With 2021 beginning, new name trends and revivals are sure to follow. Whether fruit themed names or a B initial heats up, I’ve put together a list of boy names that I’m certain will grow, regardless of their alignment with potential 2021 trends. The following names are just oozing with baby name potential, and I would encourage you to consider them for your child. Since these are boy names, they are significantly harder. For the girl edition, I kept outside the top 1000 so that the predictions would be more risky, but for the boys, I fear I may have to break that boundary given the slower trend flow and therefore less promising boy names below the top 1000. And now, let’s jump on in!
Edmund- Edward feels solidly classic, a can’t-go-wrong timeless sort of choice that is traditional through and through. But Edmund ups the ante with a pinch of vintage flavor and an added plus of heroic storybook charm. With vintage boy names soaring, Edmund fills that quirky-clunky cool void. And even better is the darling nickname Eddie, which had slipped under the radar for far too long now. Last year, Edmund acquired 160 enamored parents who called their son this baby name, a promising and realistic amount if he’s to achieve the top 1000 in a couple years. I would expect nothing less of a boy name with such potential to soar in the modern day baby naming environment.
Evander- Take a moment to absorb the possibilities for Evander. He’s clearly a smoosh between Evan and Alexander, you may think, but in reality, he has Scottish roots. With a fairytale hero vibes about him, a daring courage, and of course, all of the sounds we’re beginning to fall out of love with reinvented into a cool and masculine updated version. So it’s shocking to discover that such a lovely, versatile choice was only given to 177 baby boys last year, and therefore fails to come close to the top 1000. And that disturbingly low amount of use isn’t because the name is dated or old. In fact, Evander has never approached the barrier of the top 1000, making him a truly novel choice. If you’re looking for a baby boy name that has an incredibly low chance of repeating yet doesn’t sound awful with current trends, Evander’s your man.
Rafferty- A follow up to Raphael, Rafferty has a rugged and handsome style to him that feels international and masculine. While I’d expect him to leap a whole lot slower for a variety of reasons, that’s all the more reason to pounce on him quickly. For one, the name I’m modeling his potential success off of is Raphael, which has been bobbing about the 500s range for an impressively long amount of time, making him a “meh” example of a well-liked name. In addition, Rafferty only gathered 9 little baby namesakes in 2019, a pretty extreme low for a scale in which the absolute bottom is 5 babies with the name. Although all signs point to Rafferty being bound to single digit-dom for quite a while, I have hope that the ending of Timothy, the beginning of Raphael, and the nickname Raff or Rafe will pull him through, since I believe he’s bursting with potential.
Cormac- A refreshingly cheerful baby boy name that will age well and comes with adorable nicknames, Cormac is destined for a surge in popularity. An Irish baby boy name, I group Cormac with choices like Callum and Callahan, names that are starting to hop on the trend train. With the friendly boy-next-door nickname Mac or Mick, depending on how you pronounce this name, Cormac is what can only be described as a name with a happy vibe. Despite his very promising appearance and upbeat sound, Cormac only received 141 baby boys bearing the name. Just to give you some context, Chevy got 142. Anyway, I’m shocked that Cormac has failed to even approach the top 1000, and hope that he will get the publicity he deserves in years and data to come.
Phineas- While the franchise Phineas and Ferb made this name seem too comical and childish, that association may be willing to move along as the Finn names become family favorites. Now, the dorky and comedic facade is fading, and Phineas is starting to turn into a distinguished, handsome, gentlemanly name for many people and soon-to-be parents. His sophisticated European flair doesn’t hurt his case either. Although the numbers on Phineas are very low, given that he is only the name of 113 little boys born in 2019, I have faith that Phineas will come through and potentially even wiggle his way into the top 1000 next year. And a major plus? The nickname Finn/Phin.
Oslo- This may be slightly far-fetched, but I can’t be the only one who thinks Oslo could snag some namesakes, right? Otto has gotten plenty of love for his cottage-core hipster vibes and palindrome Os. Milo has been showered with young namesakes, heating up to a very impressive point and capturing the hearts of parents all around the world. So why not the place name Oslo? He has that clunky cool aspect with the retro nicknames Ozzie AND an -o ending, practically every baby name trend at the moment smushed into one. And while he was only able to become the moniker of a shockingly low 29 baby boys, lower than Zealand or Sidharth or Nazier, I have complete faith that he won’t stay hidden for much longer.
Stewart- So called “dorky” baby names do happen to be my style for boys. Dexter, Theodore, and Reuben are my top three, after all. So when I stumbled across Stewart, brave little mice and Mrs. Doubtfire references coming to mind, I thought I’d take a look at the popularity. “It’s a classic-ish name, so it must be in the 700s range, right?” Wrong. Very wrong. Stewart doesn’t even rank in the top 1000, and just barely scrapes the barrier of the top 4000! I was shocked. He really does fit the style of Theodore and company that modern day parents are all over, so why has Stewart been so horribly overlooked? Ok, I will admit that the -wart ending appears unpleasant. And Stew is a curious nickname, although I personally don't mind him all that much. But all that aside, I definitely hope for some little Stewarts on playgrounds in a couple years, especially given that he’s dominated in popularity by Cort, Dak, and Breckyn.
Thank you so much for reading! I appreciate your interest, and hope that you will continue to take interest in future articles.
Sincerely,
-Delphina Moon
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