Professional baby namer predicts most popular names set to take over in 2026
2026 is officially here and many couples will be welcoming babies in the year that really feels like something you'd declare as 'the future' back in the day.
More than three million babies are expected to be born in the US this year, with the likes of Noah and Olivia set to remain popular as name choices.
And while you can sit and debate for hours with your other half on what to name your bundle of joy, there's no doubt that decision is extremely difficult.
Colleen Slagen, who's been a professional baby namer since 2022, has been speaking to People about some of the name trends that are set to take over 2026.
Advert
Some four years ago, Colleen quit her job as a nurse practitioner to pursue her passion for baby names, which she often discusses on TikTok and her new book, Naming Bebe: An Interactive Guide to Choosing the Baby Name You Love.
The expert states that parents are set to embrace 'short, four-letter names' in 2026 as they 'feel effortlessly cool and nickname-proof'. So, for girls, the likes of Indi, Gwen, Lana and Alba are set to be popular, while the same can be said for the boys names of Luca, Rome, Elio, Dean and Bode.
"I have worked with so many families who have accidentally started this trend with their children and then continued it for the whole set!" Colleen told People.
The expert is also predicting 'Andi Anderson names', paying homage to entertainment in the early 2000s in the process.
Colleen explained: "Us millennials have never forgotten Kate Hudson’s iconic role as Andi Anderson in How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days. So much so that it’s influencing our baby naming. Parents are using names for their daughters that are traditionally used for boys."
She continued: "When everyone is looking the other way at the same time, a trend is born along with the baby. French names have a classic elegance that people are really drawn to."
Then there are names based off celebrities, though they are more likely to be used by influencers than the general US population, Colleen explained.
She said: "This is a trend that gained traction from celebrities — everybody remembers where they were when Gwyneth Paltrow named her daughter Apple — and has trickled down to us normal folk.
"It’s a way for people to pick something that is very unique as a baby name, but a word that is familiar/easy to say and spell."
Callum Jones