Baby Name Wizard author Laura Wattenberg
@babynames.bsky.social
Viewing the world through a name lens. Writer, web site creator, find me nowadays at Namerology.com. ( @BNW and @NamerologyTalk on Twitter)
The topic for this article literally came to me in a dream. And honestly, I think my unconscious was onto something.
bit.ly/NameSpread
bit.ly/NameSpread
Watch the Influence of a Celebrity Baby Name Spread
What started out as a single name became so much more.
bit.ly
July 8, 2026 at 6:25 PM
The topic for this article literally came to me in a dream. And honestly, I think my unconscious was onto something.
bit.ly/NameSpread
bit.ly/NameSpread
Back after a hiatus with an interactive timeline of baby name style: bit.ly/NameTimeline
This is Your Generation’s Baby Name Aesthetic
Scroll through a century of fashion eras with our interactive timeline, and find the moment that feels like home.
bit.ly
July 1, 2026 at 8:09 PM
Back after a hiatus with an interactive timeline of baby name style: bit.ly/NameTimeline
Hey Vermont, your love of the baby name Oliver is so strong it throws off the scale of the whole map. namerology.com/ultimate-map/
May 15, 2026 at 2:18 PM
Hey Vermont, your love of the baby name Oliver is so strong it throws off the scale of the whole map. namerology.com/ultimate-map/
When I declared Elara,—he favorite name of AI—the 2025 Name of the Year, I suggested it could also enter the human name stream. Sure enough, the name just made its debut in the top-1000 list.
bit.ly/Elara-Name-o...
bit.ly/Elara-Name-o...
The 2025 Name of the Year is Elara
She doesn’t exist. Yet she’s everywhere—and she’s all of us.
bit.ly
May 10, 2026 at 9:45 PM
When I declared Elara,—he favorite name of AI—the 2025 Name of the Year, I suggested it could also enter the human name stream. Sure enough, the name just made its debut in the top-1000 list.
bit.ly/Elara-Name-o...
bit.ly/Elara-Name-o...
The fastest-rising baby name of the year is a legitimate marvel of fashion. bit.ly/RisingNames
The Fastest-Rising Name of the Year Accomplished Something Amazing
A fashion phenomenon keeps soaring higher.
bit.ly
May 10, 2026 at 4:27 PM
The fastest-rising baby name of the year is a legitimate marvel of fashion. bit.ly/RisingNames
The top 10 baby names look pretty traditional—which makes them a wildly misleading snapshot of today's name trends. For perspective, here are the top 10 fastest-RISING names in America, across all popularity levels.
May 8, 2026 at 7:58 PM
The top 10 baby names look pretty traditional—which makes them a wildly misleading snapshot of today's name trends. For perspective, here are the top 10 fastest-RISING names in America, across all popularity levels.
After Watergate, Americans stopped naming babies after newly elected politicians. Now an exception: the name Zohran made its debut in the US name stats last year with 30 babies born. Zohran Mamdani was clearly the spark, but it couldn't have happened without the allure of a brand-new Z name .
May 8, 2026 at 6:49 PM
After Watergate, Americans stopped naming babies after newly elected politicians. Now an exception: the name Zohran made its debut in the US name stats last year with 30 babies born. Zohran Mamdani was clearly the spark, but it couldn't have happened without the allure of a brand-new Z name .
The Baby Name Grapher has been updated with brand-new stats. Happy browsing!
namerology.com/baby-name-gr...
namerology.com/baby-name-gr...
May 8, 2026 at 6:13 PM
The Baby Name Grapher has been updated with brand-new stats. Happy browsing!
namerology.com/baby-name-gr...
namerology.com/baby-name-gr...
The new national baby name data is in. Much more analysis to come!
Meet the Top American Baby Names of 2025
These are the most popular names in the nation. But do they really represent our naming style?
bit.ly
May 8, 2026 at 2:13 PM
The new national baby name data is in. Much more analysis to come!
Great legwork to acquire some US middle name data! I'd love to see this sorted by age -- Ann in particular has done a spectacular vanishing act as a first name bit.ly/GoodbyeAnn
What is the middlest name of them all? Ann! No other name is as disproportionally used as a middle name compared to as a first name. Great data work! Source: buff.ly/7QyNUF9
February 23, 2026 at 4:45 PM
Great legwork to acquire some US middle name data! I'd love to see this sorted by age -- Ann in particular has done a spectacular vanishing act as a first name bit.ly/GoodbyeAnn
Indulge in some decadent depravity with Villainess Baroque style.
bit.ly/VillainessBa...
bit.ly/VillainessBa...
Cruella & Co.: The Allure of Villainess Baroque
Imagine a character name so luxuriantly villainous, it’s like a bubble bath of wickedness.
bit.ly
January 20, 2026 at 2:42 PM
Indulge in some decadent depravity with Villainess Baroque style.
bit.ly/VillainessBa...
bit.ly/VillainessBa...
Suddenly enraged that we put paper in a folder to keep it from being folded
December 30, 2025 at 8:23 PM
Suddenly enraged that we put paper in a folder to keep it from being folded
Meet Elara, the Name of the Year. She doesn’t exist. Yet she’s everywhere—and she’s all of us.
bit.ly/Elara-Name-o...
bit.ly/Elara-Name-o...
