pronounced mee-ka, but it’s also a new Michael  feminization, taking over from the now-flagging Mikayla  and cousins.

4. Paisley  Paisley  is one of those names that morphed quickly from fascinating and fresh to super-trendy, rising in the official list to No. 52 in just a bit over a decade. But, according to our data, the Scottish Paisley  is only getting hotter.

5. Amina  Amina  is an Arabic name with Quranic significance (she was the mother of the Prophet Muhammad ) and international appeal.

6. Teagan  The Irish and Welsh Teagan  is one of those names that is technically unisex but is used far more often for one gender, in this case over 90% girls. The name has deeper roots than you might imagine there was a Welsh St. Tegan   and takes over for ’90s favorites Megan  and Reagan . 

7. Nova  Nova  is one of those, well, nouveau names that’s enjoyed a meteoric rise. Closing in on the Top 50 on the official charts, Nova  could soon join Luna  as a celestial name at the top of the popularity lists. 

8. Aura  Aura  may be the least-used name among our top girl names of 2020 – only 120 baby girls were named Aura  in the U.S. in 2018, where it still lies outside the Top 1,000. But it’s a natural successor to Aria  and Arya , carries a stylish spiritual feel and is also popular with Spanish-speaking parents.

9. Pearl  Gently old-fashioned Pearl  is a granny name turned modern superstar. Pearl  was a Top 100 name from the time the Social Security Popular Names count started in 1880 through the mid-1920s, when it started a long decline. But in the past decade, it’s come back in a major way.

10. Billie  Teen singing sensation Billie  Eilish  has done for this name what Billie  Holiday  could not: made it a modern star. Billie  hit its high point in the U.S. charts in 1929 and 1930, when it was in the Top 100, which, according to the Hundred Year Rule , makes it destined for widespread popularity again in the next decade.

Boys

1. Austin  This Texas  city name is poised to climb again now that the memory of Austin  Powers  has faded. You can also see it as a feminist literary name, a tribute to author Jane  Austen .

2. Alva  Every  American schoolchild knows this as the middle name of the great inventor Thomas  Edison , whose surname has also become popular. With Alma  and Alba  now stylish for girls, Alva  could gain visibility for boys.

3. Acacius  This ancient name carries the trendy “s” ending and a botanical meaning, a style winner on three counts.

4. Tate  Norse surname Tate , which means cheerful, is theoretically unisex but used 95% of the time for boys.

5. Diego  Diego , which you’d be forgiven for not knowing was the Spanish form of James , is one of the hottest Latinx names for boys in the U.S.

6. Easton  Easton , technically a place name literally meaning east town, is preppier and more popular than the cowboyish Weston .

7. Lucius  Lucius  can’t help being a luscious name, one of the male forms of the ancient Roman  clan name meaning light. While Lucy , Lucia , and Lucian  are all rising on popularity lists, Lucius  has yet to hit the U.S. Top 1,000.

8. Cash  Cash  is a multi-dimensional name, theoretically a short form for the stylish ancient names Cassius  or Cassian , a tribute to Johnny  Cash  or a straight-out ode to money.

9. Ash  Ash  is a short form of the popular biblical Asher , which means happy, and might also be considered a tree name. It still stands outside the Top 1,000.

10. Luca  Luca  is a pan-European favorite that’s receiving an enthusiastic welcome from American parents. Related to Lucas  and Luke  rather than the Lucius  family, it’s set to break into the boys’ Top 100. 

For more information about the picks and additional hot names of 2020, visit Nameberry .