What will be the hottest baby name in 2016? If you're currently expecting and tearing out your hair as you pour over name sites, deliberate no more. Nameberry has whipped out its crystal ball and predicted trends for the new year ahead.

As per usual, pop culture and celebrity happenings influence our baby name choices. Gone are the odes to Harper Lee's 'Mockingbird.' 

The two biggest trends for 2016 have Caitlyn Jenner and Star Wars to thank for their surge in popularity:
 

1. Gender fluid
   Ryan Reynolds was clearly ahead of the game when he named his daughter. And Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg named his daughter Max, proving there is no such thing as a "boy name" and a "girl name." Other gender fluid favourites include Charlie, Ryan, Jayde, Andy, Sasha, Remy and Rory.
    
2. Star Wars
   Star Wars is back with a bang, yet people aren't going for the obvious choices this time around. Luke and Leia are old hat, yet Anakin is already ranking high, and other character are expected to follow: Poe, Finn, Rey, Hux, Kylo, Ren, even Dameron. Phasma, not so much.
    
3. Simplified
   Short and sweet seems to be the way forward, reflecting a cultural shift toward uncluttered living. What was once a nickname is now just a name. And I have to say, I'm not a fan of most 'trendy' names, but this is one trend I can get behind: Liv, Eve, Bo, Ace, Dean, Van, Dax, Noe, Elle, Edie, Art and Hank.
    
4. Cross culture
   The world is shrinking. Not literally, of course, but these days it's not uncommon for one culture to borrow a name from another country or culture. Take the Irish Maeve or the Italian Giovanni. You don't have to be Jewish to name your child Cohen or Spanish to name your daughter Cruz. 
    
5. Vive La France
   Even negative news can spawn a trend. With the world looking to Paris following recent terrorist attacks, many of the new names will be French in origin: Ines, Manon, Maelys, Lilou, Leonie, Timeo, Jules and Mathis.
    
6. Nouns
   If the above selections are all too staid for your tastes, go the celebrity, getting your inspiration from nature or other common nouns: Snow, Love, Moon, Rainbow, Ocean, Sky, Rein, Blue, Red, Day, Bay, Dove, Dream, Dune, Frost, Grove, Muse, Pike and Pine.
    
7. Flowers
   Lily and Daisy, step aside. Today's flowers are a rarely kind: Marigold and Posy, Flora and Poppy, Primrose, Bluebell and Petal are in full bloom.
    
8. Old men
   It used to be that only your great grandfather or your dog was called Clyde, but 2016 will pay homage to 'old man' names: Alfred, Harvey, Ellis, Clark, Otto, Harold, Ernest, Leonard, Warren, Howard, Barney, Edwin, Floyd, Leopold, Morris, Murray, Montgomery, Ralph, Rudolph, Seymour and Stanley.
    
9. Galaxy
   We have Kim and Kanye to thank for pointing us in this (North West) direction. These days celestial names are all the rage: Luna, Nova, Orion, Celeste, Phoenix, Skye, Jupiter, Mars, Mercury, Cloud, Andromeda, Io and Cassiopeia.
    
10. 'Th'
    The 'th' digraph will feature heavily as in: Thea and Theo, Dorothy, Theodore, Thatcher, Thiago, Thalia, Thaddeus, Dorothea, Theodora, Thayer, Matthias, Meredith, Edith, Ruth, Judith and Seth.

While you ponder the name your child will wear for the rest of their life, please be kind and consider this sage advice from YMC's editor.

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