The latest baby-naming trends are strangely fascinating even if you aren't planning a family any time soon (or ever). Whether it's hipsters naming babies after IKEA furniture or the resurgence of '90s names like Courtney and Naomi, it's always fun to look at lists of newly popular names and wonder, "But could I really call my own child that?"
Now, baby-naming experts Nameberry have taken trend predictions to the next level by predicting which names will be most popular in 10 years' time. The website made its predictions based on names picked by parents in the US over the last decade, but their top ten lists definitely include names that will strike a chord with prospective parents in the UK.
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Charlotte – a name fit for a princess, of course – places top of the girls' list, and Harper, the name of Victoria and David Beckham's daughter, places third.
Mia, Ava, Olivia and Amelia – all of which appear in the current UK top ten – also make the list of names expected to be popular in 2028.
Emma, the name of our favourite woke Harry Potter star, is predicted to be an enduringly popular choice, too.
Two boys' names currently super-popular in the UK, Oliver and Noah, also make the list of names expected to be popular in 2018. Check out the top tens below.
Girls' names predicted to be popular in 2028:
1. Charlotte
2. Amelia
3. Harper
4. Emma
5. Olivia
6. Evely
7. Mia
8. Aria
9. Ava
10. Sofia
Boys' names predicted to be popular in 2028:
1. Liam
2. Mateo
3. Maverick
4. Noah
5. Lincoln
6. Lucas
7. Henry
8. Theodore
9. Jaxon
10. Oliver
"In general, popularity patterns follow regular patterns, rising and falling with the same precipitousness," said Pam Satran, co-creator and CEO of Nameberry. “Names that get popular fast, usually thanks to a celebrity or a pop culture event, tend to fall just as fast. Beyoncé, used for 105 baby girls in 2008, was used for no baby girls last year."
Satran added: “And names that are popular over several years tend to stay that way for several more before starting a very gradual slide. Emma entered the top 10 in 2002, for instance, moving in and out of the number one spot but lingering in the top five, and we project it will still be in the top five in a decade.”