Current:Home > MarketsGender-neutral baby names are on the rise. Here are the top 10 predictions for 2024. -TradeGrid
Gender-neutral baby names are on the rise. Here are the top 10 predictions for 2024.
View
Date:2025-04-18 02:29:20
Get ready to see more babies named Dylan, Avery and Logan in the coming months as gender-neutral names rise in popularity.
According to data from baby name website names.org, gender-neutral baby names have been trending upward dramatically since the 1990s, making up 17% of names in 2023 — with no signs of slowing down this year.
Here's the site's predictions for the top unisex names of 2024:
- Dylan
- Avery
- Logan
- Carter
- Riley
- Parker
- Rowan
- Cameron
- Angel
- Kai
Name.org's data also shows that the increase in unisex names isn't region-specific, despite earlier data showing gender-neutral names were more common in the southeastern U.S. throughout the 1990s.
"More recently, the maps show how dramatically usage has increased across the entire country," the website states, noting that while the names are still most common in the Southeast, they've become "notably more popular" in the Midwest and Pacific Northwest.
The analysis is based on Social Security Administration data on names, which only shows a person's given name, not what they go by.
"It's likely that gender-neutral names are even more common in everyday life than the Social Security data would suggest," the website notes. "For instance, Charlie is a gender-neutral baby name that is used as a nickname for Charles and Charlotte."
Since Charles and Charlotte are more common than most gender-neutral given names, if only "10% use the nickname Charlie, the popularity of Charlie in everyday life would be double what Social Security data would suggest," the website explains.
Other unisex nickname examples include Alex, which can be short for both Alexander and Alexandra, as well as Chris for Christopher, Christian, Christine or Christina.
The current predictions for unisex baby names are similar to those most popular in the past 10 years, a ranking that put Logan in first place, Avery in second and Carter in third. But the most popular unisex names of all time include a more varied lineup with Willie, Kelly and Jordan topping the list.
Other 2024 baby name trends
Gender-neutral names aren't the only ones getting attention. Athletes, actors and movie characters have also influenced what parents are naming their kids.
The name Caitlin, for example, peaked in popularity in 1988, but after more than three decades, it's seeing a resurgence — likely thanks to basketball star Caitlin Clark, according to BabyCenter data earlier this month.
The name Zendaya is also up this year and has been steadily increasing since the release of "Dune: Part Two" in March. The actress' name sits at No. 588. The last time her name spiked was in 2021 after the release of "Dune: Part One," and it continued to increase throughout 2022.
The siblings in the Netflix series "Bridgerton" may have also contributed to the increase in popularity for Anthony (up five spots), Eloise (up 20), Francesca (up 84), and Gregory (up 40) this year.
- More baby name news: "Chozen" and "Emryn" are rising fast as most popular baby names of the year are revealed
-Caitlin O'Kane contributed reporting.
- In:
- Childbirth
- Children
Sara Moniuszko is a health and lifestyle reporter at CBSNews.com. Previously, she wrote for USA Today, where she was selected to help launch the newspaper's wellness vertical. She now covers breaking and trending news for CBS News' HealthWatch.
TwitterveryGood! (2)
Related
- B.A. Parker is learning the banjo
- Why Kristin Davis Really Can't Relate to Charlotte York
- Nordstrom Anniversary Sale 2023: The Influencers' Breakdown of the Best Early Access Deals
- Maryland Embraces Gradual Transition to Zero-Emissions Trucks and Buses
- Which apps offer encrypted messaging? How to switch and what to know after feds’ warning
- Shakira Steps Out for Slam Dunk Dinner With NBA Star Jimmy Butler
- Ambitious Climate Proposition Faces Fossil Fuel Backlash in El Paso
- What Is Permitting Reform? Here’s a Primer on the Drive to Fast Track Energy Projects—Both Clean and Fossil Fuel
- Intellectuals vs. The Internet
- Remembering Cory Monteith 10 Years After His Untimely Death
Ranking
- Newly elected West Virginia lawmaker arrested and accused of making terroristic threats
- Legislative Proposal in Colorado Aims to Tackle Urban Sprawl, a Housing Shortage and Climate Change All at Once
- Former gynecologist Robert Hadden to be sentenced to 20 years in prison for sexual abuse of patients, judge says
- Loose lion that triggered alarm near Berlin was likely a boar, officials say
- Which apps offer encrypted messaging? How to switch and what to know after feds’ warning
- In Pennsylvania, Home to the Nation’s First Oil Well, Environmental Activists Stage a ‘People’s Filibuster’ at the Bustling State Capitol
- Why Khloe Kardashian Forgives Tristan Thompson for Multiple Cheating Scandals
- Keep Your Car Clean and Organized With These 15 Prime Day 2023 Deals
Recommendation
Nearly half of US teens are online ‘constantly,’ Pew report finds
California Activists Redouble Efforts to Hold the Oil Industry Accountable on Neighborhood Drilling
Some will starve, many may die, U.N. warns after Russia pulls out of grain deal
In Atlanta, Proposed ‘Cop City’ Stirs Environmental Justice Concerns
Intellectuals vs. The Internet
Shakira Steps Out for Slam Dunk Dinner With NBA Star Jimmy Butler
Elon Musk launches new AI company, called xAI, with Google and OpenAI researchers
Treat Williams’ Daughter Pens Gut-Wrenching Tribute to Everwood Actor One Month After His Death