Parents accidentally picking serial killer names for their babies
Baby naming experts say dark popular culture is quietly influencing the top baby names of 2025
Parents are choosing dark names without even realising it in the top baby name trend of 2025
Parents are being inspired by true crime podcasts and cult documentaries when it comes to naming their babies in 2025, and many may not even know it - according to experts. BabyCentre UK has announced its Top 100 Baby Names of 2025, and found many of them are the names of people who have been featured in chilling podcasts and Netflix series.
BabyCentre naming expert and author SJ Strum said: 'These names aren't being chosen because of crime. More often, parents are unconsciously absorbing popular culture, and these names creep into our minds via gripping TV, podcasts and viral content. It's a fascinating lens on how culture shapes language, and by extension, baby names.'
True Crime-inspired names in BabyCentre's top 100 baby names making headlines in 2025 are:
Anna – The 'Fake Heiress' Anna Delvey
– The 'Fake Heiress' Anna Delvey Arthur – Arthur Lee Allen, Zodiac Killer suspect
– Arthur Lee Allen, Zodiac Killer suspect Bella – Inspired by Belle Gibson, wellness scammer
– Inspired by Belle Gibson, wellness scammer Erin – Erin Patterson, dubbed 'The Mushroom Cook'
– Erin Patterson, dubbed 'The Mushroom Cook' Freddie & Rose – The story of Fred and Rose West
– The story of Fred and Rose West Joseph – A nod to 'Joe Exotic', Tiger King
– A nod to 'Joe Exotic', Tiger King Luca – From the viral doc Don't F** with Cats*
– From the viral doc Don't F** with Cats* Teddy – A surprisingly soft spin on serial killer Ted Bundy
– A surprisingly soft spin on serial killer Ted Bundy Ruby – From viral doc 'Devil in the Family', Ruby Franke
– From viral doc 'Devil in the Family', Ruby Franke Ronnie & Reggie – The Kray twins
And it isn;'t just factual TV and audio providing inspiration. Inspired by the rise of high-society TV dramas like Succession and The White Lotus, there is a resurgence of names that carry aristocratic weight. Think Elodie, Nathaniel, Zara, and Sebastian.
Succession Chic names rising this year include:
Article continues below
Girl's Names:
Amelia - Striving
Ada – Nobility
Alice – noble
Aria – Noble Melody
Elodie – wealth
Freya - Lady
Gianna – gracious
Penelope - Weaver
Zara – Princess/Lady
Boy's Names:
Albie - Noble
Eli – Ascension
Ibrahim – Father of many
Nathanial – God has given
Otis - Fortune
Reuben – Behold a son
Rory – Red King
Sebastian – Revered
Theodore – Gift
Beyond the world of murder, scams and other crime parents are looking to the heavens for baby name inspiration this year. Celestial baby girl names are soaring in popularity. Names like Luna, Nova, Aurora and Maryam are booming.
Cosmic-inspired girl's names trending in 2025:
Arabella – Beautiful like a star
– Beautiful like a star Ayla – Moonlight
– Moonlight Aurora – Goddess of the dawn
– Goddess of the dawn Eliana – Helios sun god
– Helios sun god Layla – Night beauty
– Night beauty Luna – Moon
– Moon Maryam – Start of the sea
– Start of the sea Nova – New star
– New star Nur – Light
– Light Thea – Goddess of light
And while letters X, Y and Z may be at the back of the alphabet, this year, they've leapt to the front of the Baby Naming Charts.
Girls' Names:
Anaya – Free
Ayra – Noble
Emily - Rival
Hazel – Hazelnut
Maya – Mother
Robyn – Bright
Ruby - Red
Zoe – Life
Boys' Names:
Dylan – Of the sea
Enzo – Home ruler
Ezra – Helper
Max – Greatest
Syed – Lord
Yahya – Gracious
Zane - Beauty
Zion – Highest place
Article continues below
SJ Strum said: 'Names flow in and out of style, and popular culture plays a huge role in shaping the baby names we see rising. We often choose names in tune with what's happening in the world around us as we welcome our little ones. For example, Evie, the newest addition to Peppa Pig's family, is a perfect short and sweet vintage pick that's now soaring in popularity.
'We've also seen an uplift in names honouring the late Queen, like Eliza, Elsie, and Elizabeth. Royal-inspired names remain strong year-on-year: from Charlotte, Zara, and Mia, to George, Harry, William, Charlie, and Archie. Even Princess has seen a surprising comeback, as the nation rallied around Princess Kate during her recent cancer treatment.'
