📰HuffPost has posted the baby names name experts believe will be chosen by parents the most in 2026. 🎉 These names are likely to be chosen next year based on recent trends and Social Security Administration data.
HuffPost asked: 🤔"Which names can we expect to see more parents choosing in the future?"
The 👶baby 📛name 🤓experts answered. Read below ⬇ for their predictions and reasonings behind their picks:
📛Sienna
“Sienna taps into the natural cottagecore vibes parents are loving right now, and it has that classic ‘a’ ending of all the most popular girl names ― Olivia, Emma, Sophia,” said Rebekah Wahlberg, a baby name trends specialist at BabyCenter. She added that the name appeals to “that early-aughts nostalgia” many parents are feeling these days. “Remember Sienna Miller?” Wahlberg asked.
📛Cosmo
“I think 2026 will finally be Cosmo’s year,” said Sophie Kihm, the editor-in-chief of Nameberry. “It was a surprising choice when Scarlett Johansson and Colin Jost used it for their son in 2021, but America is warming up to this decidedly geek-chic boy name. “Parents who love quirky old man names à la Theo, Felix and Otto will soon turn their attention to Cosmo,” Kihm said. “The ‘oz’ sound is trending right now ― Ozias was one of the fastest-rising names of 2025, Ozzy remains a very stylish nickname.
📛Romy
“Romy is short, sweet and impossibly sweet,” said baby name consultant Taylor Humphrey, who described it as a “breakout ‘cool girl’ contender.” She noted that it’s a portmanteau of Rose and Marie, and can make a great nickname or honorary name for Rosemary. “Romy is one of these names, like Kit, that is appealing to parents across the spectrum,” Slagen said. “I don’t think you can put Romy in a box stylistically. It feels like a nickname, yet complete. It feels old fashioned, yet modern. It feels feminine, but not frilly.”
📛Callum
“Callum was one of the fastest-rising (and most-viewed) names on Nameberry in 2025, which is a great predictor of a name’s growth in the real world,” Kihm said. “Gentle-yet-masculine boy names with soft sounds are highly covetable right now, and Callum’s peaceful meaning, ‘dove,’ adds to its tranquil image.” “Callum was one of the fastest-rising (and most-viewed) names on Nameberry in 2025, which is a great predictor of a name’s growth in the real world,” Kihm said. “Gentle-yet-masculine boy names with soft sounds are highly covetable right now, and Callum’s peaceful meaning, ‘dove,’ adds to its tranquil image.”
📛Colette
This name is also a solid “compromise” choice, she added. “We often see parents use it when one is drawn to gentler boy names and the other prefers more rugged, traditionally masculine boy names ― which you get from the cowboy-cool nickname Cal,” Kihm said. “Many parents are wanting something with Charlotte’s vibe, but less common,” Slagen said. “Colette is beautiful, timeless and just as nickname-able with Coco and Lettie.”
📛Benson
“Benson is a great illustration of how name trends propagate,” said Sherri Suzanne, a baby name consultant and the founder of My Name for Life. “Ben and long-form Benjamin are centuries-old choices, with Benjamin hitting the Top 10 in the U.S. for the first time in 2015.” This popularity spawned interest in other “Ben” names like the surname-name Bennett. “Benson is an-up-and-coming variation,” Suzanne said. “It is easy to say and spell while still yielding favorite ‘Ben.’ It has some pop culture connections, from the ‘Law & Order’ franchise to singer Benson Boone. But mostly Benson is a logical extension of our love of ‘Ben.’”
📛Oaklynn
Wahlberg believes Oaklynn is another name set to rise in popularity in 2026. “Girl names with ‘lynn’ and ‘line’ have been beloved by parents for hundreds of years ― and Oaklynn is a fresh take on this timeless formula,” she said. “It’s been steadily rising for the past decade and finally broke into BabyCenter’s top 100 girl names this year.”
