Is ‘Emma’ Out? The 3 New Baby Name Trends About to Take Off

Last week, the Social Security Administration released the top names for boys and girls in 2021. There were few surprises in the top boy and girl names, but largely the usual suspects. In other words, Emma and Liam dominated for another year and are showing no signs of stopping for now.

But, amidst the two-syllable ultra-traditional names that have dominated the last decade in baby names, there were some interesting trends to pull out when looking at the bigger picture. While old-fashioned baby names still rule the top of the baby name list, the data shows that there are new trends we should all keep our eye on.

Listophile analyzed the data from the Social Security Administration’s list of baby names and revealed some of the hottest trends in baby names — both in terms of names that are cratering in popularity and those rising to the top. Here are some stand out trends that go beyond the common names:

2021 baby names that were inspired by how weird 2021 was became more common.

I think it’s pretty safe to say that we’re all going to remember what happened in 2021. There was the whole COVID-19 pandemic that had many of us shift to remote work, our kids did school over the internet, and our health was a major focus.

“The pandemic highlighted our need for connection with others, while the racial justice movement highlighted our need for fairness, equality, and justice,” Listophile explained. “Baby names reflecting moral conduct and virtue names related to social responsibility were trending.”

Some of the names in this category trending up include:

1. Loyal (+75%)
2. Tru (+52%)
3. Loyalty (+28%)
4. True (+26%)
5. Honor (+24%)
6. Truth (+23%)
7. Promise (+22%)
8. True (+16%)
9. Justice (+11%)
10. Liberty (+9%)

The Kardashians have more sway over baby names than we realized.

Regardless of how you feel about the clan, the Kardashian/Jenners are never out of the public eye. And their influence over baby names appears to be clear.

“The biggest source of TV baby name inspiration was Keeping up with the Kardashians,” Listophile shared. “We saw a strikingly noticeable upward trend in Kardashian-Jenner baby names with the youngest generation having the biggest impact.” Oddly, the name “Mason” — the name of one of Kourtney Kardashian’s kids with her ex Scott Disick — did not trend like “Reign” and “North” did.

Some of the names in this category that are trending include:

1. Psalm (+54%)
2. Saint (+39%)
3. Chicago (+38%)
4. FKA Wolf (+33%)
5. North (+33%)
6. True (+26%)
7. Dream (+15%)
8. Reign (+9%)
9. Stormi (+7)
10. Penelope (+4%)

Gender-neutral baby names continue to be important to new parents.

Gender-neutral names have been climbing in the baby name trends for a while, and that trend has continued, rising in popularity by 4.71% year over year.

“More than ever, parents are willing to embrace the possibility of gender fluidity in their children,” Listophile writes. “Picking a non-binary name is the surest way to future-proof a child’s name, no matter how they choose to identify in the future. Unisex names are also perceived as modern, cool, and trendy — for every gender.”

Some of the names in this category that are trending include:

1. Palmer
2. Murphy
3. Bowie
4. Ocean
5. Tru
6. Noah
7. Drew
8. Belamy
9. Tatum
10. Baylor