Expert guides, trends, and data-driven analysis on baby and pet names.
Surprise pregnancies produce different names than planned ones. The Ozempic baby cohort is quietly reversing the post-Pinterest era of researched five-syllable names — toward shorter, more intuitive choices.
Pet naming used to be drawn from local geography. It's now drawn from 24/7 streaming algorithms. The geographic-to-fictional pet name shift is a more honest measure of where Americans actually live mentally than any survey.
The most popular baby names in America right now are overwhelmingly Germanic in origin. Emma, Amelia, Henry, William — all Germanic. Here's a deeper dive into what makes these names endure.
Cheeseburger, Pickle, and Meatball aren't jokes. They're the next Luna and Bear. Nationwide's annual pet-name contest is a six-month lead indicator the rest of the industry has been ignoring.
The Patriots ran a Pawtriots adoption event on Friday during the NFL Draft watch party with the Animal Rescue League of Boston. Team-branded adoption days produce a specific naming category — Patriots-coded names like Tom, Brady, Vince, and Robert — that the regional licensing files now have to track.
When a royal photo-op replaces a baby announcement with a puppy announcement, it codifies something U.S. pet-name data has shown for years: Irish-leaning dog names outperform their human-name equivalents.
Twin names are an art form. Here are the best pairs that connect without being cutesy, for every twin combination.
We brought back mom jeans. We brought back Doc Martens. The Spice Girls had a reunion. So when do we bring back Courtney and Kyle? Seriously — some 90s names deserve a second look.
The best literary names do something special: they carry a character's spirit into the real world. Atticus Finch's moral courage. Lyra Belacqua's fierce independence. Scarlett O'Hara's survival instinct. When you name a child after a literary character, you're invoking all of that.
Liam means "strong-willed warrior" — and it's #1. Wyatt means "brave in war" — it's at #38. Matilda means "mighty in battle." The best warrior names aren't just bold — they're beautiful too.
Baby name endings tell the story of American culture in miniature. The rise of -son names, the explosion of -ley for girls, the golden age of -ella, the relentless -den wave — each ending has a life cycle that mirrors bigger social shifts.