Faye Mingo, Chief Marketing Officer at BabyCentre, said: 'Baby names often serve as a time capsule of the world babies are born into, so it's fascinating to watch how these trends unfold each year, and even more so when unexpected influences, like true crime, begin to make an impact.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Scottish Sun
26 minutes ago
- Scottish Sun
Love Is Blind UK star storms off show & says ‘get this mic off me' after branding co-star ‘disrespectful' in fiery rant
Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) LOVE Is Blind UK has had a very dramatic start with one star storming off after being branded "disrespectful" by their co-star. Emma and Matt Willis returned to host the second series, as the pods opened for 30 new singletons to try their luck at finding someone to marry. Sign up for the Entertainment newsletter Sign up 4 Love Is Blind UK star Sophie stormed off the show after a furious rant Credit: Netflix 4 The contestant was left in floods of tears after she branded Kieran 'disrespectful' Credit: Netflix 4 Sophie confessed she's never been in love despite her recent five year relationship Credit: Instagram Gaming entrepreneur Kieran, 30, made an impression on two girls in particular, Megan and Sophie. But he quickly confessed that his head was "in a bit of a pickle" as he struggled to decide between the two. In a bold move, Kieran decided to leave Megan a personal gift, but that didn't sit well with rival Sophie. She later confronted him and slammed him for being "disrespectful" and "really rude". An annoyed Sophie said: "Your actions have made your intentions very clear." Kieran responded: "I have made a strong connection elsewhere." Sophie fired back: "I bring a lot to the table, I want to be with someone that sees that." She continued: "I wouldn't do that to you because it's a s*** feeling. "If you truly cared about how I felt you wouldn't have put me in that position. "I'm a prize, like I'm a catch and on the outside world you would see that so I'm not here to beg you to love me." Love Is Blind UK star leaves viewers 'feeling physically sick' as he details his VERY unique job Getting increasingly upset, Sophie exited the pod and tearfully said: "I just feel I'm done now." She was then seen storming off and exclaimed: "F*** this, someone needs to get this mic off me." Kieran ended up choosing Megan and they got engaged, but it was teased at the end of episode four that Sophie will come back for a cast mixer and stir up trouble with another man. Manchester-based Sophie, 28, admitted she's been single since her five-year relationship ended last year, but doesn't think she's ever been in love. Netflix teased: "Sophie admits she can be confrontational but thinks her over-protective dad and four brothers could be the reason she's still single. "She's most attracted to men who can stand up for themselves and won't let her walk all over them." Elsewhere, one contestant caught the attention of fans thanks to his unique life path. While introducing himself to singer Aanu, Patrick Justus revealed that he was a human design coach. Explaining it was "like a lifecoach but using a system called spiritual design', Patrick's biggest mantra in life was to "trust your spleen", noting that "splenic energy" was a bigger force than a gut instinct. Speaking in the pods to potential match Yolanda, Patrick said that he follows his spleen "literally to the second", later adding: "Listening to my spleen is the best way to find the love of his life." While it didn't win over Yolanda or another hopeful, Catherine, the idea intrigued singer Aanu, who sparked a connection with him. But viewers were left baffled by his continued discussion of his spleen in conversation – with some left turned off by the chat, despite finding Patrick charming, saying it made them feel ill. "I loveee Patrick, do you know how nice you have to be for me to ignore the fact you keep mentioning your spleen??" wrote one on X (formerly Twitter). "Please the word 'spleen' is just making me cringe and feel physically sick. How many times are we going to have to hear this nonsense" said a second. "This bloke and his damn SPLEEN, his spleen should have told him to stay home," said a third.
Time Out
33 minutes ago
- Time Out
Inter Alia
Playwrights usually want to flex their range after their first big hit. But it's to the credit of Suzie Miller that she cares so much about the issues explored in her smash Prima Facie that she's come up with a follow up that you have to at least describe as 'a companion piece'. Both Prima Facie and Inter Alia are named after legal terms, both are about high-achieving female members of the legal profession, and while Prima Facie was a monologue and Inter Alia is a three-hander, both have a huge-scale female role at their centre that makes them the perfect vehicle for a screen star looking to scratch the stage itch. And so both have had Justin Martin-directed UK premieres starring major celebrities: Jodie Comer made her stage debut in Prima Facie, while Rosamund Pike treads the boards for the first time in years in Inter Alia. The most crucial similarity, however, is not entirely apparent from the first half hour or so of Inter Alia, which is basically an extended sequence of Pike's high court judge Jessica frenziedly girlbossing as she juggles her extremely high-powered job with a busy social life and being a mum to vulnerable teen Harry (Jasper Talbot). It's a breathless performance from Pike, who crests and surges from neuroticism to icy confidence. It's draining: there's barely room for us or her to breathe, and a sequence where she sings Shania Twain's 'Man! I Feel Like a Woman!' in a karaoke club feels like the conclusion of an extended intro basically designed to let Pike show off. But she is good: of course she's posh, but she's earthy, likeable, open, vulnerable, somewhat demystifying of her profession. And it's not entirely unsubtle writing, just full tilt. We're bouncing around in Jessica's head, and being asked to consider that she is attempting to fulfil several impossible roles: neither the perfect mother nor the perfect judge really exist, and certainly not a seamless mix of the two. Martin's production is notably more sophisticated than Prima Facie: he and his team use puppetry, illusions, child actors, live music and other effects to create a