Review of 2020s Top 100 Predictions

Late in 2019, I listed a few trends among girls' and boys' names, each with several candidates. Here are the girls' names that made it so far:
  • Jade (#105 in 2019, entered 2020, #84 in 2024)
  • Leilani (#107 in 2019, entered 2020, #66 in 2024)
  • Athena (#104 in 2019, entered 2021, #90 in 2024)
  • Eloise (#149 in 2019, entered 2022, #64 in 2024)
  • Iris (#128 in 2019, entered 2022, #71 in 2024)
  • Eden (#145 in 2019, entered 2023, #72 in 2024)
  • Ayla (#163 in 2019, entered 2022 and 2024 at #69)
  • Daisy (#164 in 2019, entered 2024 at #76)
  • Melody (#118 in 2019, entered 2024 at #91)
In November 2022, I updated my predictions, one of which, Maeve, made the top 100 in 2023. 

Here are the predicted boys' names that made the top 100 so far:
  • Brooks (#109 in 2019, entered 2020, #67 in 2024)
  • Silas (#105 in 2019, entered 2020, #81 in 2024)
  • Bennett (#108 in 2019, entered 2021, #60 in 2024)
  • Rowan (#118 in 2019, entered 2022, #71 in 2024)
  • Theo (#195 in 2019, entered 2022, #80 in 2024)
  • Walker (#230 in 2019, entered 2022, #82 in 2024)
  • Thiago (#184 in 2019, entered 2023, #55 in 2024)
These were only 9 out of 45 predictions (made in 2020) for girls and 7 out of 36 for boys. Below, I list each of the predicted girls' names from 2019 to 2022 outside the top 100, and label them with a plus sign if they're still headed towards the top 100 by 2029:
  • Amara (#140 in 2019, #121 in 2024)
  • Anastasia (#150 in 2019, #166 in 2024)
  • Alina (#156 in 2019, 135 in 2024)
  • Alaia (#184 in 2019, #112 in 2024) +
  • Arabella (#197 in 2019, #206 in 2024)
  • Ada (#209 in 2019, #193 in 2024) 
  • Ariella (#216 in 2019, #196 in 2024)
  • Amira (#281 in 2019, #136 in 2024)
  • Alayah (#351 in 2019, #417 in 2024)
  • Amora (#353 in 2019, #285 in 2024)
  • Alaya (#392 in 2019, #362 in 2024)
  • Rose (#115 in 2019, #115 in 2024) +
  • Summer (#177 in 2019, #142 in 2024)
  • Ember (#193 in 2019, #137 in 2024) +
  • Juniper (#195 in 2019, #111 in 2024) +
  • June (#201 in 2019, #152 in 2024) +
  • Olive (#213 in 2019, #171 in 2024) +
  • River (#214 in 2019, #214 in 2024)
  • Rowan (#229 in 2019, #266 in 2024)
  • Magnolia (#240 in 2019, #138 in 2024) +
  • Aspen (#253 in 2019, #265 in 2024)
  • Sage (#280 in 2019, #146 in 2024) +
  • Phoenix (#312 in 2019, 421 in 2024)
  • Winter (#327 in 2019, 385 in 2024)
  • Eliza (#119 in 2019, #118 in 2024) +
  • Elliana (#145 in 2019, #141 in 2024)
  • Elsie (#247 in 2019, #155 in 2024) +
  • Harmony (#169 in 2019, #264 in 2024)
  • Rosalie (#208 in 2019, #177 in 2024) 
  • Kehlani (#242 in 2019, #150 in 2024)
  • Amari (#310 in 2019, #296 in 2024)
  • Royalty (#340 in 2019, #713 in 2024)
  • Kailani (#350 in 2019, #275 in 2024)
  • Milani (#360 in 2019, #278 in 2024)
  • Everlee (#377 in 2019, #470 in 2024)
  • Blake (#224 in 2019, #210 in 2024)
  • Blakely (#183 in 2019, #158 in 2024)
  • Cecilia (#153 in 2019, #123 in 2024) +
  • Genevieve (#168 in 2019, #165 in 2024)
  • Georgia (#204 in 2019, #110 in 2024) +
  • Oakley (#349 in 2019, #157 in 2024)
  • Parker (#143 in 2019, #104 in 2024) +
  • Ruth (#231 in 2019, #172 in 2024) 
  • Vera (#253 in 2019, #226 in 2024)
  • Wren (#425 in 2019, #213 in 2024)
Here are the predicted boys' names outside the top 100:
  • Jasper (#136 in 2019, #133 in 2024)
  • Zion (#154 in 2019, #151 in 2024)
  • Adriel (#185 in 2019, #109 in 2024) +
  • Judah (#190 in 2019, #179 in 2024)
  • Messiah (#193 in 2019, #203 in 2024)
  • Felix (#222 in 2019, #177 in 2024)
  • Simon (#256 in 2019, #252 in 2024)
  • Emmett (#105 in 2019, #119 in 2024)
  • Harrison (#112 in 2019, #121 in 2024)
  • Kingston (#117 in 2019, #178 in 2024)
  • Ashton (#125 in 2019, #188 in 2024)
  • Elliott (#160 in 2019, #163 in 2024)
  • Archer (#207 in 2019, #115 in 2024) +
  • Barrett (#208 in 2019, #186 in 2024)
  • Remington (#227 in 2019, 287 in 2024)
  • Knox (#241 in 2019, #209 in 2024)
  • Holden (#251 in 2019, #281 in 2024)
  • Nash (#253 in 2019, #240 in 2024)
  • Beckham (#265 in 2019, #168 in 2024) +
  • Ronan (#269 in 2019, #257 in 2024)
  • Daxton (#279 in 2019, #411 in 2024)
  • Jensen (#286 in 2019, #327 in 2024)
  • Hayes (#296 in 2019, #160 in 2024) +
  • Hendrix (#303 in 2019, #296 in 2024)
  • Lennox (#332 in 2019, #263 in 2024)
  • Wade (#335 in 2019, #341 in 2024)
  • Crew (#339 in 2019, #250 in 2024)
  • Lawson (#368 in 2019, #415 in 2024)
  • Arthur (#178 in 2019, #105 in 2024) +
Most of the names I predicted no longer seem headed towards the top 100 by 2030. This hints that predicting future top 100 names based on trends that take up large portions of the current list is not the most reliable method. Trends change, after all. 

