- A new study says that influencer-inspired baby names are surging.
- The background check company BeenVerified used Social Security Administration data to see exactly which content creators have the most name popularity.
- Their findings suggest that certain popular names on your FYP are truly influencing major life decisions.
As a teen, the name atop my “Dream Baby Names” notes app list was Dove—not inspired by the bird but the star of the Disney Channel’s hit original series at the time, Liv and Maddie (which I lowkey didn’t even watch). Though Dove has since drifted off my list, I feel no shame that I once planned to name my firstborn after a sitcom star. Pop culture–inspired names have long been a thing. Rachel became the ninth most popular name for girls during Friends’ run in 1996 and during Game of Thrones’ cultural takeover in the late 2010s, Westeros-specific names like Khaleesi and Arya saw a dramatic spike in popularity. And it seems that the 2025 version of this phenomenon could be babies named in honor of (or maybe just casually inspired by) social media superstars.
The online background check company BeenVerified recently released a study based on Social Security Administration data, suggesting that today’s top influencers are shaping baby name trends. While Addison Rae and Kai Cenat didn’t invent their names quite like George R. R. Martin coined Khaleesi, the timing of their names’ popularity jumps hints that they had an influence. In 2020, Kai ranked #93 among baby boy names. It rose to #63 in 2023 and sat at #76 in 2024 (just around the time Kai Cenat’s viral Union Square meet-and-greet/riot thrust him into mainstream fame). Addison, meanwhile, came in at #68 for baby girls last year, coinciding with Addison Rae’s official pop girl turn, aka the release of her single “Diet Pepsi.”
“The name Britney became more common after Britney Spears rose to fame [in the early 2000s],” Erin Kemp, a consumer advocate at BeenVerified, told Cosmopolitan. “While the sources of inspiration may have shifted, baby names have long reflected who’s making waves and capturing the attention of parents and pop culture lovers alike.” If baby names are the main measure of cultural cachet, then Olivia’s #1 ranking in 2024 bodes well for Olivia Rodrigo, Munn, Cooke, and Colman. But the fact that “Alix” (see: Earle) hasn’t had a place in the top 1,000 baby girl names in the past five years suggests the influencer-inspired name boom is mostly limited to names with preexisting popularity and staying power.
Parents may not be consciously paying homage to Mr. Cenat when they’re struck by how lovely the name Kai sounds in a headline. Back when I was still in utero, my parents saw Annabella Sciorra’s name in a film’s credits, and it inspired my own. All respect to that queen, but I know they aren’t diehard stans. Which is to say: If you meet a baby named after a content creator with millions of followers, try to reserve any judgment. The source of inspiration may indicate an excessive amount of screen time, but it doesn’t make the name any less lovely—shoutout to the baby Addisons.
