Having A Baby In 2027? Here Are The Top Projected Trends

Will you be ringing in 2027 with ginger ale instead of champagne because there's a new family member on the way? First off, congratulations! Now it's time to think about names — and the coming year promises to provide plenty of inspiration for parents looking for just the right one. Baby-naming experts are tracking the trends, and there are some terrific ones to consider as you make your list.

The most popular baby names aren't likely to change drastically. According to the Social Security Administration's list of names of the 2020s, Noah and Liam have topped the list for the last decade, and there doesn't seem to be any indication of a slowdown. Oliver, James, and Elijah took the next three spots in 2025. For girls, Olivia and Emma have also vied for first place since 2010, with Charlotte and Amelia sneaking higher on the list and pushing Ava and Isabella farther down. But parents are beginning to branch out into less familiar territory these days. According to the parenting site BabyCenter, the hit TV series "Off Campus" is prompting moms and dads to look to names such as Garrett and Beau for boys and Jules and Allie for girls. Then there's "Heated Rivalry," which has sent the name Ilya skyrocketing up BabyCenter's charts, presumably among both Russian and non-Russian parents. It's the Slavic variant of Elijah, so it's an option to consider if you want a boy's name that's trendy but not yet overused.

Baby names inspired by the moon — not just Luna and Phoebe, but lesser-known ones like Ailany, Elana, and Rhiannon — are going to be en vogue for girls next year, predicts Nameberry. Ditto for baby names inspired by the ocean, specifically coastal ones like Cove and Harbor.

The popular baby names for 2026 included fairly tame choices, like names ending with "a." 2027 promises to be more unexpected, yet not too out-there. For instance, BabyCenter thinks the success of the 2026 Matt Damon film "The Odyssey" will inspire a lot of parents to look to Greek mythology for names like Perseus, Atlas, and Orion for boys, plus Iris, Gaia, and Daphne for girls. Nameberry echoes that sentiment, and thinks Helen and Homer will gain traction as well. (D'oh!)

Old West names were back with a bang in 2026, and BabyCenter assures us the trend will still be hot in months to come. The site reports seeing an increase in "Yellowstone"-esque names such as Stetson, Walker, Callahan, and Wilder for boys, and Sadie, Tatum, and Oakley (as in Annie) for girls.

Expecting a girl? Babylist predicts next year's birth certificates will be full of "romantic maximalism" names: feminine, flowy, and above all, long. Think Angelina, Genevieve, Gwendolyn, Clementine, Seraphina. BabyCenter adds that the initial E will be an E-ssential for girls as well, with choices including Elsie, Elodie, Esme, Elaine, Evelina and Evangeline. (Those last two fit the lengthy and romantic trends, as well!) Another hot 2027 letter, they foresee, will be X, both in more common forms like Jaxson, Braxton, and Alexandra, and lesser-used names like Xiomena, Huxley, Onyx, and Bexley.

Finally — for better or worse — Nameberry sees parents taking the current "maxxing" trend into the baby-name realm by combining parts of existing names to keep the best of both worlds. For example, Leo and Giovanni can be morphed into Leovanni; Alanis with Ailany becomes Ailanys. The possibilities are endless: Will we see birth announcements for Oliemma (Olivia/Emma), Benry (Benjamin/Henry), Williver (William/Oliver), or Charlyn (Charlotte/Evelyn)?