As we finish off another year, it's time for the recap of Nameberry's newest arrivals born in 2022!

　　Birth announcements for 103 new Babyberries – 61 girls and 42 boys – were featured on our forums and Instagram over the past year. The warmest of welcomes to all of our littlest members!

　　Berry parents have always put endless thought and creativity into their children's names, and the selections this year strongly reflect this. There were 117 unique girl names used by Nameberry parents in 2022, as well as 84 unique boy names.

　　Nameberry trends have historically reflected and even predicted the direction of name trends in the US — Top Nameberry names such as Arlo and Atticus, Maeve and Ophelia, are all up and coming quite quickly in the US charts. This makes yearly recaps like this one all the more exciting for us name nerds, as it gives us a glimpse of what may be the next big name hits.

　　

Top Girl Names 2022

While there wasn't as much repeat in names as in previous years, there are some girl names we did see pop up more than once in the birth announcements this year. Tied for the number one girl name overall was the classic Rose, which was used 4 times, all in the middle slot. The aromatic Rosemary was also used twice as a first name, and other variations that made appearances include Rosalind, Rozella, and Rosa.

　　Jane was another popular girl name this year. Jane was used once as a first name, three times as a middle name, and the alternative spelling Jayne was also used once in the middle slot. The classic, understated Jane was the most popular girl name among the 2021 Babyberries, so the love for Jane in 2022 is of little surprise.

　　Only two girl names were used as the first name of two different Babyberries in 2022 — Mabel and Rosemary. These sweet vintage revivals have been Nameberry favorites for a few years, with Mabel sitting as high as #34 in the Nameberry charts. Both of these names have been rising in the US charts in recent years as well.

　　Intriguing girl names include rare, but full of history choices like Drucilla, Alba, Apollonia, Irina, and Xanthe, gender-neutral names like Larsen, Sparrow, Laramie, and Merit, and truly unique picks like Trillium, Gwenllian, Ipo, Scotia, Gwyniveth, and Svea.

　　

Top Boy Names 2022

There was a tie for the most popular boy name in 2022 between two names of different styles. Traditional John was used 3 times, all in the middle slot, reflecting Berries' love for the classics.

　　The standout name between both boys and girls this year was Rowan, which was used a total of 4 times — once as a girl middle name, and 3 times as a boy middle name. Soft-spoken, botanical Rowan has been trending in the charts for both boys and girls in recent years in the US, and Rowan is currently #19 on Nameberry for boys.

　　Boy names used as the first name of two Babyberries this year include August and Kit, which are also two long-time Nameberry favorites, currently sitting at #16 and #96 on Nameberry, respectively.

　　Intriguing boy names used this year include word names like Light, Lyric, Bear, Shepherd, and Sky. Bird names in particular were also popular for boys this year, with Finch, Robin, Dove, and Wren all making appearances. Truly unique names included Beowulf, Obi, Zoilo, and Loveday.

　　

Twin Names 2022

Twin names are twice the fun, but can also be twice as difficult! We always enjoy seeing the perfectly matched twin names our Berries come up with for their little ones, and they didn't disappoint this year!

　　Here are the stylish twinsets announced by Nameberry parents in 2022.

　　Eden Afton & Miriam Leah

　　Jacob River & Maya Helen

　　Jago Gregory Finch & Verity Eilidh Clover

　　

Newest Arrivals:

To finish off the year, we of course need to celebrate the last few Babyberries to enter the world in 2022.

　　Please welcome the last of the class of 2022: The December Babyberries!

　　To read more about these choices – or to share your own child’s naming story for inclusion in our next Babyberry blog post – head over to our birth announcements forum.

　　

Girl Names

Adelaide Lynn

　　"I got to do my student teaching (14 years ago!) In Adelaide, South Australia and knew I would name a baby girl Adelaide someday. Lynn is my mom’s middle name that she passed down to me and it felt right to share with my daughter."

　　Alexandra Jade

　　"A week before I had her I was watching a show with a female character name Alex and I said that's her name. Then she came rather suddenly at 38+4 weeks and I asked my husband what she looked like when she was born and his response was Alexandra Jade? And I looked at her and said yes."

　　Eden Afton, twin of Miriam Leah and sister to Joshua, Caleb, and Seth

　　"I chose their first names from the Bible to fit the theme we have for their 3 older brothers.  Afton is to honor my grandma, who passed away shortly after we found out their genders."

　　Elora Delphine, sister to Sienna and Isla

　　"I posted a few times this year for help on my third daughter’s name which was all extremely helpful!"

　　Keegan Clara, sister to Connor William

　　"Keegan is my mom’s maiden name, and ever since I was little I hoped to have a little girl and use this as her name. Clara was my husband’s great-grandmother’s name, and we loved the ultra feminine pick to balance with Keegan."

　　Miriam Leah, twin of Eden Afton and sister to Joshua, Caleb, and Seth

　　"Leah is to honor multiple family members with the middle name 'Lee'."

　　Ottilie Rosa, sister to Margo Elizabeth and Iris Skye

　　"Ottilie I just love the sound and written flow of, and was her sisters’ favourite name suggestion from the off. Rosa has been on our list since our first baby and I like that all 3 girls have a subtle or obvious flower reference somewhere"

　　

Boy Names

Sylvan Jones

　　"We loved the name Sylvan for its soft strength, nature meaning, that it’s uncommon but not too unfamiliar, and that it could be used for either sex. My husband also loved it because of its usage in Magic the Gathering. We call him Syl or Sylvie or by his full name. Jones is an honor name, the surname of my great grandparents."

　　Huge congratulations to all of the 2022 parents, and here’s to many more beautifully named Babyberries in 2023!

　　If you’d like your child’s name to be featured in our next Babyberry blog post, tell us the name you chose and the story behind it over on our birth announcements forum.

　　

About the Author

　　

Brynn McKeon

　　Brynn McKeon joined the Nameberry team in August of 2022 as an assistant editor, and has written about topics such as the Ultimate Guide to Goddess Names and Redefining Classic Names. As Head Moderator, she also oversees our active Nameberry forums community. Brynn also writes the Name of the Day newsletter, featuring a new name each day.

　　Outside of Nameberry, Brynn lives in New York State with her dog Raven, where she is working towards her Master's degree in Occupational Therapy. You can reach her at [email protected]

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