The 100 Best Baby Names Right Now
From Abel to Zephyr, our picks for the most intriguing names of 2016
The 100 best movies, restaurants, novels, jobs, apps – the world is full of lists cataloging the premiere picks of all kinds of things. So why not, we thought, baby names?
The question we asked ourselves: If an expectant parent today were limited to only 100 choices from which to name their child, what should those names be? Which names offer the best balance of appeal and distinctiveness, of authenticity and creativity, at this moment in time? Which names sound both adorable for a 2016 baby and seem most likely to serve her or him well into the 22nd century?
Are there other wonderful baby names out there? Of course, thousands of them. But if we can only have 100, these are our picks for the very best, and why they made the cut:
Abel – Biblical boy name with a capable sound
Adelina – The next Isabella
Agnes – Vintage A name set for a major comeback
Alice – Storybook heroine back in the Top 100
Amias – Undiscovered masculine name whose meaning we love
Apollo – A Greek god at home in the modern world
Arden – Shakespeare’s forest makes this a literary nature name
Arlo – Upbeat Arlo is a folk singer – and an animated dinosaur
Athena – As smart as Sophia
Atlas – Mythological name that holds its own
August – The Oscar of 2016
Aurora – Ancient name seeing a new dawn
Beckett – Literary name and Hollywood favorite
Benedict – Ben name glamourized by leading man Cumberbatch
Blaise – Saint’s name with a fiery image
Bodhi – Surprising spiritual name entering the mainstream
Brooks – Brooke is fading for girls, but Brooks is white-hot for boys
Cait and Cate – New ways to spin classic Kate, inspired by Jenner and Blanchett
Cassian – Roman rarity poised for 21st century discovery
Charlie – Modern parents increasingly prefer Charlie to Charles – or Charlotte
Charlotte – A Nameberry favorite turned royal baby name
Clementine – Edible appellation back in the US Top 1000
Cora – The Downton Abbey name most likely to succeed
Cordelia – Lear’s loyal daughter, and a recent returnee to the US Top 1000
Crosby – Irish surname name that’s part-crooner, part-NHL
Cy and Si - Claire Danes picked Cyrus, the Timberlakes Silas, and Zoe Saldana simply Cy
Declan – Ryan and Brian’s little brother
Delilah - Biblical bad girl rehabilitated
Delta – Southern belle baby name chosen by Dax Shepherd and Kristen Bell
Dinah - Undiscovered Biblical girls’ name
Dorothea – Distinctive classic rich with great nicknames
Edith – 2016’s Abigail, and Cate Blanchett’s youngest
Eloise – Childhood literary heroine ready for the real world
Elsie – Rising nickname-name chosen by Zooey Deschanel
Emmeline – Alternative to popular Emma and Emily, and Meryl Streep’s Suffragette character
Emmett – An Em name for a boy, boosted by Twilight and The LEGO Movie
Everest – Nature name with a hint of danger, featured on the big screen last year
Ezra – As Biblical as Noah, plus with the zippy ‘z’
Fable – Modern spin on Mabel just right for a writer’s child
Fay or Faye – A more inventive – and vintage - middle than May or Ray
Flannery – As literary as Harper, but far more distinctive
Flora – Halfway between Nora and Daisy, yet all the way more unusual
Flynn – Dashing Flynn, part-Tangled, part-Finn.
Ford – The chicest of the car names
Fox - An animal name as snappy as Max, as modern as Bear
Frances – A classic that’s thrown off its dowdy image to feel fresh and wearable
Freya – A Norse goddess name long popular in the UK, and newly discovered in the US
Grey – Color name possibility for boys, rising thanks to – or despite – Fifty Shades
Hank – Casual Jack-like name chosen by Andy Roddick and Brooklyn Decker
Harold – Former grandpa name now following Henry into wider use
Harvey – A name that’s been out for so long in the U.S. that it’s suddenly very in
Hawk – Fierce nature name worn by Jeremy Renner in The Avengers
Hazel – Once an out-there starbaby choice, now a vintage favorite
Holiday - Cooler than Holly or Noel, more approachable than Christmas or Easter
Huck – This year’s Finn or Sawyer
Imogen – UK – and Nameberry – favorite slowly catching on in the US
Inigo – Rare saint’s name that deserves wider use
James – The most enduring of boys’ names, now also a possibility for a daughter
Jane – Quirky television series Jane the Virgin makes classic Jane a cultural-crossing possibility
John – Top name for CEOs appropriate for an upwardly-mobile child
Juniper – Jennifer’s daughter, and an energetic nature name on the rise
Justus - Ancient Roman name meets modern word name
Leilani – A Hawaiian name feeling more at home on the mainland
Leonora - Leonine girls’ name that’s familiar yet rare
Linus – Finally out from under the blanket
Louisa – Lovely, literary, and back in the Top 1000
Luca – Handsome, Italian spin on Lucas and Luke
Lucia – A favorite with parents looking to bridge cultures
Luna – Spacey Harry Potter name that has stuck
Maeve – Authentically Irish, without the spelling and pronunciation challenges of some imports
Magnolia – The hottest new-old floral name
Magnus – A ancient royal name in Norway and Sweden, Magnus shares a meaning with Max that any little boy would love: the greatest.
Maisie – Sweetly vintage nickname name
Malala – Nobel Peace Prize-winner that deserves wider use
Margot or Margo – Sophisticated o-ending spin on classic Margaret
Marigold – A golden-hued Downton Abbey-inspired option
Marlowe – Harper, Harlow, and now Marlowe are last names succeeding in first place for girls
Matilda – Roald Dahl’s girl power heroine for a new generation
Nathaniel – Biblical favorite that never feels overused
Nova – New – literally! – and celestial
Ocean – Water-inspired nature names are hot, from River to Ocean
Olive – Starbaby favorite with ties to the natural world and a peaceful image
Ophelia – Once-tragic Shakespearean name, now an alternative to Olivia
Orson – An ends-with-son name that isn’t overused
Paris – The City of Lights shines on, classic for boys or modern for girls
Poe – Poetic surname name boosted by new Star Wars hero
Poppy – Flower power pick big in the UK, finally catching on in the US
Rafferty – Cool and confident surname name for boys
Robin – Back on the boys’ side
Romy – Former one-person name ready for wider use
Royal – A name that rules, with ties to the World Series champs
Rufus – Neglected boy name that feels fresh and fashionable
Saint – A celebrity baby name sure to find wider use
Saoirse – Irish import boosted by rising actress Saoirse Ronan
Sophia and Sofia – The name heard ‘round the world
Stellan – One of the best n-ending names for boys
Susannah – Classic spin on Susan currently given to fewer than 100 girls
Titan – Powerful mythological name now in the US Top 1000
Xanthe – Mythological but modern, with the X factor
Zephyr – Breezy nature name with stylish –r ending
—- Abby Sandel, Pamela Satran, and Linda Rosenkrantz
(Photo: Getty Images)