Baby names: top trends for boy and girl names in 2022 - including Bridgerton and travel-inspired monikers

Parenting experts have predicted the top baby name trends in 2022 - with Bridgerton and escapist-inspired monikers featuring heavily.

This year, parents have named their children after the shows and films they were watching during lockdown, such as Connell (Normal People) and Tiger (Tiger King).

However, it is expected that next year parents will start to go with names that are more hopeful after the turmoil of the last 18 months, according to website Nameberry.

Brave, Dream and Shine are among the monikers that parents could turn to in 2022.

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Elsewhere, there is a growing trend for unisex names such as Harlow, Laurie and Wren.

Monikers ending in ‘s’, including Banks, Idris and Wells, could also feature prominently next year too.

Here, we take a look at the predicted trends and some of the names that could be big in 2022.

What will be the baby name trends in 2022?

Playful

New parents will be drawn to more playful names after almost two years of turmoil with the pandemic, according to Nameberry.

These names include: Bear, Buddy, Coco, Gigi, Honey, Lucky, Pixie, Teddy and Ziggy.

Escapist

With foreign travel off-limits to most people during the pandemic, parents will start to look at monikers with an escapist influence.

These names include: Bali, Bay, Coast, Forest, Lotus, Ocean, Reef, Ridge and Woods.

Bridgerton

The biggest Netflix original series of all time will be back for a second series next year and will undoubtedly inspire many new parents.

These names include: Cressida, Edwina, Hyacinth, Kitty, Phoebe, Prudence and Simon.

Non-binary

With society’s increasing openness to gender fluidity, these monikers could be popular next year.

These names include: Blair, Echo, Harlow, Laurie, Lux, Sasha, Scout and Wren.

Spiritual

Spiritual and soulful names should be more prominent in 2022 as the world looks ahead after the uncertainty caused by the coronavirus pandemic.

These names include: Alma, Brave, Creed, Jericho, Praise, Shine, Soul and True.

Names ending in ‘s’

The parenting experts are predicting that names ending with an ‘s’, particularly for girls, will be one of the big trends next year.

These names include: Atlas, Banks, Eros, Jules, Lois, Rhodes, Rivers and Wells.

Retro

As well as looking to more playful and escapist-influenced names, it is expected that parents will pine for yester-year and go for some retro monikers.

These names include: Betty, Etta, Gene, Gus, Louie, Ned, Ralph, Sally and Susie.

Musical

Names inspired by musical terms are becoming much more popular and could feature in the most popular in 2022.

These names include: Anthem, Calypso, Chord, Drummer, Jazz, Rhapsody and Strummer.

Short ‘r’ names

Short and punchy names beginning with the letter ‘r’ are starting to take off.

These names include: Rain, Reed, Revel, Rome, Rowe, Royal, Rue and Rune.

European

Quirky classic European names are also seeing a rise in popularity and could feature in the thoughts of parents next year.

These names include: Bastian, Cillian, Lars, Malachy, Magnus, Petra, Stellan and Tova

• For a full list of these names, go to Nameberry

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