It’s a new year, which means new baby names are on the rise.
To find out the hottest monikers of 2016 right now, Nameberry looked at names that attracted the most unique visitors on their site. Relying on data from over six million visits in the past 30 days, the site then tracked the top names that increased in interest by 50 per cent or more over the same time frame last year.
The results gave way to some interesting trends, but one in particular struck our attention. According to the findings, some of the hottest names of 2016 have a “distinct international flavour.” These names include Astrid (Scandinavian), Xanthe (Greek), Amara (African), Eamon (Irish), and Kai (Hawaiian).
It’s not hard to see why foreign baby names are gaining popularity. Not only are they unique in style and sound, but they also have deep meaning. The Indo-Iranian baby name Aryan, for instance, means “warrior” or “honourable.” Additionally, parents often lean towards these names because of their cultural connection.
Take a look below at the hottest top 10 boy and girl names of 2016, according to Nameberry.
Hottest Baby Names Of 2016 On Nameberry
Nameberry also noted four other trends in their findings. First, unisex names remain just as hot as they were in 2015. Second, interest in names beginning with vowels has significantly increased: 40 per cent for girls and over 50 per cent for boys. The most popular names begin with A, E, I and O, in that order.
Third, girl-boy pair names are on the rise. These include monikers such as Elise and Elias, Jade and Jayden, and Kai and Kaia.
And lastly, girls names with the -el sound are hot (Elsie, Aveline), as are boy names ending in -n (Lucian, Aiden, Owen).