Which names are set to be top 20 hits? What up-and-coming names are the next big thing?
In this post I will be examining boys' names in England and Wales which, up until 2014 (the last point of data), have been continually rising in usage.
First let's look at the names within the Top 100 which are currently rising These boys' names, in general, take longer to rise than girls' names and have a more gradual upward curve, often with intermittent plateauing.
Still, there are some with a sharp upward curve, including Theo, Elijah, Theodore, Teddy, Hugo and Albert.
Upswing Names in the Top 100:
But what about the names which are on rocketing up below the top 100? Could these be the next Noahs, Leos and Arthurs?
Upswing Names in the Top 300:
With Teddy, Jenson and Freddie all in the top 100, it is little wonder that counterparts Ted, Jensen and Freddy are also on the rise within the top 200.
With Jackson comfortably floating around the #100 mark, alternative spellings Jaxon and Jaxson have also risen steeply in recent years. When all the spellings are added together, the name ranks #52. Short form Jax is also getting more use as an alternative to staple Jack.
With Leo, Theo and Hugo leading a trail in the top 100, two syllable -o ending names are hot property, leading to rises in Rocco, Milo and "the next big thing" Arlo.
Three other two syllable names featuring the prominent 'o' sound -- Oakley, Otis and Nico -- are also on the upswing.
Preppy B name Brody (also a two-syllable 'o' sound name) is on the up in both spellings, as is the similarly bouncy Buddy.
Following the success of Ethan and Elijah, other Biblical E names are also on the up, particularly Eli, Elias and Ezra.
Other Biblical names are also on the up, such as gentle Jonah and the name of the third Magi Casper / Jasper.
Theodore has followed Theo's success, so perhaps it is little wonder that Leonardo and Leonard are following rising Leo (up at #16). And as with Teddy, diminutive Lenny is also getting a look in.
Speaking of diminutives, vintage cheeky-chappy names Reggie, Albie and Vinnie are chasing the tails of the popular Alfie, Archie, Teddy and Ronnie.
Though they are not quite diminutives, Ralph, Eric and Frank are all short-and-sweet grandpa names with turn-of-the-century charm which are on the upswing.
Stately, dapper R names are also on the rise, as can be seen by Roman, Raphael and Rex.
Other refined dapper vintage names -- Rupert, Barnaby and Wilfred -- are also enjoying a rise in popularity.
Move over, Mason, Harrison and Harley, there is a new wave of surname-firstnames hot on your heals, featuring to-syllables and the fashionable -er ending.
Other surnames on the rise include Lincoln -- a name which rose significantly in 2006 after the airing of TV show Prison Break -- and the next generation of -son names, Grayson and Hudson.
The increasingly multicultural face of Britain is also seeing rises for staple Arabic names. Yusuf and Yahya are Quranic translations of Joseph and John, while Ayaan is an Arabic name said to mean "gift of God."
Polish names are also having an influence on British trends. Antoni (#3 in Poland), the preferred Polish form of Anthony; Marcel (#18 in Poland) and Natan (#36 in Poland), the Polish form of Nathan, are all on the rise.
Other rising names which have been given a celebrity boost include Biblical Jesse, Arabic Zayn -- brought into the spotlight by Zayn Malik -- and Arabic and Welsh name Idris -- boosted by actor Idris Elba.
