One of the most fun—and stressful—experiences during pregnancy is choosing what to name your child. If you’re a mom-to-be in need of a little inspiration, look no further. We may not be the Census Bureau, but we analyzed our 2017 Model Search participant list to see which monikers are popular right now for North Texas kids. Read on for the hottest baby name trends in town.
Star Power
Plenty of folks take cues from celebrities when it comes to
naming their kiddos, but some North Texas parents use their baby’s name to pay homage to icons from decades past. Classic Hollywood sirens are getting some love, with Marilyn and Harlow making the list for little girls, while rock icons like Jagger and Hendrix are on the rise for boys.
Location, Location, Location
Some new parents are honoring the place of their child’s conception… or perhaps mourning the vacations they can’t take once baby arrives. City-themed names are booming this year—particularly Brooklyn, Kingston and London. Some parents are even venturing into outer space
with interplanetary names like Luna, Moon, Nova and Stella.
Hail to the Chief
Sure, neither a baby Trump nor Obama walked our runway last year, but plenty of other names from POTUS past are trending. The most popular choices are unisex options like Kennedy, Reagan, Madison, Taylor and Lincoln. Absent from the list? Despite a presidential library in Dallas, the name Bush hasn’t made an impression on local parents-to-be.
Earth Babies
An emerging trend for North Texas baby names are flora and fauna-themed monikers. For your future earth child, look to unisex words like River, Rainn and Phoenix. Floral names like Lily, Rose and Meadow dominate for girls, while boys earn their nature cred with monosyllabic choices like Fox and Leif.
Literary Odes
When David and Victoria Beckham named their daughter
Harper after To Kill A Mockingbird novelist Harper Lee, we knew it was just a matter of time before literary-inspired names received a massive popularity boost. Harper is now in esteemed company alongside book protagonist names like Scarlett, Sawyer and Zooey. Trendy Layla takes inspiration from the historical poem by Nizami Ganjavi (and perhaps the modern stylings of Eric Clapton), while Arya gets some love thanks to Game of Thrones.
Royal Titles
Everyone wants their child to feel like a prince or princess—but some North Texas parents are taking it a step further. Even before Beyonce and Jay-Z had their twins, the name Sir was on the rise for boys. Also big are the lofty titles King and Major, while Princess and Reign are the standouts for girls.
Unique Takes
Giving a traditional name a nontraditional spelling is a way for parents to be classic and cutting-edge at the same time. We found Jaymes listed alongside James, Aleczandir in the mix with Alexander, and an equal number of young boys named Jackson and a more creative version, Jaxon. The presidential-inspired Kennedy has spawned multiple variations, including
Kennady and Kennedi.
