Sophie Kihm said pop culture names were on the slide
An expert has predicted the baby names on the rise in 2026 and says pop culture names – such as Zendaya and Charli – are out. Sophie Kihm, 28, has predicted the baby name trends that will be heading our way in 2026.
She says we will see a rise in monikers from ancient civilisations – such as ‘Arath’ and ‘Lilavati’. Sophie also says showgirl names like ‘Ophelia’, ‘Dorothea’ and ‘Marilyn’ will rise in 2026 on the back of Taylor Swift’s ‘The Life of a Showgirl’ album.
But the editor at Nameberry – a website devoted to baby names – says that pop culture names are on the decline – including ‘Zendaya’, ‘Charli’ and ‘Kohen’.
Sophie, from Chicago in the USA, said: “A lot of pop culture-related names are falling right now. They are the Zendayas, Charlis and Kohens who will ride fast when someone is making waves.
“But the following year will fall the next. Charli is falling pretty rapidly for girls. For pop culture names to work and be sustainable, they need to have a sound that is on trend and have the right pop culture reference.”
Sophie says she sees names related to ancient civilisations becoming popular in 2026 – because parents either want to connect to their ancestry or have escapism from the world. For boys, names like ‘Arath’, ‘Johari’ and ‘Yazan’ and for girls, names like ‘Marcella’, ‘Olympia’, and ‘Adhara’, she says will become more popular.
She said: “The parents using ancient civilisations’ names seek to connect their children back to history. This may be a family’s own history and heritage, as with many Mesoamerican and ancient Asian names. For others, ancient civilisations’ names are a way to cope with an uncertain future by rewinding to a romanticised past, common with the use of Ancient Greek and Roman names.”
Despite the fall in pop culture names, Sophie believes showgirl names will be on the rise in 2026. She said this is down to Taylor Swift’s most recent album, which has “revived antiques like Marjorie and Dorothea”.
“Ophelia and Honey will certainly get a boost from Swift’s latest album, and might we see some baby girls called Opalite?” Sophie said. “Beyond names from Swift’s track titles, The Life of a Showgirl will inspire parents to embrace maximalist, extravagantly feminine names for their daughters. On the rise include names of real-life starlets, like Marilyn Monroe and Farrah Fawcett, as well as fictional showgirls like Roxie Hart and Nomi Malone.”
In 2026, Sophie predicts we will see vowel hiatus names come into the fold – names such as ‘Ameal’, ‘Lyanni’ and ‘Soleia’ because parents are paring back consonant sounds and letting vowels do the talking.
Sophie said: “Just a few years ago, liquid consonants like L and M were all the rage, with choices like Bellamy, Milo and Milani climbing the charts. Today, parents are paring back consonant sounds – using one, maybe two – and instead, letting abutting vowels do the talking.
“Vowel Hiatus names Deia, Leonie, and Eziah are among the fastest-rising on Nameberry so far this year. Celebrities have taken strongly to this trend, recently exemplified by Milo Ventimiglia’s daughter Ke’ala, Imani Hakim’s son Kazuo, and Lele Pons’s daughter Eloísa.”
Baby name trends for 2026
Ancient civilisations names
UK Girls: Calliope, Dorothea, Rehmat
UK Boys: Aslan, Moses, Zorawar
US Girls: Adhara, Olympia, Xiadani
US Boys: Isidore, Johari, Tenoch
Showgirl names
UK Girls: Amora, Eliora, Paloma
US Girls: Elodie, Ophelia, Tallulah
Romantasy names
UK Girls: Elowyn, Cordelia, Xanthe
UK Boys: Elio, Emrys, Lachlan
US Girls: Bronwen, Cordelia, Isolde
US Boys: Ambrose, Emrys, Lysander
Vowel hiatus names
UK Girls: Ayana, Luella, Naia
UK Boys: Eoin, Lael, Nael
US Girls: Anaia, Noa, Soleia
US Boys: Gael, Lael, Tadeo