Top baby name predictions for 2020

What's hot for 2020

Editor / November 20 2019

 

WATCH: These baby names are going extinct!

 

The Top 10 girl names, in order of popularity, are:

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 ala 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 super trendy names that morphed quickly from fascinating and fresh to super trendy, rising in the official list to Number 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 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 percent 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 US in 2018, where it still lies outside the Top 1000. 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 US 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.

 

The Top 10 boy names, in order of popularity, are:

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 name 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 US.

 

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 US Top 1000.

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 1000.

10. Luca  Luca is a pan-European favorite that 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. 

Michelle Connolly has worked as a photo director, social media manager and photo editor at some of Australia's biggest media companies, including New Idea. She is now editor of Practical Parenting and loving mum-of-two.