The baby name trends parents need to know for 2022

Give your little one an en vogue moniker this year

Baby names 2022

by Lorna White |
Updated on

There’s so much pressure around picking the perfect name for your baby, especially in this day and age where unusual names, Netflix inspired names and totally made up names are all the rage.

From the the mount up hype around celebrity baby names (we don’t know about you but those days leading up to Stacey Solomon’s name reveal were torture), to finding something truly meaningful and unique (like influencer Imogen Horton’s baby, who she made up the very pretty name Renaelia for), it’s never felt so important for parents to choose something extra special for their new arrival.

If you’re expecting in 2022 and you want to keep on top of all the latest baby name trends, we’ve rounded up some of next year’s biggest baby boy and baby girl name predictions according to Nameberry, experts in the world of baby name trends and statistics.

Nature names

Once again our love for nature has inspired the names we choose for our babies as it has in previous years. There are some lovely sounding names linked to the natural world, as well as some really cool options, many of which are gender neutral.

• Forest

• Reef

• Palmer

• Capri

• Bali

• Dune

• Bay

• Koa

• Lotus

• Ocean

Playful names

After all the negativity we’ve had to deal with in the past few years, it’s no surprise that more playful sounding names are gaining popularity. These names will bring so much joy and light to your life, and they’ll really suit your adorable new baby.

Boys

• Teddy

• Ziggy

• Buddy

• Bear

• Sonny

playful baby 2022
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Girls

• Gigi

• Baby

• Pixie

• Coco

• Honey

Names inspired by Netflix’s Bridgerton

If you’ve binged some of the most popular shows on Netflix recently, you’ve probably fallen in love with some of the names you’ve heard. One show in particular that had us all swooning for the regal names (not just the Duke!) was Bridgerton.

Boys

• Rupert

• Simon

• Theo

• Benedict

• Gregory

Girls

• Daphne

• Eloise

• Penelope

• Philippa

• Hyacinth

Non-binary names

From gender fluid clothing lines to neutral nurseries, it’s becoming increasingly important for parents to not enforce gender norms on their children, and this extends to names too.

• Blair

• Sasha

• Harlow

• Nova

• Echo

• Wren

• Indigo

• Honor

• Marlowe

• Artemis

Retro names

We’re a sucker for a cute grandma or granddad sounding name for adorable little babies. Nostalgic names have been popular for quite some years now and they clearly stand the test of time.

Boys

• Vincent

• Bobby

• Louie

• Gus

• Gene

Vintage baby name 2022
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Girls

• Betty

• Susie

• Etta

• Nellie

• Mae

Musical names

If you think your tot is destined to become a musical genius, there’s never been a more fitting theme than a name inspired by a musical term. These names are set to be hugely fashionable in 2022, and we’re not surprised - they do sound rather cool.

Boys

• Anthem

• Brio

• Solo

• Drummer

• Coda

musical baby name 2022
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Girls

• Allegra

• Caprice

• Lyra

• Jazz

• Calypso

Spiritual names

Sometimes the most powerful names are those that come to us spiritually, and after all the uncertainty we’ve faced recently, a lot of us are looking for names that resonate with how we’ve been feeling.

Boys

• Psalm

• Amenadiel

• Soul

• Brave

• Jericho

Girls

• Kali

• Dream

• Promise

• Irie

• True

CHECK OUT unique baby boy names and their meanings

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CLOSER - Unusual Baby Boy Names SLIDER

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Unusual Baby Boy Names - beginning with A

AbnerMeaning: This Hebrew names means "father is light", or "father of light".AeroMeaning: "of the sky" in Greek.ArkinMeaning: This Norwegian name means "eternal king's son".ArlenMeaning: This Irish name is of Gaelic origin, and means "pledge, promise, oath".

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Unusual Baby Boy Names - beginning with B

BasilMeaning: Another Greek name on the list, Basil is best known as a herb but also means "royal" or "kingly".BrandoMeaning: Potentially as an homage to the famed actor Marlon Brando, this Italian name is dervied from the French Bertrand, meaning "brilliant raven", "fiery torch" or "beacon".

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Unusual Baby Boy Names - beginning with C

CedarMeaning: Best known as a coniferous tree, this could be an alternative to Cedric, which was invented by Sir Walter Scott for his novel Ivanhoe in 1819.CosmoMeaning: This name is both used in English and Italian, with the alternative of Cosimo, meaning "order, decency, and beauty".CoyoteMeaning: Fancy naming your baby after a canine creature found mostly in Central and North America?CrispinMeaning: This Latin baby name is from the Roman family name Crispinus, based on the Latin word Crispus which means "curled" or "curly-haired".

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Unusual Baby Boy Names - beginning with D

DaxtenMeaning: An alternative to the name Dax, it may mean "of the town Dax", which is French.

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Unusual Baby Boy Names - beginning with E

EbenezerMeaning: Made famous by Charles Dickens' novel A Christmas Carol, it means "rock" or "stone of help".

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Unusual Baby Boy Names - beginning with F

FritzMeaning: This is a shortened version of the German Frederick, derived from the Old High German Fridurih (ruler of peace), a compound name composed of the elements frid (peace) and rik (king, ruler).

