A Princess Diana inspired baby name is set to be popular in 2024 - and it's kind of surprised us

An American baby name expert predicts a surprising baby name trend for 2024 - and one of her picks has a royal link. 

Choosing a baby name can be daunting for parents-to-be. There are so many options and trends don't stick around for long, with old-fashioned baby names making a comeback and cool baby names changing all the time.

The quest for a baby name that fits your family just right certainly isn't easy, but for fans of royal baby names, we've spotted a trend that experts claim will be big in 2024 - and it has a surprising royal link.

Steph Coffield, a name consultant, author and content creator recently predicted that 'surnames as first names' will be a popular trend in 2024. And one of the names she mentioned was Spencer - which is also the maiden name of Diana, Princess of Wales.

The Spencer family is an aristocratic family in the United Kingdom, and other notable members of the family include Sir Winston Churchill. Diana was the daughter of John Spencer, 8th Earl Spencer.

According to babynames.com, the first name 'Spencer' means 'Butler' or Steward'.

Steph also predicts that Spencer will become a popular name for girls next year, as gender-neutral baby names are set to be a big trend in 2024. On TikTok, where she goes by @nameswithsteph, she said, "I'm seeing a lot of whimsical, gender-neutral surnames being given as first names. We're seeing girls' names becoming more masculine and boys' names becoming softer too.

"Some parents will come to me asking for one that works for a boy and a girl ahead of time, then they can stick with it, whatever the gender."

Other 'surnames as first names' that Steph predicted will remain popular include Cameron, Campbell, and Carter for boys - adding, "everyone loves a C name" - and Maddison for girls.

However, she also predicted that parents will be "more adventurous" with their choices in 2024, and suggested names like Fisher, Huxley, and Ridley becoming more popular next year.

Steph's predictions: Popular girl's names in 2024

1. Collins

2. Juniper

3. Sloane

4. Maddison

5. Spencer

6. Annie

7. Cecelila

8. Margaret

Steph's predictions: Popular boy's names in 2024

1. Cameron

2. Carter

3. Colter

4. Waylon

5. Campbell

6. Harrison

7. Nathaniel

8. Vincent

Looking for more baby name inspiration? Check out these Christmas baby names, our list of 64 millionaire baby names and this huge list of 150 middle names too.