Pop Culture Influences Rising Baby Names
Historically, pop culture — and the baby names it inspired — was a shared experience. A handful of TV shows, movies, and celebrities dominated the zeitgeist, shaping naming trends that reached across the culture.
Today, pop culture has become deeply atomized, largely thanks to the rise of social media and influencer culture. Parents are finding inspiration in their own corners of the internet — places that would have had little cultural influence even a decade ago.
While these modern pop culture name trends might lack the widespread appeal of their 20th-century predecessors, they’re often more personal, reflecting each parent’s unique values, tastes, and online worlds.
In 2024, niche book characters, influencer babies, and pop songs are among the strongest baby name catalysts. Here, the biggest pop culture influences on baby names in 2024.
Taylor Swift Names
Taylor Swift and co. were the biggest baby name influencers of the year. She propelled Marjorie into the Top 1000, and plenty of other names from her songs — including Dorothea, Clara, and Ivy — saw a significant boost as well.
But it's the names of Taylor Swift's boyfriend, Travis Kelce's, nieces that really made waves. Wyatt, Elliotte, and Bennett each rose by at least 60%, and more broadly, last names as first names that end in TT became more popular for girls.
The one name you won't see on this list? Kelce. The football family's surname decreased for both sexes in 2024. But we are going to keep an eye on Finn — the nickname of Kylie and Jason Kelce's newborn daughter Finnley.
Romantasy Names
The romantasy genre is having a huge cultural moment. It started with Sarah J. Maas's book series A Court of Thorns and Roses, which was the catalyst behind some of 2023's fastest risers, most notably Cassian.
But while ACOTAR was the top romantasy influence of 2023, parents turned more to Fourth Wing for baby name ideas in 2024. Despite having a 2010s sound, Xaden increased in use by more than 500%, and Violet and Dain rose in popularity as well.
New to the charts this year are Caelia (Throne of Glass), Saroya (Immortals After Dark), and Rhiya (The Folk of the Air). And yes, Twilight's Renesmee is undergoing a style resurgence.
- Aelin
- Augustine
- Azriel
- Caelia
- Celaena
- Dain
- Dorian
- Elowyn
- Elspeth
- Emerie
- Mairi
- Miryam
- Navarre
- Nuala
- Oraya
- Renesmee
- Rhiya
- Saroya
- Violet
- Xaden
Instagram and TikTok Influencer Names
One of the fastest-rising boy names of the year, Lahiam, was boosted by the Instagram influencers Katy Cardona and Deiby Ruiz, who each boast over three million followers. Their son, Lahiam — yes, that's pronounced like L'Chaim — was born in March of 2024 and inspired more than 150 parents to choose his name for their own sons.
Other influencers, ahem, influencing their names' statuses include Belen Rodríguez, Alanna Panday, Kameiro Rush, Lilieth Martinez, and baby Azai.
Star Athlete Names
Hot off the heels of an Olympic year, beloved players from Team USA like Sha'Carri Richardson, Suni Lee, and Scottie Scheffler boosted their first names. Baseball players like Shohei Ohtani, Brayan Rocchio, and Everson Pereira were also inspiring.
Boy names Bellingham, Ederson, and Endrick increased in use thanks to soccer players, and David Beckham continued to popularize his name for both sexes this year.
- Beckham
- Beckham
- Bellingham
- Bode
- Brayan
- Dereck
- Ederson
- Endrick
- Everson
- Kyren
- Makari
- Maxx
- Miyori
- Nahomi
- Ohtani
- Sanad
- Scottie
- Shacarri
- Suni
- Xavi
House of the Dragon Names
When the series finale of Game of Thrones aired in 2019, everyone thought that would be the end of the names Khaleesi and Daenerys. Daenerys Targaryen's villainous acts caused the names to drop in popularity, but now they're on the rebound thanks to the prequel series House of the Dragon.
The breakout star was Baela, which increased in popularity by over 300% between 2023 and 2024. Keep an eye out for more babies named Asha, Lyanna, and Elia as well — each was given to over 100 babies last year. Jaehaerys was a new debut.
- Aegon
- Aemon
- Aemond
- Alicent
- Arianne
- Asha
- Baela
- Daenerys
- Elia
- Helaena
- Jaehaerys
- Khaleesi
- Lyanna
- Otto
- Renly
- Rhaena
- Sylvi
- Tully
Music Names
Singer Benson Boone is the top musical influence of the year. His surname-style first name — boasting the on-trend nickname Benny — jumped over 250 spots and landed in the Top 500, while his cowboy-cool last name, Boone, is now at Number 534.
Other musical influences of 2024 include the Korean-Canadian singer Sylo, Venezuelan pop star Zhamira Zambrano, and pop princesses Sabrina Carpenter, Billie Eilish, and Chappell Roan.
Other Pop Culture Names
These media, starbaby, and celebrity names are among the top risers and most notable debuts of the year. Included here are names of film protagonists (Solene, Atreides), celebrity babies (Mavie, Riot), and stars themselves (Cillian, Halle).