The 2025 Name of the Year is Elara
She doesn’t exist. Yet she’s everywhere—and she’s all of us.
bit.ly
December 16, 2025 at 1:04 AM
Meet Elara, the Name of the Year. She doesn’t exist. Yet she’s everywhere—and she’s all of us.
bit.ly/Elara-Name-o...
bit.ly/Elara-Name-o...
Take a moment and think about the names that have been on your mind this year. What name feels new, or has changed, or somehow matters more? Like Barack in 2007, or Siri in 2011, or Karen in 2019? What's the 2025 Name of the Year? Please share your ideas (and this post, if you're inclined!)
What Name Captures the Spirit of 2025?
The right name can be a time capsule, conjuring a moment, a place, a turning point, even a feeling. What's your choice for the 2025 Name of the Year?
bit.ly
November 25, 2025 at 6:23 PM
Take a moment and think about the names that have been on your mind this year. What name feels new, or has changed, or somehow matters more? Like Barack in 2007, or Siri in 2011, or Karen in 2019? What's the 2025 Name of the Year? Please share your ideas (and this post, if you're inclined!)
This Thanksgiving, spare a thought for the baby snuffleupagus
November 20, 2025 at 4:19 PM
This Thanksgiving, spare a thought for the baby snuffleupagus
You keep hearing how diverse baby names are today. But three of your friends named their daughters Maya. Here's why. bit.ly/Same-Names
Why You Keep Hearing the Same Baby Names (No Matter What the Stats Say)
Baby names are more diverse than ever. So why are there four Liams in your daughter’s preschool?
bit.ly
November 10, 2025 at 7:09 PM
You keep hearing how diverse baby names are today. But three of your friends named their daughters Maya. Here's why. bit.ly/Same-Names
Back from an accidental hiatus with thoughts on our rapidly changing name culture: bit.ly/CrowName
How Has Baby Naming Changed In 30 Years? Ask The Crow
A movie remake reveals a radical shift in baby name style.
namerology.com
September 2, 2025 at 11:22 PM
Back from an accidental hiatus with thoughts on our rapidly changing name culture: bit.ly/CrowName
In an age of self-monetization, does sharing a name dilute your personal brand?
bit.ly/BradyVsBrady
bit.ly/BradyVsBrady
Brady Quinn vs. Brady Quinn
The curious case of a namesake following exactly in his predecessor’s footsteps.
bit.ly
June 25, 2025 at 2:01 AM
In an age of self-monetization, does sharing a name dilute your personal brand?
bit.ly/BradyVsBrady
bit.ly/BradyVsBrady
In 2019-20, even as the name Frank slid out of use, ten American boys were named Frankly. This is frankly astonishing on so many levels.
June 7, 2025 at 1:21 AM
In 2019-20, even as the name Frank slid out of use, ten American boys were named Frankly. This is frankly astonishing on so many levels.
Looking at names on the brink of disappearing, I noticed a pattern bit.ly/VanishingNames
These Familiar Baby Names are on the Verge of Extinction
Old favorites are disappearing, and a sound may be the culprit.
bit.ly
June 3, 2025 at 5:21 PM
Looking at names on the brink of disappearing, I noticed a pattern bit.ly/VanishingNames
The D&D series "The Legend of Vox Machina" hit big in the baby name arena. It introduced two brand-new names, Vex'ahlia and Keyleth, and spurred big jumps in the very old names Percival, Percy, Frederick and Archibald.
May 29, 2025 at 1:17 AM
The D&D series "The Legend of Vox Machina" hit big in the baby name arena. It introduced two brand-new names, Vex'ahlia and Keyleth, and spurred big jumps in the very old names Percival, Percy, Frederick and Archibald.
Three trends in a single baby name:
1. Turning "ing" words into "yn" names
2. Making names out of phrases, not just single words
3. "Bless" as a name root
The name: Ablessyn
1. Turning "ing" words into "yn" names
2. Making names out of phrases, not just single words
3. "Bless" as a name root
The name: Ablessyn
May 28, 2025 at 2:59 PM
Three trends in a single baby name:
1. Turning "ing" words into "yn" names
2. Making names out of phrases, not just single words
3. "Bless" as a name root
The name: Ablessyn
1. Turning "ing" words into "yn" names
2. Making names out of phrases, not just single words
3. "Bless" as a name root
The name: Ablessyn
Of course this is the name of my plane
May 27, 2025 at 5:26 PM
Of course this is the name of my plane
6 boys were named Beaudi last year. It's pretty clearly meant to be a riff on two popular names: Bodhi spelled like Beau. But I have to think a lot of people will say "beauty."
May 21, 2025 at 3:22 AM
6 boys were named Beaudi last year. It's pretty clearly meant to be a riff on two popular names: Bodhi spelled like Beau. But I have to think a lot of people will say "beauty."
The deeper you look, the more you find....
bit.ly/NewBoyNames
bit.ly/NewBoyNames
Bandit, Methuselah and 22 More Intriguing New Boys’ Names
These new names expand our style horizons in some surprising directions.
bit.ly
May 20, 2025 at 2:53 PM
The deeper you look, the more you find....
bit.ly/NewBoyNames
bit.ly/NewBoyNames