
Counting down the girls’ names making the biggest moves on the 2018 popularity chart:
#5. Oaklynn
The hit name Brooklyn is starting to cool off, and Oaklyn/Oaklynn is stepping
up as a natural heir. We’ve seen the same “headless” transformation
before with shifts like Madison to Addison.
#4. Mila
Actress Mila Kunis made this Slavic nickname familiar in the US, but it would
be a mistake to call Mila a celebrity name. Its popularity is about sound and
style above all. Consider that America’s #1 boy’s name, Liam, is an anagram.
#3. Meghan
Now THIS is a celebrity name. With her 2018 marriage to Britain’s Prince Harry, American actress Meghan Markle pulled off the toughest trick in baby name land: making a “mom name” surge back up the charts. The name Meghan peaked back in the 1980s, when the new Duchess was born. This is as pure a name tribute as you’ll ever see.
#2. Everleigh
Everything “Ever” is hot in baby names, including Ever, Everett, and
especially Everly in all of its spellings. The hottest of all is Everleigh,
boosted by the young daughter of a family that chronicles its life on YouTube.
#1. Zhavia
Singer Zhavia Ward launched this previously unknown name into America’s top
1000 overnight. If you haven’t heard of her, that might be because she’s never
had a hit song. She was a contestant on a recently canceled reality tv singing
show called The Four. With a Z- and
V-packed name, that’s enough.
1 Comment
Re #2, it goes beyond “Ever” – names like Evelyn, Evangeline, Evie, Eve, Evan, Eva. Something is in the water.