From Margot to Cillian, some celeb-inspired baby names are rising up the rankings.
It’s never easy to come up with the ideal baby name, even though there are so many different options out there it’s like we’re spoilt for choice! From millionaire baby names to floral baby names, just where do you start?
Well, it turns out that some Brits are going for baby names inspired by our favourite celebrities, but just which famous names are the most popular? Some of them sound surprisingly old-fashioned.
The ‘Barbenheimer’ phenomenon dominated cinema last year, so it’s perhaps no surprise that Barbie and Oppenheimer have influenced the baby name choices of many parents. Margot Robbie, who played the titular character in Barbie, might be pleased to know that her first name has been rising up the UK charts in recent years. It was the 85th most popular name in 2023 – an increase of 19 places from 2022 – according to BabyCentre, and it wouldn’t be a surprise to see it rise further in 2024.
And what about Ken, played by Ryan Gosling in last year’s movie? It might have slightly old-fashioned connotations, but it shot up the rankings last year. And as more people are searching for the name online, we could see more baby Kens being born in 2024.
Meanwhile, Cillian Murphy, who had a starring role in Oppenheimer, might see his first name gaining in popularity too. According to BabyCentre, it increased in popularity slightly in 2023, but could it explode in popularity this year? With Murphy being one of the hottest actors around right now, we wouldn’t bet against it.
Other popular celebrity-inspired names include Saint – made popular in recent years by Kim Kardashian, who gave her eldest son the name in 2015 – and, interestingly, David.
David is a classic, timeless name, but has waned slightly in popularity over the last couple of decades. However, BabyCentre has it as the fourth most popular name for boys in 2024 – a jump of 36 places from last year. This might be in part down to David Beckham, still one of the most famous sportspeople in the world – particularly following the release of the Netflix series Beckham last year.
If you're still looking for the right baby name, why not give our baby name generator a spin? Or, take a look at the rising baby names for 2024 that experts 'never saw coming'.
