NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--As parents-to-be explore the exciting world of baby names, The Bump—the ultimate resource for real-life parenting—announced today the launch of The Bump Baby Names hub, which offers fun, easy-to-use tools that empower them to make the right decisions for their growing family. As they explore the Baby Names hub, expecting parents will have the opportunity to choose their favorites from a widely inclusive list of names—ranging from cultural and gender-neutral, to vintage and trendy or popular names—and then can easily share their picks with a partner, family and friends. The hub also offers one-of-a-kind features including the playground popularity check—which shows how popular a name is among other soon-to-be parents—and the “This or That” baby name game—a fun, dating app-inspired approach to narrowing down favorites (since finding the perfect baby name can be just as hard as finding “the one”).
“With baby names accounting for nearly 40% of The Bump’s website traffic1, we created the hub to ensure that our soon-to-be parents had a fun, seamless experience as they search for the perfect name for their little one,” said Jen Lee, head of marketing at The Bump. “Whether it’s choosing the best name based on their new baby’s zodiac sign, deciding on an uncommon name from a century ago, or even searching through the most popular boy, girl and unisex baby names in 2020, it can be found in one central, easy-to-navigate location on The Bump.”
Most Popular Baby Names
With soon-to-be parents most likely to search The Bump’s list for unique, uncommon and unisex baby names, the most popular names of 2020 come as no surprise. For instance, based on The Bump’s most searched of 2020, unisex names proved to be a top choice for new parents, with Hunter and Kai being in the top five most popular names for both baby boys and girls. Braxton held the top spot for most popular baby boy names in 2020, while Mila was the most popular name for baby girls. While these top names have been popular options for parents in previous years, there were some new name additions to the most popular list in 2020, including Urban, Ezra and Landon for boys and Molly, Amara and Alaina for girls. There were also names that declined significantly in popularity when comparing the 2019 most popular names list to 2020, including Keanu, which slid from the 26th most popular baby boy name down to 93, and Emma, which went from the 20th most popular name option down to 77 for baby girls.
Baby Name Trends to Expect in 2021
Looking ahead to what will likely be popular name choices in 2021, according to The Bump, 71% of expecting parents would consider giving their new bundle of joy a gender-neutral name, while 59% prefer a more traditional “boy” or “girl” name. When it comes to more traditional names, 75% would give their new baby a family name and 65% would choose a name that celebrates their or their partner’s culture in some way.
Famous People, Places and Things Influence Baby Names
In terms of celebrity baby names, Bachelorette alum Emily Maynard and Tyler Johnson’s Magnolia Belle, Mindy Kaling’s Spencer, and Gigi Hadid and Zayn Malik’s Khai are the most favored among parents-to-be, with a different Kai spelling variation also a very popular option for both baby boys and girls in 2020. If naming their baby after a famous man or woman—whether they be a celebrity or historical figure—parents preferred celebrity-focused names like Bradley or Brad (Brad Pitt) and George (George Clooney) for their baby boys, and historically celebrated names like Amelia (Amelia Earhart), Eleanor (Eleanor Roosevelt) and Ruth (Ruth Bader Ginsberg) for baby girls. Additionally, if they were to name their baby after a famous musician, the most popular name choices for parents included Taylor (Taylor Swift), Adele and Lennon (John Lennon). Other popular name options for expecting parents include brand names, such as Chanel, Bentley and Levi, as well as favorite destinations like London, Paris and Capri.
First-Time Parents vs. Those Who Are Already Parents
According to a survey of pregnant or soon-to-be pregnant parents on The Bump, 52% would share their baby’s name before they’re born, with 43% willing to share the name with their friends and only 33% willing to share the name with their coworkers. Interestingly, those who are already parents are more willing to share their new baby’s name with friends (46%) and coworkers (38%). Pregnant or soon-to-be pregnant parents are also less likely to believe that middle names are essential (85%) when compared to those who are already parents (90%). Additionally, first-time parents are less likely to remove a name from their favorites list if someone they know has the same baby name (44%), while those who are already parents are more likely to remove the name (53%). However, regardless of whether or not they’re first-time parents or on baby No. 2, the majority of both agree that their baby’s name should be finalized before they’re born (70%). Both groups also have a positive or negative association with a baby name based on people with the same name—whether they’re fictional or real (91%).
Whether it’s choosing a name from the popular, unique, vintage, modern, cultural or another of the widely diverse lists offered on The Bump, parents-to-be can lean on The Bump Baby Names hub as their go-to place when making this important decision for their family. With its unique features and tools now available in an all-in-one hub, The Bump aims to not only make choosing a name a seamless process, but also one that’s easy, enjoyable and that can be shared with a partner, friends and family.
Methodology
The Bump survey was conducted in January 2021 among over 2,000 respondents (N=2,717) recruited from The Bump and The Knot Worldwide newsletters. All respondents were pregnant and/or a parent.
About The Bump
The Bump is the ultimate resource to help with real-life parenting, providing a mobile-first experience, real-time expert advice, diverse lifestyle content, and time-saving tools for parents on the go. As the go-to destination for first-time parents and beyond, The Bump utilizes its single-list technology to aggregate and sync baby registries from multiple retailers onto one, easy-to-use list for parents who are managing their registries and those buying for baby.
The Bump is part of The Knot Worldwide, the world’s largest digital wedding planning company with leading brands The Knot, WeddingWire and Bodas.net, plus additional lifestyle brands, including The Bash for bringing important celebrations to life with entertainment vendors, How They Asked for proposal inspiration and stories and more. Follow The Bump on social media: Facebook.com/TheBump and @TheBump on Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest.
1 Google Analytics, FY 2020