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Unusual Baby Boy Names - beginning with H

HanselMeaning: Best known as the other half of Hansel and Gretel, this Hebrew name means "Gift from God".HarlenMeaning: This is an alternative spelling to Harlan, which is and English name meaning "From the hare's land".HawkMeaning: One of the most feared birds of prey, the word "hawk" actually dervies from the Old English word "hafoc".HestonMeaning: Traditionally an English surname, the name Heston has come into prominence through the famous chef, Heston Blumenthal. It means "one who came from Heston (a London suburb.)", and is derived from the Old English "hes" meaning "brushwood" and "tun" which means "enclosure".HoganMeaning: This is normally an Irish surname. In Irish Gaelic, Ó hÓgáin, it is diminutive of "Og" meaning "young".HyattMeaning: An English name, meaning "from the high gate".

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Unusual Baby Boy Names - beginning with I

IggyMeaning: Are parents naming their children after Iggy Pop?! This English name means "firey one".IgorMeaning: This Russian name means "warrior of peace".IkeMeaning: Although often short for Isaac, the name Ike is actually a name in it's own right. From Hebrew origins, this name means "he laughs/laughter".IndigoMeaning: Although traditionally a girl's name, this deep, rich purple colour would make a lovely name for either gender! Coming from the Greek "Indikos", meaning Indian dye.

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Unusual Baby Boy Names - beginning with K

KruzeMeaning: An alternative spelling to Cruz, made famous by the Beckhams, meaning "cross" in Spanish and referring to the cross of the crucifixion.

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Unusual Baby Boy Names - beginning with L

LionMeaning: Coming from the Latin Leo, which is a name in its own right and often short for Leonardo.LoyalMeaning: The word loyal means "true or faithful in allegiance", which is what we should all hope our children turn out to be! Comes from the Latin legalis, making "legal" and "loyal" from the same branch.LysanderMeaning: Most famous as one of The Lovers in Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream, Lysander means "liberator" or "one who is freed". A compound name made up of "lysis" (freedom) and "andros" (man).

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Unusual Baby Boy Names - beginning with M

MarloMeaning: An alternative to Marlon, which is French, this name means "descendent of Mary".MarsMeaning: The Roman God of war? The Red Planet? Or the delicious chocolate bar? Either way, this name comes from mar, which means to spoil or ruin something. It could also be from the Latin mas, which means male.MarvelMeaning: Are you thinking of naming your son after the comic book giants? Comes from the Latin "mirari", meaning to "wonder at".

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Unusual Baby Boy Names - beginning with N

NestorMeaning: A Greek name derived from a combination of "νέομαι" (neomai), meaning "go back", and "νόστος" (nostos), meaning "one who returns from travels".

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Unusual Baby Boy Names - beginning with O

OakMeaning: A sturdy tree which bears the acorn.OzMeaning: Commonly used as a shortening of Australia in the modern Western world, but Oz actually means "strength" in Hebrew.

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Unusual Baby Boy Names - beginning with P

PaxMeaning: Derived from the Latin "pax" meaning "peace, the binding thing". Pax was also a Roman goddess of peace, and is the name of one of Angelina Jolie's sons.PerseusMeaning: Another character from Greek mythology, Perseus was Hercules' half-brother. This name is either derived from the Greek verb, "πέρθειν" (perthein), meaning "to waste, ravage, sack, destroy" - or, it means "to destroy".PsalmMeaning: A religious hymn, this comes from the Greek "psallein", meaning "to pluck".

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Unusual Baby Boy Names - beginning with R

RajMeaning: Raj is a Sanskrit Indian name, meaning "King".RamsesMeaning: Ever watch the Prince Of Egypt? Ramses was Moses' step-brother! In Egyptian, Ramses means "begotten by Ra the sun god".RenlyMeaning: It would seem we have a lot of Game Of Thrones fans out there... It's also an alternative to Renleigh or Renley.RigginsMeaning: Traditionally an English surname, Riggins is an Anglicized form of the Irish surname Ó Riagáin which means "son of Riagán" derived from the Irish name Riagán, which means "little king".RocketMeaning: Possibly taking inspiration from Jamie and Jools Oliver, it comes from the French "roquette" which means "spinning".RoscoeMeaning: This is a Norwegian name, meaning "from the deer forest".

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Unusual Baby Boy Names - beginning with S

SaintMeaning: Almost definitely taking inspiration from Kim Kardashian and Kanye West's adorable little boy, this name comes from the Latin "sancire", which means "consecrate".SparshMeaning: This unusual name means "touch".

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Unusual Baby Boy Names - beginning with T

TavishMeaning: A Scottish version of Thomas, it's an Anglicised form of Thàmhais.TigerMeaning: There are quite a few animal names in this list!TruMeaning: A German name meaning "strength of the spear; spear maiden".

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Unusual Baby Boy Names - beginning with Z

ZeeMeaning: This could be a shortened version of the Hebrew name Ezekiel, which means "God will strengthen".ZiggyMeaning: This German name is a shortened version of Sigmund, which means "protection through victory".ZyronMeaning: There isn't very much explanation on the name Zyron, but it could be an alternative of Zion, which is a Biblical name meaning "monument; raised up; sepulcher".

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Names ending in S

There’s been names ending in O’s, R’s A’s and N’s and now for 2022, it’s all about S ending names. There’s something so cool about names ending with an S, and they’re predicted to be popular for both girls and boys.

Boys

• Idris

• Wells

• Ignatius

• Rivers

• Rhodes

Girls

• Lois

• Jules

• Hollis

• Banks

• Iris

Names beginning with R

While names ending in S are in fashion, names beginning with R are set to grow in popularity in 2022 (we think Rhodes will be the ultimate cool name). Taking inspiration from nature and European languages, here are some of the top R names.

Boys

• Rome

• Rowe

• Rye

• Reed

• Ren

Girls

• Rain

• Rue

• Rumi

• Reign

• Rox

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