Top UK baby names in 2024, as predicted by an expert

Choosing a baby name for a mini human is a huge responsibility.

While some parents opt for traditional family monikers passed down through generations, others are taking inspiration from alternative sources.

From favourite main characters in much-loved movies, to the "ordinary" sounding monikers of generations gone by and the hit film that has spawned all the trends du jour, Barbie, it seems in 2024 mums and dads-to-be will be thinking outside the regular baby-naming box.

Disney

Baby names are set to be whimsical this year, with searches for "Disney princess names" increasing by +120% in the last 90 days alone.

Leading the way is Stacey Solomon who opted for the name, Belle, the heroine in Beauty and the Beast, as the moniker for her baby daughter.

The Disney-inspired name reveal came after former Love Island contestant Molly-Mae Hague revealed she has chosen the name Bambi, for her first born, and Strictly Come Dancing star Stacey Dooley opted for Minnie for her and Kevin Clifton's baby daughter.

Watch: Celebrity baby names

"Disney names are one of the most common requests we get at the baby name consultancy," explains baby name consultant and Youtuber, SJ Strum who has been working with greetings card marketplace, thortful.

"With Molly Mae choosing Bambi and Stacey Dooley choosing Minnie - it’s a big trend for 2024."

Other names predicted to be popular within this craze include Aurora; meaning dawn, the name of Sleeping Beauty, which is up an incredible 230 places and Strum predicts will hit the top 20 most popular girl names next year.

"When we watch a blockbuster, baby names follow," she says. "There were 24 boys and 37 girls named Ariel last year, following the release of the Little Mermaid. I also predict Eric [after Prince Eric in the film] will be a top baby name again within the next couple of years, even though it’s been languishing outside [the most popular lists] for over a decade."

More subtle names from Disney include Gus, after one of Cinderella’s mice or Flynn from Tangled.

"For girls, Esmerelda from The Hunchback of Notre Dame is one to use quickly as the remake is rumoured to be released in 2024," Strum adds.

BarbieCore

The excitement over the Barbie movie has led to a spike in Barbiecore trends in everything from fashion to interiors and now the effect is infiltrating baby names.

"BarbieCore names will be huge next year," predicts Strum. "Think girly and playful monikers like Mariposa meaning butterfly, Blossom which makes you think pink and I think we’ll see a few Skipper’s joining the playground."

Though there were three boys named Ken last year, Strum says Kenny is a more modern-sounding version.

As well as Barbie-esque characters the names of the actors starring in the film are also predicted to prove popular.

“Margot already is trending and up 30 places," says Strum. "If the same thing happens next year the moniker will sit nicely in the top 20 names in the UK for girls - a huge revival for a name totally disused when Margot Robbie was born, given to just eight babies that same year.”

Normcore

After Meghan Trainer showed us how to embrace a real vintage gem by picking the moniker Barry for her newborn, Strum says we could see people moving away from fast fashion picks like Hunter and Lexi in favour of 90’s Normcore names.

"Just as 90s fashion has make a comeback, so too has names with Barry originally peaking in 1996,” she says. “Other names in this trend are Amy which had its first upward trend last year as did Claire and Sabrina so we’re expecting them to make a big comeback in 2024."

Strum says the monikers Alanis [Morissette] and Winona [Ryder] could also prove popular with new parents.

"The normal-sounding Ian has also risen almost 50 spots, while Christopher went up 12 places,” she adds.