Imagine a name as smooth as a flowing stream, as glossy as a raindrop. It shouldn’t be hard to imagine, because those names are all around us. Six years ago I first described a huge wave of “liquid” and “raindrop” names that was defining the sound of the times. A fresh look reveals that the trend has only continued to grow in the years since.

I call a name part of the “liquid” style if it’s fluid and sinuous, with no bumps, stops or hisses obstructing the flow of sound. That means a minimum of three syllables for flow, and no consonant sounds except the smoothest: l, m, n, r, w and y. To keep the name from bogging down, any two consonant sounds must be separated by a vowel. The name Aaliyah, clocking in at seven letters with just a single consonant sound, is a perfect liquid example. Girls’ names, with their tradition of vowel endings, dominate the style. The highest ranked liquid boys’ name is Emiliano at #190.

A “raindrop” name is composed of the same ingredients, but uses them to different effect. Rather than long and sinuous, these names are compact miniatures. Each raindrop name has at least two syllables but no more than four letters. They pack all of the style of a formal name into tiny, potent package. While girls’ names lead the raindrop style too, it’s a closer balance. The top two boys’ names in America, Liam and Noah, are both raindrop names.

Together, the two styles form a powerhouse. 162 different liquid and raindrop names rank among today’s top 1000 names for girls, double the rate of past generations. As a sound-based trend, the fluid appeal cuts across traditional style categories. A liquid name can be as antique as Amelia or as contemporary as Aniyah. The allure is so strong it has even helped bring back long-dormant names like Ramona and Luella.

See for yourself, with this roundup of top-1000 liquid and raindrop names.