A return to form: The good old fashioned baby names making a 2024 comeback

Names have a habit of coming in and out of fashion. The names that are common today will be seen as antiquated one day and names that were commonplace fifty years ago are a rarity today.

Common names with ‘unique’ spellings have also become a trend in recent years. There are quite a few young Ashtyns and Jorjas out there at the moment.

Celebrities have always had a habit of creatively naming their children. However, Elon Musk and Grimes definitely took it to a new level by naming their three children Techno Mechanicus, Exa Dark Sideræl, and X Æ A-Xii.

Mercifully, it appears that new parents will not be trying to make their children’s names close to unpronounceable. McCrindle has reported that traditional baby names are about to make a comeback. Each year, the states release a list of newly registered names and there appears to be a nationwide trend towards “the classics”.

According to McCrindle, Oliver is now the most popular boy’s name while Charlotte is the most popular girl’s name. For boys, names like Noah, Leo, Henry, and Jack are also back in the top ten. For girls, there has been a rise in names such as Matilda, Amelia, Ella, and Grace.

Girls baby names:

1. Charlotte
2. Amelia
3. Isla
4. Olivia
5. Mia
6. Ava
7. Matilda
8. Ella
9. Grace
10. Willow

Boys baby names:

• Oliver
• Noah
• Leo
• William
• Henry
• Jack
• Theodore
• Hudson
• Charlie
• Luca

Parents in Queensland and New South Wales showed a preference for the longer names on the list. Victorian parents displayed a preference for shorter names like Jack, Leo, Isla, Mia, and Ava. The Northern Territory however bucked the trend, with parents preferring more unique names like Xavier and Sadie.

There are also a handful of “vintage” names that are making a comeback: Vincent, Lennox, Connor, Nora, Margot, and Adeline. Some people have credited actor Margot Robbie with reviving the name Margot in particular.

This trend isn’t just limited to Australia, over in the United States, traditional names are also making a comeback. Namerology, a site focused on the art and science of names, has reported a similar increase.

“One of the biggest to watch for are cute old-fashioned nicknames for girls, like Millie or Josie,” said Laura Wattenberg, the creator of Namerology, speaking to TODAY.com.

“Rarer choices like Winnie, Nellie and Sunny should be on the rise as well,” she added.

The coming generation are known as Generation Alpha and are born to late Gen Y and early Gen Z parents.

Those who expect to become grandparents in the coming years can rest assured that their grandchildren stand a good chance of having typical names instead of “creative” ones.