These Baby Names Are Predicted To Be The Most Popular Of 2020

Whether you're planning on starting a family any time soon or not, there's something fascinating about baby name trends. It's probably got something to do with the way that certain names reflect pop culture and society generally as they come in and out of fashion.

One leading baby name website, Nameberry, has already predicted the most popular choices for 2020 by tracking which names have been growing in search traffic most quickly. Reese and Billie both make the list, propelled by the popularity of Big Little Lies actress Reese Witherspoon and "Mr. Bad Guy" singer Billie Eilish.

The old-school girls name Pearl, which was most popular between the 1880s and mid-1920s, is apparently coming back in a major way. Paisley, a name of Scottish origin, and Teagan, which has Welsh and Irish roots, both make the list too.

Austin tops the boys list, suggesting enough time has passed since the Austin Powers movies came out for this name to sound reasonably cool again. According to Nameberry, "you can also see it as a feminist literary name" because it's so close to the surname of revered English author Jane Austen.

1. Adah

2. Reese

3. Mika

4. Paisley

5. Amina

6. Teagan

7. Nova

8. Aura

9. Pearl

10. Billie

1. Austin

2. Alva

3. Acacius

4. Tate

5. Diego

6. Easton

7. Lucius

8. Cash

9. Ash

10. Luca

Nameberry is a US-based website with a global readership, so its predictions don't necessarily reflect the most searched-for names among prospective parents in the UK. Still, its predictions definitely provide plenty of naming inspo, and it's interesting to compare the lists to the latest official top tens from the UK. In 2018, the most popular girls and boys names in England and Wales were Olivia, Amelia and Ava; and Oliver, George and Harry.

Meanwhile, it's also been reported that some baby names especially connected with '90s pop culture – such as Chandler, Monica and McCauley – are rapidly falling out of fashion.