The most popular baby names of 2018 might surprise you

It looks like Harper Beckham is a trend-setter…

regretted baby names

It looks like Harper Beckham is a trend-setter…

Naming a baby is a mammoth responsibility - choosing the moniker that your child will be known as for the rest of their life, and potentially shaping the person they become.

Should you go traditional or opt for a celebrity-style curveball name like Apple or Blue?

The most important thing to ensure when naming your baby is that the moniker in question is actually legal - yes, there are a lot of banned baby names that you definitely need to avoid - everything from ’Traffic’ to ‘James Bond’.

But what baby names are in fashion?

Well, luckily for us, Names.org has done some digging in data from actual births, compiling a list of the most popular baby names of 2018 so far, but as we’re only in April, anything can change.

Noah Liam Benjamin Oliver William James Elijah Lucas Mason Michael

Olivia Emma Ava Charlotte Mia Sophia Isabella Harper Amelia Evelyn

Now that we know these predictions for the year ahead, what names should we avoid? It was revealed earlier this year that certain baby name trends are dying out, with parents now refraining from naming their children after musicians and film stars, and even less popular is the old baby trend of giving your child two first names.

Happy baby naming, future parents.

Jenny Proudfoot
Features Editor

Jenny Proudfoot is an award-winning journalist, specialising in lifestyle, culture, entertainment, international development and politics. She has worked at Marie Claire UK for seven years, rising from intern to Features Editor and is now the most published Marie Claire writer of all time. She was made a 30 under 30 award-winner last year and named a rising star in journalism by the Professional Publishers Association.