What many of the names with plus signs share in common is a distinct sound with few spelling variants and/or sound-alike siblings (i.e. June, Georgia, Hayes, and Arthur). I also found multiple levels of appeal in the top 100 entries over the past few years; for instance, Iris is a mythological, nature, color, and vintage name at once. 

This being said, it's time to revise my predictions by adding on. Here are 10 girls' names headed towards the top 100 in the next five years:
  • Catalina (+19 to #128) 
    • Honor name for Catherine with romantic Italian-Spanish vibe of Isabella and company
  • Daphne (+50 to #192)
    • Traditional Greek name with ties to mythology and nature alongside unique sound
  • Ember (+32 to #137)
    • Update to Amber with prevalent "em" sound and nature connections alongside one dominant spelling and feminine yet tailored vibe
  • Esther (+7 to #131)
    • Classic Biblical name with built-in powerful role model alongside nature-related meaning, vintage vibe, and unique sound
  • Evangeline (+38 to #174)
    • Update to Angelina with lacy romantic vibe of Olivia and French vibe of Charlotte and Josephine alongside prefix of Evelyn
  • Hallie (+46 to #148)
    • Update to Hailey and complete nickname vibe of Ellie and Millie
  • Juliette (+31 to #129)
    • Traditional but unconventional honor name for Julia or Julie with French vibe of Charlotte and Josephine and Shakespearean vibe of Olivia
  • Margot (+22 to #126)
    • Traditional but unconventional honor name for Margaret with cool "o" ending and French vibe of Charlotte and Josephine
  • Phoebe (+7 to #183)
    • Classic Greek name with mythological, Shakespearean, and nature ties alongside antique vibe
  • Scottie (+413 to #201)
    • Boyish nickname-name with, like Millie, no tie to one formal name alongside vintage vibe of Sadie
And here are 10 additional boys' names headed towards the top 100:
  • Arlo (+12 to #146)
    • Casual, compact vibe of Leo and Enzo with trendy "o" ending
  • Atlas (+10 to #101)
    • Mythological and global vibe alongside bold, exotic sound
  • Beckett (+30 to #166)
    • Surname-name with cool "Beck" sound and double "t" ending of Wyatt alongside literary connections via Irish writer Samuel Beckett
  • Callum (+63 to #159)
    • Celtic name with distinct sound and similar ending to Liam 
  • Emiliano (+20 to #113)
    • Masculinization of Emilia alongside Spanish-Italian vibe of Mateo 
  • Graham (+12 to #129)
    • Celtic origin of Liam and single-syllable traditional vibe of James, alongside being a word name associated with crackers
  • Jett (+45 to #161)
    • Bold word name with extra "t" for a surname-y vibe and connections to a shade of black
  • Leon (+7 to #141)
    • Classic Leo variant with similar sound to Liam and Levi
  • Lorenzo (+15 to #116)
    • Italian origin of Leonardo alongside honor name for classic Lawrence
  • Tatum (+38 to #195)
    • Unisex surname-name with cool "tate" sound and ending of Liam
What names do you think will enter the top 100 by 2029?

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