The Top New Baby Names of the Millennium
When the ball dropped in Times Square on New Year's Eve, 1999, these baby names didn't exist. Today, they're hits.
Dozens of names that were unused in the U.S. at the dawn of the millennium now rank among the 1,000 most popular names for boys or girls. Their diverse styles paint a picture of the many kinds of name trends operating in America today. Here are a few highlights that represent some major themes on the list:
Everly (F): The #1 most popular brand-new name, Everly is a perfect meeting point of sound, style and celebrity. Other "Eve" names like Everett and Evelyn have also risen sharply, along with formal-sounding surnames and classic rock names (remember the Everly Brothers?) For a final boost, the name's big surge followed the birth of actor Channing Tatum's daughter Everly. More new surnames and place names with hot sounds: Harlow, Lennox, Bexley, Huxley, Brixton
Iker (M): Meet America's favorite Basque name. Iker, a Basque word meaning "visitation," was adopted as a name a century ago, a homegrown Basque equivalent to the Spanish saint's name Visitación. Superstar soccer goalkeeper Iker Casillas has spread it to the world. More soccer-influenced boys' names: Beckham, Neymar
Khaleesi Image: hbo.com/game-of-thrones
Khaleesi (F): Khaleesi is a regal title in the invented Dothraki language of Game of Thrones. It's part of a wave of new names inspired by science fiction, fantasy and video game characters, as parents look beyond our mundane reality for new name ideas. More fantastical names: Castiel, Kylo, Coraline, Kairi
Aarav (M): I can point you to prominent Aaravs, like a son of actor Akshay Kumar and the recent winner of a Tamil reality tv competition. But instead, let me point you to the double A at the beginning of the name—and to more Indian double A names: Vihaan, Riaan, Aadhya, Vivaan.
Zayden (M): Want to freshen up a super-popular name style? Put a Z on it. Other rhyming names like Jaden, Aidan, Hayden and Brayden were already popular as the 20th century drew to a close, but Zayden is brand-new to our millennium. More Z-powered names: Zaiden, Zaylee
The full list of 55 brand-new baby name hits of this millennium:
| BOYS | GIRLS | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Name | 2016 Rank | Name | 2017 Rank | |
| Zayden | 185 | Everly | 107 | |
| Iker | 235 | Daleyza | 238 | |
| Jayceon | 249 | Kaydence | 387 | |
| Beckham | 313 | Harlow | 420 | |
| Zaiden | 405 | Yaretzi | 467 | |
| Aarav | 550 | Cataleya | 510 | |
| Memphis | 622 | Royalty | 532 | |
| Ayaan | 627 | Everleigh | 573 | |
| Vihaan | 663 | Coraline | 602 | |
| Kohen | 670 | Addilynn | 614 | |
| Madden | 673 | Adley | 617 | |
| Reyansh | 760 | Lorelai | 626 | |
| Castiel | 763 | Collins | 647 | |
| Kamdyn | 810 | Lennox | 716 | |
| Bentlee | 820 | Khaleesi | 765 | |
| Riaan | 855 | Tinley | 792 | |
| Huxley | 867 | Zaylee | 813 | |
| Brixton | 875 | Kairi | 818 | |
| Neymar | 885 | Dalary | 864 | |
| Kylo | 901 | Kehlani | 873 | |
| Vivaan | 936 | Avalynn | 875 | |
| Kashton | 941 | Bryleigh | 886 | |
| Brantlee | 953 | Aubriella | 903 | |
| Urijah | 956 | Zendaya | 916 | |
| Benicio | 975 | Milania | 946 | |
| Wesson | 993 | Novalee | 949 | |
| Aadhya | 953 | |||
| Bexley | 970 | |||
| Adilynn | 978 | |||
10/04/2017, 9:50AM
Comments
I think I hate every single name on the girls' list. I can stand Memphis and Benicio on the boys' list.
I don't think that you could have made a list that was less my style! I was also surprised to see Kamdyn, Bentlee, and Brantlee on the boys' side, since those alternate spellings scream "girl" to me. I also keep reading Vivaan as Vivian, so there's that.
The movie Where the Heart Is came out in 2000, accounting for Novalee.
I wonder if any of these names were raised and maintained by specific regions or if they've basically become national hits.
Wait! I like Coraline. And truth be told, I actually don't mind Everly (Everleigh is not included in that statement) though I wouldn't use it myself.
I do know a male Camdyn who is now a young adult.
I'm surprised by the number of names for both genders that end in the "lee" sound. (And the variety of spellings to produce it!).
Aarav seems the odd-name-out here.
Double-a names are nothing new in Indian naming traditions.
They may be particularly common in the Western context, but I don't know why that would be new in the new millennium.
Doubling the A is one of the only sure-fire ways to transliterate the letter in Devanagri and other South Asian alphabets that is pronounced with a long A. Otherwise the names are apt to be mispronounced, especially since a short A in most South Asian pronunciations is more like an -uh sound.
I like a lot of the South American and Indian names. They sound musical but not lightweight.
Wow, most of these names are radically not my style. (I like the Indian ones and a few others.)
"Jayceon" in particular really startles me. Is it typically prnounced like "Jason"? It reminds me so much of the defense contractor Raytheon.
I can't be the only person who sees "Wesson" and thinks of the oil...
OK, googled and realized people are probably naming boys after the guns... It'll always be an oil to me...
wow! I really do not like this list of names...and I guess that makes me officially old. I think if the Indian names were presented as a group , I might be more open. As a list of names, though, they do not delight me.