Baby name inspired by 'mad' Shakespeare character set to surge in popularity

09 December 2023 , 14:39

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'Mad' Shakespeare character name is set to be popular amidst parents-to-be in 2024 (stock image) (Image: Getty Images/iStockphoto)

Choosing a baby name can be daunting, especially when you want it to be ordinary and not provoke any teasing in school, but want a unique name for your child that will make them stand out.

For 2024, professionals who have been looking at trends across the UK and the US have predicted that the name Ophelia, a character from William Shakespeare's Hamlet will come back into trend. If you haven't read a Shakespeare play recently and don't know who Ophelia is, she is the love interest of Hamlet.

Ophelia is driven to madness when her father Polonius is murdered by her lover Hamlet. She died by suicide after suffering from grief. Whilst Ophelia's fate is unfortunate, her name is on the rise for parents-to-be looking to name their children in 2024.

reported on upcoming trending names for babies in 2024, whilst trends between the UK and the US can be quite different there were some similarities. There will be some crossover for names between the two countries and these include names like Annie, Margaret and Juniper for girls.

Things like cultural differences and events taking over the coming year can influence the popularity of names amongst parents. According to experts, US parents will be using surnames as first names in 2024 as well as gender-neutral names rising in popularity. One expert said that parents-to-be have sought her services for names that are gender neutral for names they can stick with once the child is born and plan ahead of the birth of their child whatever the gender.

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US baby name expert Steph Coffield said that classic names would also come back into the trending baby names for parents-to-be to consider. Names like Harrison, Nathaniel and Vincent for boys, and Annie, Cecelia and Margaret for girls.

For UK baby names, baby name consultant and YouTuber SJ Strum said gender-neutral names would also be popular "as we move to raising our children as individuals."

Strum also predicted the name Elizabeth being chosen more to honour the late Queen. She also said a luxury trend would start to show up in the UK adding: "We love a timeless, traditional name in the UK but modern parents want to move on to rarer choices as unique names still dominate what we're after and why there's such a boom in using a baby name consultant."

The top names for girls and boys in the UK for 2024 can be seen below

Girls' names

• Delilah

• Margot

• Maeve

• Nellie

• Indie

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• Ophelia

• Nora

• Anastasia

• Cleo

• Harlow

Boys' names

• Otto

• Kit

• Enzo

• Beau

• Reuben

• Rupert

• Otis

• Ronnie

• Jude

• Lucas

Mariam Khan