world that's half naturalistically rendered, half foggy memories of Harry's childhood. It's impossible to discuss what happens next without spoilers: if I dropped a veiled reference to Netflix's Adolescence you'd get it straight away. So let's cut to the chase: like Prima Facie, Inter Alia concerns rape and the difficulty in securing a conviction for it. The accused here is of course Harry, and despite Jessica's feminist politics and her awareness of the statistics and sensitivities around these sorts of cases, she wants to believe there has been a mistake. But Miller is very good at exploring the ambiguity of rape cases. On the one hand there's the fact that ambiguity is why most of them fail in court – it is extremely difficult to obtain clearcut evidence (helpfully Jessica early on describes a rare successful prosecution). But there's also a moral vagueness that Jessica and her husband Michael (Jamie Glover) cling to, the sense that due to different understandings of the incident Harry and the girl in question might both be 'right', that she Jessica can hold on to her principles and her beloved son by telling herself Harry did wrong but misunderstood the situation. Miller's plays explore why rape convictions are so rare, and portraying Harry as wildly unsympathetically would not help in that regard, Inter Alia gets a lot stronger after the rape storyline emerges: it gives the play a sense of purpose, channelling Pike's manically fizzing energies towards something more than than a showcase of her range. Miller is more interested in the emotional and legal terrain Jessica finds herself in here than diagnosing exactly why a young man might do this. But her play is not incurious in that respect, and there's a particularly powerful scene when a frantic Jessica excoriates her self-absorbed husband over his failure to explain boundaries to their son. It's cruel of her to lay this on him; but she strikes a nerve that begs the question. Yes, Inter Alia is kind of a big performance lecture exploring a subject that is close to Miller's heart to the point of artistic fixation. It is a contrivance that her plays concern women who are high up in the legal profession and thus able to clearly explain the mechanics of what's going on. But once warmed up Inter Alia hits home thoughtfully and forcefully. Adolescence can't be the only word on this subject. And where that used virtuoso camerawork and cleverly shifting perspectives to tell its story in an artful manner, Inter Alia benefits from a gale-force Pike and a sophisticated production from Martin – its final image will chill you to the bone.
Daily Mail
an hour ago
- Daily Mail
Cillian Murphy debuts striking new look as he transforms into struggling headteacher in first trailer for Netflix film that 'broke his heart'
Cillian Murphy debuted a striking new look as he transformed into a disheveled and exhausted headteacher in the first trailer for a Netflix role that 'broke his heart'. The Peaky Blinders and Oppenheimer star is taking on one of his most compelling roles to date as the principal teacher of a last-chance reform school. Upcoming film Steve follows a pivotal day in the life of the titular character as he fights to protect the school's integrity and prevent its impending closure. It explores the struggles of the students, as well as the mental battles faced by Steve - who gives everything he has to his job and what he perceives as his duty. And Oscar-winning Cillian Murphy is sleep-deprived and bleary eyed in the role, which has seen him grow out his greying beard and his curly hair. A deeply moving relationship develops between Steve and Shy, played by Jay Lycurgo - a troubled teen trying to reconcile his fragility with his impulse for self-destruction. Set in the mid 90s, Steve is a reimagining of Max Porter's bestselling novel Shy, a book Cillian said he was drawn to because of its powerful writing. After reading Shy for the first time, Cillian told Deadline: 'Max gave me that book in a proof edition before he finished it, and again it just broke my heart. 'They're the sorts of things I love as a reader and as a performer, so I really wanted to do something with him.' Porter has also penned the scripts for the upcoming film, and Cillian himself plays a vital behind-the-scenes role as one of its producers. The promising cast includes Tracey Ullman, Simbi Ajikawo, Emily Watson and Roger Allam. It comes as Barry Keoghan revealed what acting alongside Cillian Murphy was really like, as he gears up for the release of the new and highly anticipated Peaky Blinders film, The Immortal Man. The feature film, which is likely to come out within the next year, will see the infamous Shelby family of cut-throat gangsters transition into the Second World War. Described as 'one for the fans' to conclude the much-loved series, Barry is set to feature alongside Dune actress Rebecca Ferguson, Adolescence writer Stephen Graham and of course star of the show Cillian Murphy. It explores the struggles of the students, as well as the mental battles faced by Steve - who gives everything he has to his job and what he perceives as his duty And in a recent interview with The Mirror, the Saltburn actor revealed exactly what it takes to live up to Cillian's high standards. There is no slacking for him,' Barry said: 'And it's not in an intimidating way. It is in a way that he does not settle for less. He has an athlete's approach to it. Cillian is such a legend. 'He does not say anything, but you feel it.' Recalling the moment he first pulled his Peaky Blinders costume on, Barry told of Cillian's reaction: 'He (Cillian) was more excited to see me in my costume. He was like, "Ah man, look at you."' The Immortal Man isn't all Barry has to look forward to however, with it recently being confirmed that the 32-year-old will star in four upcoming biopics about The Beatles. With the movies planned for release in 2028, Barry will be playing Ringo Starr - who he was so nervous to meet that he couldn't look at the drummer. After being asked by Jimmy Kimmel whether he was able to 'study' Ringo when they met, Barry replied: 'I was.. and when I was talking to him, I couldn't look at him. 'I was nervous, like right now. But he's like, "You can look at me."' Despite his nerves, Barry did stress that Ringo was 'absolutely lovely' and that they sat in the garden 'chatting away.'
