Madison Burgess
The UK's leading baby name expert has revealed the names you should avoid in 2026.
For those who are preparing to become parents this year, you may already have a slew of names in the bank and lists ready to go - but this advice might just make you rethink.
It all depends on the kind of moniker you want your little one to have, as nowadays a lot of people would prefer their child to have a unique name rather than being called something like Jack or Molly (no offence to any Jacks or Mollys).
And there's nothing worse than thinking you've picked a really individual name for your baby, then realising there's about five other kids with the same name in their class.
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Speaking to Tyla, celebrity name consultant SJ Strum, who released a book on the topic last year, has shared which names might seem unique right now, but are about to soar into popularity.
The expert explained: “Often people want to avoid names they think are unique but are about to get really popular.
"Some Top Risers for 2025 were River, Eliana, Jesse, Luca, Maeve, Ottilie and Axel. So if the brief was for a name that is going to remain unique, I’d steer away from these.”
And aside from the popularity factor, of course, no parent wants to name their child something that could cause them distress later in life.
While it can be easy to get wrapped up in choosing the most original and cute baby name, you do have to think about their life as an adult and whether it will impact them then.
SJ said: “Some names I think don’t pass the test of ‘will this be detrimental to them’. For this I think it’s more character names like Aquaman Moses which was chosen recently.
"While I think it’s adorable for a baby it could feel like a burden growing up. I’m also not a fan of the name Baby which has been in the headlines after two influencers both chose it."
She added: "It’s a name for life and for their life so I’d steer away from anything that the teen and adult they become will have to constantly be explaining."
When she says Aquaman Moses, those of us who are chronically online will know SJ is talking about Trisha Paytas, who did actually name her baby Aquaman Moses.
The baby name consultant continued: "You're instantly having a comparison or a personality or a character that people think you should live up to.
"We don't actually have any baby name laws in England, which is quite interesting, lots of other countries do. Some countries have a list of names that are approved by the state and you can only choose from those.
"We are pretty open, but the law is If a name is going to cause negativity for that child in their life..."
SJ said that when you see the name 'Baby' on the registered list, you assume it means the parents haven't decided yet and it's simply a placeholder, but this hasn't always been the case as two influencers did both call their little ones Baby in 2021.
"I think it's not thinking of that person as an individual who's going to grow up and have to live with this name and have it proceed them," SJ explained, adding that Lucifer is another definite no-no.
The expert explained: "So I think when it's going to be or Lucifer, which a lot of people choose, there's about five or six baby Lucifers in England at the moment, and I think that again, it's going to just have a stigma attached to it being the name of Satan.
"You'd either always be having to make your own jokes about it, or it is always going to carry associations when it's a name that everybody has an association with globally that you then have to carry within your name, regardless of your own personality. I would veer away from those."
Sorry if you planned to call your baby Lucifer or Baby...