These are the very unusual baby name trends for 2019

Mmmkay...

meghan markle

Mmmkay...

Meghan Markle's pregnancy has been headline news ever since she announced she is expecting her first child with Prince Harry. While bookies have been releasing the odds on royal baby names, it has got us thinking about what monikers will be most popular in 2019.

The royals are already influencing our choices, with Meghan, Louis and Eugenie seeing a surge in popularity, and some of the most popular baby names of 2018 are set to fall off the map (sorry, Olivia).

And while the trending names of the last few years have been rather traditional, it seems that next year we can expect things to go a little left field.

According to Nameberry, parents will be opting for some very unusual names next year, taking inspiration from rare gems, muted colours and the letter 'F'. Interesting. There will also be some old-school nicknames in there, as well as three-letter monikers and spiritual names.

So if you're looking for baby name inspiration but are over the quaint English names that have been popular this decade, take a look at some of these very out-there trends...

Baby name trend: animals

Self-explanatory. Would you pick one of these?

  • Bear
  • Falcon
  • Fox
  • Hawk
  • Koala
  • Lion
  • Lynx
  • Otter
  • Tiger
  • Wolf

Baby name trend: pastel and muted hues

Nameberry predicts that soft colours will translate into top baby names in 2019.

  • Ash
  • Fawn
  • Grey/Gray
  • Ivory
  • Lavender
  • Lilac
  • Mauve
  • Moss
  • Olive
  • Sage

Baby name trend: Spiritual names

Thanks to a surge in interest of yoga, meditation and Eastern religion, expect baby names to take a similar turn.

  • Asherah
  • Bodhi
  • Kali
  • Lakshmi
  • Manu
  • Osiris
  • Raiden
  • Rama
  • Tanith
  • Zen

Baby name trend: short names

Forget lengthy names, the top monikers will be just three letters long.

  • Hal
  • Ida
  • Jem
  • Kit
  • Koa
  • Liv
  • Lux
  • Rex
  • Rio
  • Van

Baby name trend: the letter 'f'

It's going to be a popular letter next year.

  • Faye
  • Felix
  • Fern
  • Finnian
  • Flora
  • Florian
  • Frances
  • Frankie
  • Frederick
  • Frost

We're here for all of these, tbh.

Jadie Troy-Pryde
News Editor

Jadie Troy-Pryde is News Editor, covering celebrity and entertainment, royal, lifestyle and viral news. Before joining the team in 2018 as the Lifestyle and Social Media Editor, she worked at a number of women’s fashion and lifestyle titles including Grazia, Women’s Health and Stylist, and now heads the Marie Claire UK news desk.