Fancy some transatlantic inspiration for your baba?
America’s most popular baby names of 2018 have been announced.
The top girls’ name of 2018 was Emma, which has held the number one spot since 2015.
Liam was the top choice for boys, meanwhile.
The name has become incredibly popular in the US in the last decade; in 2008 it was 75th on the list.
Here are the top ten lists for both boys and girls, as per data from the US Social Security Administration.
Girls’ names
- Emma
- Olivia
- Ava
- Isabella
- Sophia
- Charlotte
- Mia
- Amelia
- Harper
- Evelyn
Boys’ names
- Liam
- Noah
- William
- James
- Oliver
- Benjamin
- Elijah
- Lucas
- Mason
- Logan
The lists indicate the continuance of a trend that’s been emerging for the past couple of years – ‘raindrop names’.
These are short names dominated by vowel sounds, Laura Wattenberg, creator of the website BabyNameWizard, told LiveScience.
Mia, Emma, Ava, Noah and Liam all fall under this description as do Mila and Luna, which both appear in the top 30.
The fastest-rising name on the list is Zhavia. It’s being attributed to singer Zhavia Ward.
Another name that’s shot up in terms of popularity is Meghan, specifically the spelling with a ‘H’.
In the year that Meghan Markle became the most-Googled person in the world, the name jumped from 1,404th place to 703rd.
It’s one that surprised naming experts. It was popular in the 80s and 90s and so is a name that women who are becoming mums themselves would be likely to have.
“Making a name that sounds like a ‘mom’ name come back isn’t easy,” said Wattenberg.
Meghan isn’t the only pop culture figure influencing baby names right now.
Celebrity-inspired monikers like Idris, Saoirse and Saint as well as ones from TV and movies (Yara and Arya from Game Of Thrones, Xiomara from Jane The Virgin, Kylo from Star Wars) are all enjoying a boost in popularity with new American parents.
