March Madness Baby Names 2023 started with sixteen names for boys, ranging from time-tested favorites to new up-and-comers to names that (nearly) no one is using.
Your votes have narrowed that field to eight names, and now to just four. Those names will advance to the semifinals contest.
The competition just keeps heating up, too! All four of these semifinalists are broadly appealing choices, the kind of names that you’ll hear on every playground in America. One is a venerable classic, two are among the fastest-rising boy names of last year, and one is a next generation favorite.
Voting this time around? It’s gonna be tough!
But let’s look back at the last round before we go any further, because the QuarterFinals weren’t exactly easy decisions, either.
MARCH MADNESS BABY NAMES 2023: BOYS QUARTERFINAL RESULTS
With almost 70% of the vote, evergreen James crushed rising favorite Wells. Plenty of classics have won March Madness in years past, and James could fit right in with Theodore and Arthur.
In a much tighter match-up, Wesley edged past Otto with just over 55% of the total. Both are well-established names, but at the moment, Wesley is the hotter pick for our sons, and this outcome reflects that.
Kai knocked out Cosmo, but again, by a small margin of 55%. That makes Kai the name that advances, but suggests that Cosmo may be one to watch.
Handsome Hayes took over 58% of the tally to defeat Torin. This tracks with Hayes’ status as the Next Big Thing, a stylish mix of Hayden and Brooks.
Time to vote in the next round!
MARCH MADNESS BABY NAMES 2023: BOYS SEMIFINALS
JAMES v HAYES
WESLEY v KAI
Thanks for voting!
Polls stay open through Tuesday, March 28th. Please come back on Thursday, March 30th to see if your favorites advance. And, of course, to vote in the big final match!
I’m sad to see Otto and Torin go. Wesley and Otto would be fun names for brothers. There’s a Llewellyn nn Wells in the book I’m reading. Wellesley would also make a cool long name for Wells.