📛Macklin
“Compared to most pro sports, ice hockey seldom popularizes a name in the United States,” said Abby Sandel, the creator of the baby name blog Appellation Mountain. “But Canadian-born newcomer Macklin Celebrini might be the exception. His name offers parents an appealing longer name option for upbeat, casual Mack.” She compared Mack and Macklin to Jack and Jackson.
📛Fia
“The current U.S. top 10 includes Sophia and Mia,” Sandel said. “Over in Ireland? Fiadh, pronounced like Fia, tops the popularity charts.” She noted that the word translates to “deer” and has the meaning of “wild” or “untamed” as a name. “All those parents shortlisting Liam and Maeve are sure to be drawn to this outdoorsy, adventurous, mini-name import, too,” Sandel added.
📛Arthur
Wahlberg pointed to the appeal of classic names like Arthur. “Arthur fits right in with other strong, regal boy names that parents are gravitating toward these days, like James and Henry,” she said. “It had a long run in the top 100 boy names in the early 1900s and is only recently making a comeback, so Arthur has some vintage appeal, too.”
📛Yuna
“Multicultural mini names ― or as we like to call them ‘traveling lite names’ ― are one of the most marked trends of 21st century baby naming,” Kihm said. “Parents are prioritizing short names that are easily understood in a variety of languages, and Yuna is poised to be the n ext big hit.” She noted that this name has roots in multiple languages, including Chinese, Japanese and Dutch. It also shares sounds with trendy names like Luna and Juna.
📛Evren
Suzanne believes Evren is a particularly interesting choice that’s ripe for a rise up the popularity charts. “I have offered Evren on occasion to parents who wanted a very uncommon name that fit easily into contemporary naming,” she explained. “After many years of quiet use, I see signs Evren is on parents’ radar.” The name has Turkish roots and means “the universe.” “It is a gender-neutral name that is most often seen for boys,” Suzanne said. “However, the initial Ev- syllable calls to parents of girls as well. Evren is an easy name with western sounds and eastern mystique. A similar name Evron is related to the Biblical male name Ephraim.”
📛Colter
Jennifer Moss, founder of BabyNames.com, predicts the name Colter is set to continue its rise up the popularity charts in 2026. “Colter is probably being influenced by the popular television series ‘Tracker,’ whose main character is Colter Shaw,” she said.
📛Rumi
“The runaway success of ‘KPop Demon Hunters’ has this Ruby-meets-Remi name on everybody’s watch list,” Sandel said. Since Beyonce and Jay-Z picked this name for their second daughter in 2017, Rumi has been steadily gaining in use. “In fact, ‘KPop Demon Hunters’ co-director Maggie Kang named the film’s animated heroine after her young daughter,” Sandel said. “It’s an on-trend choice with a bright, global presence.”
📛Conrad
“Conrad was privy to the perfect storm ― on trend and a pop culture boost,” Slagen said. Indeed, the popularity of “The Summer I Turned Pretty” and the character Conrad has put this name on the map in recent years. “It’s classic-sounding with a little edge,” Slagen noted. “I love the idea of Conrad and Archie as a brother duo. I guess Jeremiah works, too.”
📛Jordan/📛Jordy
“If ’90s track pants can make a comeback, why not ’90s names?” Slagen asked. “I see parents, especially boy parents, reaching for names that feel not too traditional but not too new age.” “If ’90s track pants can make a comeback, why not ’90s names?” Slagen asked. “I see parents, especially boy parents, reaching for names that feel not too traditional but not too new age.”
My two 
cents: I'm disappointed. 😞 I'm not feeling crazy about most of these names 🥱outside of 📛Cosmo and 📛Oaklynn. 🤷🏾♀️ 📛Fia and 📛Evren are new to me 😀 plus interesting. And I have always like the names 📛Sienna and 📛Jordan. 👌🏾
I was expecting dazzling, 🎇 jaw-dropping, 😮 and 👀 eye popping names but nope! 🙄 It will be interesting to see 🧐 if any of these names do in fact onto the Most Popular Baby Names 2026 list 📃 when it's time. ⏳
