Baby Name Trends for 2013

Here at babynames.co.uk we’ve recently been reflecting on the most popular names of 2012, but as we creep closer to a new year, we’ve taken a look at the baby names 2013 could bring us.

Influences from popular books

We all saw what the Twilight series did to boost the popularity of names such as Isabella, Edward and Jacob. In 2013, we predict a rise in the
name Christian, thanks to the popularity of erotic novel 50 Shades of Grey. Although the book hardly promotes the character Christian Grey as a role model, the sheer amount of repetition the name has had within our culture is bound to keep the name at the forefront of our minds. Other bestsellers which may influence parents include Stieg Larsson’s The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. Many parents may be looking to other countries for inspiration thanks to the huge success of these Scandinavian books. Names such as Mikael, Lisbeth, Henrik and Erika are all likely to have a boost in popularity in 2013.

Influences from popular culture and surroundings

US trend analysts Pamela Redmond Satran and Linda Rosenkrantz have stated recently that they predict a huge rise in ancient Roman and Greek names, especially those of gods and goddesses and those featured in ancient mythology. This is thanks to the popularity of TV shows Game of Thrones and Rome. Names which are likely to become hugely popular are Persephone (the bride of Greek god Hades), Augustus, Attica, Athena, Juno, Julius, Thor and Maeve.

Satran and Rosenkrantz also believe that ‘cold’ sounding names could experience a boost in popularity next year. With hurricane Sandy statistically likely to boost the popularity of the name Sandy and Sandra, other weather and season-related baby names may follow suit. So expect to see lots of Winters, Frosts, Januarys and Marchs next year.

Continuing trends from 2012

2013 won’t all be new, dramatic names. It is expected that the old fashioned baby name trend will still stay strong in 2013. Since 2011, vintage names such as Eve, Ava, Benjamin, Max, Harry and Poppy have been on the rise and this is set to continue in 2013. However, experts predict that this will be the ‘last wave’ for this trend, suggesting that 2014 will see a drop in popularity for old fashioned names.

Do you like any of these new baby name trends or will you firmly avoid them? Let us know what you think in the comment boxes below or in our forum!

About the author

Rosanne Moulding - Editor / Writer

Rosanne Moulding, 24, works as an editor and writer for Mum Network. She enjoys reading and writing children's and teenage fiction and her debut novel will be released later this year.

Click here to read my full biography.