Choosing a name for your impending little bundle can be incredibly difficult. Who knew there were so many people you don’t want your child named after! You may like the idea of a popular name, but you might prefer that your child doesn’t grow up to be one of five Lunas or Arlos in the school classroom. In the latter case, you’ll probably want to consider choosing a name that’s not in this list of most popular baby names this year. Keep reading for more trending names that we think you’re going to love at least one of.
The top 5 girls’ names in Australia for 2021:
- Luna
- Isla
- Aurora
- Mia
- Maeve
The top 5 boys names in Australia for 2021:
- Arlo
- Hugo
- Oscar
- Leo
- Theodore
Top baby names in Australia for 2021
Are you quite surprised to see some of these names on this list? Luna jumped from 49th most popular girls’ name in 2019 to the top this year, while Arlo has come seemingly out of nowhere. It reached 35th place last year before landing right at the top this year.
What else is trending this year?
Here are some more trending names that are listed in Nameberry’ s top 1000 names for this year. Whilst gaining some popularity, they’re still unique and distinct if you’re looking for something a bit cool or different.
- Old-fashioned names are still in style, including Albert and Stanley for boys, and Clara and Audrey for the girls.
- Royal names, such as Arthur, Archie, and Alfie remain high in the popularity stakes for boys. Catherine, Elizabeth, and Meghan are classy, timeless, and elegant trending girls’ names.
- Surnames that make even cuter first names are surging up the charts. Austin, Grayson, Hudson, and Oakley are among them for the boys, and Adley, Blair, and Bellamy for the girls.
- Jazz age revival names are fast-rising vintage names, and among them are oh-so-cool sounding ones such as Zelda, Billie, Etta (which has also brought with it Violette and Loretta), and Chester.
- Super short and sweet baby names are on the rise, especially for boys, that contain just a few letters and only one or two syllables. Rio, Cal, and Zev; plus Avi and Ila for girls.
- S-ending boy names are the hot new smart and snappy picks, like Brooks, Ames, Hayes, and Banks.
- Wholesome word names are one of the biggest gender-neutral trends of the year, rising during the pandemic to reflect parents’ hopes and dreams for their children and the world. For both sexes, these names include Reign, Royal, Salem, True, and Sage.
- Scandi-style names are making big gains (we all love a bit of Scandi in the home, don’t we?), and among them are Anders, Leif, Bjorn, Niko, and Soren for the boys, while on the girls’ side are Maren, Astrid, and Alma.
- ‘Y’ sound names for girls are fast becoming a booming trend. Popular and beautiful names include Avayah, Naya, Aarya, Amaia, Zoya, Kamiya, Raya, and Kataleya.
- Biblical boy names are getting quirkier, with the high-risers including Avi, Zev, Abner, and Eliezer.
- Old-school cool nicknames are on the rise. Margo, Bonnie, and Nancy for girls, and Mack, Jerry, and Bobby for boys. Recent adoptions that sound retro include Ace, Ziggy, Jovie, and Scout.
If you’re still stuck on a name after reading through this inspirational list, you might like to read:
20 unique baby names inspired by nature
20 beautiful Indingenous Australian baby names
Top 20 gender-neutral baby names