Biggest baby names of 2025 as 'best friend's dad' trend takes off

With 2025 around the corner, new research has predicted the most popular baby names for next year. A new study from JoJo Maman Bébé has revealed that over a quarter of UK parents worried about regretting their child’s name.

To give parents some naming inspiration, JoJo Maman Bébé has teamed up with baby name consultant Colleen Slagen to explore 2024’s most popular names, which names are at risk of becoming extinct and her predictions for 2025.

Colleen said: “Various trends are happening simultaneously and this overall theme of variety is what defines naming a child in the 2020s. Look out for Margot in 2025 as people are looking for feminine, classic-sounding alternatives to the top 10 girls' names, and names like Margot, Eloise, and Vivian fit the bill.

“A few of the trends I’m seeing right now that I expect to see more of in 2025 are short and effortless names for both boys and girls. For example, 1-2 syllables and 3-4 letter names like Cal, Mack, Vann and Case for boys and Navy, Indy, Drew, and Reya for girls.

“As much as I get requests for longer names with great nicknames, I get just as many requests for effortless names that don’t require a nickname (and may feel like a nickname). Names ending in ‘o’ are big for boys and names ending in ‘a’ are big for girls. Short names can feel brisk, but an ending vowel softens them which appeals to many people. Milo and Hugo sound like sweet, gentle kids as opposed to Banks or Knox which have a cool-guy feel.”

The top 20 baby names that have gained traction in 2024:

Colleen said: “Surnames will be on the rise for both genders and more gender-neutral names for girls will gain popularity. I think we’ll start seeing more traditional male names being chosen for girls such as Drew, Noah and Dylan. I used to get a lot of requests for gender-neutral names that lean feminine, however, now I get more and more requests for true “boy names” for girls. The biggest trend I see for 2025 is what I call “My Best Friend’s Dad” names: Scottie, Tommie, Markie, Mickey, and Billie.

“People are also leaning more toward gender-neutral names for boys. The names I’m currently hearing are Darcy and Kit (more for girls but for both genders).

“Cottage-core, virtue and nature names will continue to grow in popularity; however, people will learn more into these trends rather than just picking from the popular favourites from each category. Nature names such as Robin, Meadow, Lake, and Cove will rise and cottage-core names I’m hearing a lot include Cordelia, Percival, and Archibald. Virtue names like Haven, Promise, Chosen, Poet and Story will continue to rise.”

Colleen also expects tp see a number of names making a comeback, she said: “Vintage names are huge and people are digging to find less common ones, not afraid to resurrect something that others may call outdated. For girls, Louise, Dorothy, Mabel and Maisie are on the rise and for boys it's Arthur, Archie, and Howard. Judith and Reggie have also recently been used.

Whilst almost three in ten (28%) UK parents ruled out baby names due to their common nature, 18% rejected names that were too unusual. Almost one in six (14%) also revealed that they ruled out their choices due to potential teasing.

“It’s interesting that Hailey and Justin chose Jack as it is a very popular name, albeit a timeless classic. Some millennials will hold onto more traditional customs in their naming style but I suspect Gen Z will lean more into the unique trends and go bolder with their choices.

“However, many celebrities are still leading the way with their more unusual choices and I think it is contributing to the rise of what I call Merriam-Webster names: nouns and adjectives being adopted as baby names.

“TV shows can have a huge impact on names. Yellowstone led the way in the rise of cowboy names like Kayce, Tate and Dutton and Bridgeton has increased the posh and regal-sounding names such as Daphne and Florence. Books like ACOTAR have also contributed to the rise in the name Rhys."

And there are a number of names that could soon die out. Colleen said: “Many names that we would call boomer and millennial names are at risk of becoming extinct. Boomer names like Linda, Kathy, Karen, Gary and Bob are not being used as much. The same can be said for millennial names like Tiffany, Caitlin, Courtney, Greg, and Jeff.”