These are my picks for names to keep an eye on, based on certain names that kept turning up in birth announcements, but are not yet on the national Top 100.

GIRLS

Would Already Be Top 100 If Combined Spellings Were Counted

• Alana/Alanna/Alannah – Alana is already Top 100 in Victoria
• Lexi/Lexie
• Indi/Indie/Indy
• Macey/Maci/Macie/Macy
• Mali/Mahli/Marlee/Marley/Marli/Marlie

On Track to Reach the Top 100

• Bonnie – maybe as soon as this year, already Top 100 in Victoria
• Harriet – maybe as soon as this year, already Top 100 in Victoria
• Billie – maybe as soon as this year, already Top 100 in Victoria
• April – maybe as soon as next year, only just outside the Top 100
• Asha – maybe as soon as next year, only just outside the Top 100
• Pippa – probably within the next couple of years, already Top 100 in some states
• Elsie – probably within the next couple of years
• Maggie – perhaps within the next couple of years
• Florence – perhaps within the next 5 years
• Freya – perhaps within the next 5 years
• Kaylee – perhaps within the next 5 years
• Adeline – perhaps within the next 10 years
• Georgie – perhaps within the next 10 years
• Mabel – perhaps within the next 10 years

Possible Future Top 100 Names

• Anastasia
• Felicity
• Maisie
• Peyton/Payton
• Darci/Darcie/Darcy
• Zahlee/Zahli/Zali/Zarli
• Amity
• Makenna
• Everley
• Indigo

Long Shots

• Clementine
• Cleo
• Emmeline
• Susannah

BOYS

Would Already Be Top 100 If Combined Spellings Were Counted

• Louis/Lewis
• Caden/Cayden/Kaden/Kayden
• Cobi/Cobie/Coby/Kobi/Kobe/Koby

On Track to Reach the Top 100

• Spencer – maybe as soon as this year, already Top 100 in Victoria
• Zane – probably within the next couple of years
• Vincent – perhaps within the next couple of years
• Jimmy – perhaps within the next 5 years
• Theodore – perhaps within the next 5 years

Possible Future Top 100 Names

• Jude
• Cruz
• Ari
• Axel
• Jax
• Xander/Zander
• Asher
• Sonny
• Parker
• Nash
• Lenny
• Kade
• Alfie
• Cohen
• Sidney
• Maximus

Long Shots

• Camden
• Layne

NOTE: The future of boys names is much less predictable, because in a lot of ways parents are more conservative when naming girls. Girls tended to have traditional names with a history that could be tracked, while boys much more likely to have “new” names that have only recently come into common use. On the other hand, when girls were given unusual names, they tended to be much more out there than a boy with an unusual name.