05 October 2023 , 11:22
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There has been a huge increase in unisex baby names in recent years. Many celebrity parents, including the Kardashians, Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds, and Ashton Kutcher and Mila Kunis, have opted for unisex names for their little ones - and the rest of us seem to be following suit.
In England and Wales, the number of names considered unisex has increased by a whopping 56%, with new parents opting for gender-neutral baby names that are inclusive while still being nonspecific.
Sophie Kihm, name expert at Nameberry, told the Metro: "Gender neutral names are rising both because they give children flexibility should they not identify with their birth gender, but also because gender neutral names are modern choices with contemporary style."
So what are the fastest-rising unisex names in England and Wales? Top of the list for girls is Marlowe, which has moved up 266 spots from 2020-21. The name - spelt without the 'e' - also made it onto the boys' top 1,000 for the first time. Noa also appears on both lists, up 190 spots for girls.
Other names on the girls' list include Oakley, up 249 spots, and Blair and Ronnie, which are both new to the Top 1,000. The boys' list, meanwhile, features Ren and Ocean, also both new to the Top 1,000, and Sunny, which is up 195 places.
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And it's not just gender-neutral names on the rise. Disney-themed names could also become incredibly popular with parents this year, according to Sarah Redshaw, the UK Managing Editor for BabyCentre.
She told the Mirror: "It's a possibility that parents may take the lead from celebrities and their recent Disney-inspired names. Molly-Mae Hague and Tommy Fury named their newborn daughter Bambi, and Stacey Dooley called hers Minnie so we could see an increase in searches for Disney names."
Another unexpected trend seems to be wild west-inspired names. Sarah claims this is a move that none of the baby name experts ever saw coming, but it seems expectant parents just can't stop searching their website for monikers that would be fit for a little cowgirl or cowboy.
As such BabyCentre believes we can expect to see more babies named Billy, Butch, Wyatt, Pearl, Daisy and Clementine being welcomed into the world over the coming months. The experts went on to claim that outer space names will also dazzle parents, with Apollo, Cosmo, Ariel and Luna all being good options.
Other trends you may see cropping up in 2023 include gemstone names like Ruby and Jet as well as old-fashioned and classy-sounding names such as Tybalt, Tamara and Barnaby.