Choosing a baby name is deeply personal, but it’s also surprisingly trend-driven. From Netflix shows to cultural anxieties to historical eras gaining renewed interest, a wide range of forces shape how parents name their children.

To see what’s coming next year, HuffPost asked experts to break down the baby name trends they expect to rise in 2026. Below are 11 interesting themes to watch.

Ethereal Vibes

“Pantone’s controversial choice of Cloud Dancer as their colour of the year made headlines – for all the wrong reasons,” said Abby Sandel, the creator of the baby name blog Appellation Mountain. “But the company’s description of ‘a whisper of calm and peace in a noisy world’ echoes an accelerating trend in names, especially for our daughters.”

Sandel believes that “ethereal, even otherworldly choices,” which include names like Aura, Ophelia and Elowyn, are poised to rise next year. She added that another name in that category – Eliana – is already moving up the popularity list.

Nature Cottagecore

Rebekah Wahlberg, a baby name trends specialist at BabyCenter, predicts movement in the category of “nature cottagecore” names.

“Nature names have been trendy for a long time, and we’re seeing parents find new ways to iterate on that,” she said. “Right now, the cottagecore aesthetic is catching attention with names like Flora, Rowan and Heath gaining popularity.”

Jennifer Moss, founder of BabyNames.com,........

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