Baby Name Trends I’m Noticing in Maternity

Baby Name Trends I’m Noticing in Maternity

From August and Teddy to Emily, Daisy and the return of beautiful, simple names.

Working in maternity, I get to hear so many beautiful baby names.

And one of the things I love is noticing the little naming trends that seem to appear from one season to the next.

Of course, every baby and every family is different — and there are always names that surprise you. But recently, I’ve noticed a few names appearing again and again.

August… even when August babies aren’t arriving in August

August is one of those names that seems to have captured parents’ imaginations.

What makes it particularly interesting is that the babies I’m hearing it chosen for aren’t necessarily August babies at all.

It feels less like parents are choosing it because of the month and more because of how the name sounds.

Soft, traditional and slightly unusual, August has that lovely quality of feeling both old-fashioned and modern at the same time.

And then there’s Teddy.

Teddy is still stealing hearts

There’s something wonderfully warm about Teddy.

It’s short, sweet and affectionate — and it seems to be a name that people instantly connect with.

Whether Teddy is chosen as a name in its own right or as a nickname for Theodore, it has that lovely, gentle quality that seems to be appealing to lots of new parents.

Interestingly, the official Irish baby-name statistics show that Ted rose considerably in the rankings in 2024, moving from 133rd to 91st place.

Short, sweet and familiar

On the girls’ side, Emily is a lovely example of a name that simply refuses to disappear.

It feels familiar without feeling dated.

In fact, Emily has remained in Ireland’s top five girls’ names every year from 2010 through 2024, according to the Central Statistics Office. It ranked fourth in 2024.

Perhaps that’s the appeal of these shorter names.

They are easy to say, easy to spell and somehow feel timeless.

And then there’s Daisy 🌼

Flower names have always had a special place in baby naming.

For a long time, Rose and Rosie seemed to be everywhere.

But lately, I’m noticing a little shift.

Daisy feels like the flower name coming through.

It has a completely different feeling from Rose — lighter, brighter and wonderfully cheerful.

There is something very sweet about saying:

“This is Daisy.”

And perhaps that’s what makes it so appealing.

So what will the next big baby name be?

That’s the fun part.

Baby names are constantly changing, but they rarely change completely.

We seem to take names from the past, give them a little modern twist and then fall in love with them all over again.

From August and Teddy to Emily and Daisy, I’m loving the mix of traditional, short and sweet names that I’m hearing.

And, of course, there will always be that one baby whose name makes you stop and think:

“Oh, I haven’t heard that one before.”

And that’s one of the lovely things about working in maternity.

Every baby arrives with their own little story — and sometimes, their name is the very first chapter.

Can I? Care | empowering moms

What names are you hearing everywhere at the moment? And which beautiful name do you think deserves a comeback?

By Tracey Kelly | Author