Following on from my post about the girls' names I'm most anticipating will move up when the 2021 data is released, here are my top 10 boys' names from the 2020 England and Wales that I am keeping my eye on:
Axel — A Scandinavian heritage choice with a rockstar edge. With the fashionable 'x' and sleek vowels, it is little wonder that Axel has been steeply rising since 2012 and currently ranks at #168. Footballer Gareth Bale named his son Axel in 2018 -- and in 2021, another footballer, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, and Little Mix star Perrie Edwards named their son Axel, also. Given the latter's fame, I expect to see a lot more Axels in the future.
Barney — Style-wise Barney sits between top 100 choices Harvey and Chester. And while memories of big purple dinosaurs fade, young Barney Walsh's fame has increased, giving more visibility to retro Barney. It has been on a steep rise since 2018 and now ranks at #287.
Isaiah — With Noah and Elijah at an all-time peak, it is little wonder that fellow Old Testament curio is also on an upward curve. It currently ranks at #164.
Matteo — Both Mateo and Matteo are on the up. Mateo was the 25th highest riser in 2020 for boys (9th below the top 100) and Matteo the 41st (22nd below the top 100). They currently rank at #203 and #198 respectively. The stylish -o ending seen in many top 100 favourites coupled with its exotic style is a winning combination.
Remy — We love our two-syllable -ee ending names. Just look at the top 20 with Harry, Archie, Henry, Charlie, Freddie, Finley and Alfie. Friendly French Remy fits right in and has been steadily on the rise since 2009. It currently ranks at #189 -- its first time in the top 200. Remi (although more common for girls -- at #194) is also rising for boys and ranks at #364.
Rex — Kingly Rex has the winning combination of a cool sound and a vintage vibe. It has been rising swiftly since 2012 and was given a further boost when Stacey Solomon and Joe Swash named their son Rex in 2019.
River — The super-cool celebrity name, which is a true unisex choice currently, ranking at #151 for girls and #159 for boys. It is on the rise for girls, but saw a steeper incline for boys last year.
Rudy — Just like Remy, retro Rudy has been rising since 2003. It ranks at #228 and Rudi is also on the rise at #354.
Vinnie — With Ronnie and Reggie so in vogue at the moment, it's easy to see why Vinnie with its fellow good-boy-bad-boy vibe is also on the rise. It ranks at #119 up from #146 the following year. Full form Vincent is just behind at #126 and is also on the rise.
Zion — A Biblical place (like Eden, Bethany, Jordan etc) which was extremely rare in 1996, started to rise gradually, and has seen a rapid increase since 2016 and now ranks at #192. It's cool Z and long vowels make it an attractive option for parents looking for something historic but a little bit different. The incomparable Laura Wattenberg has a full run down on the name's background here.
