Names in the News 5.25.25

Name-inspired news and notes for your Sunday reading.

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One of my rules: television influences names far more than movies. Even in our binge-watching moment, television characters are simply with us longer. Maybe not every week for 20-plus episodes over the course of several years. But certainly for more viewings than a single movie.

That means names, even the names of supporting characters, can work their way into our subconscious.

Television is changing, though. Shorter seasons, more limited runs. So far that hasn’t translated to less baby naming inspiration. The opportunity to watch (and re-watch) a favorite series or movie factors in, too.

But what hasn’t changed? Sports. If anything, we can watch more sports – or certainly consume more sports-related coverage.

It’s not just any given Sunday. It’s 24/7 on podcasts and apps and the like. And we can – and do – follow the players we admire most on social, too.

Standout players become pop culture figures in their own right, as famous as other celebrities.

And so even though I’ve never actually watched an NBA game, I recognize Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. He was recently named the league’s MVP for the 2024-25 season.

Which made me notice two things:

• First, Shai rhymes with Jay. Not Kai. Even though Shai potentially fits in perfectly with our love of -AI ending names, the pronunciation question gives parents pause. It’s one of the few names in this category that isn’t trending, even though I think it should be.
• Second, Shai and his wife Hailey have a son named Ares. And probably deserve credit for some of the name Ares’ dramatic rise. I think it helps that they’re pretty low-key. Ares feels like a natural choice for the couple, not something that’s trying too hard. And that makes it all the more appealing.

We’ve always named our children after athletes. Increasingly, social media and the intense coverage of the most famous players means that we named our children after celebrity athletes’ children, too.

Do you have any favorite children-of-athlete names? I feel like I have a blind spot in this category!

ELSEWHERE ONLINE

Let’s look at some names in the news 5.25.25 edition.

Every year I go read everything Laura at Namerology writes about the new names data. If you read just one thing, her list about the New Boy Names is fascinating. The four-legged influencers of Paw Patrol have ceded their place to Bluey (no, really Bandit and Banjo both make the list!) Also interesting: Rivian is in, Tesla is out.

Laura also covered states, but I like Nancy’s chart showing the popular and unique to each state names here. The state-specific choices are fascinating. Ephrata, Kelce, Lemon, Odyssey, Avenir. (That last one is the French word for the future, and I kind of love it.)

Another obscure word that intrigues me as a potential name? Innsaei. It’s an Icelandic word that translates to intuition, but has a much deeper, nuanced meaning. Pronounced “in-sy-ay,” it’s a fascinating, useful concept. It’s also spelled InnSaei, InnSæi, and Innsæi, but Innsaei seems like the most viable choice in American English. I think it’s more of a middle than a first, and a potentially powerful choice.

UPDATING & THINKING ABOUT

When I’m not ransacking other languages for words to co-opt, I’ve been writing and revising a few posts about individual names:

Amir is one of those workhorse names we need now. It feels strong and traditional, with history to spare. But it also bridges and blends across cultures in a way that works beautifully for 2025 children. No surprise it’s a Top 100 choice for our sons now.

Tallulah has transformed from too-bold, too-different, only-in-Hollywood to a stylish, rising favorite, and I am absolutely here for it.

Lainey continues to march up the popularity charts. I suspect some of those little Laineys are honoring a grandma Elaine, of which there are many. (Elaine peaked from the 1920s into the 1950s, so a parent born in the 1990s could easily have an Elaine on their family tree, just enough generations back to make it feel fresh and compelling once more.) But it’s also interesting to see the rise of Alaina and Elaina, fresh re-spellings of Elena meant to better accommodate the preferred nickname – I think.

That’s all for today. As always, thank you for reading and have a great week!