Surge in serial killer baby names as dark 2025 parenting trend emerges

Throughout history, parents-to-be have found inspiration for baby names from a variety of sources, from great kings and queens to beloved relatives.

Now, mums and dads have found inspo in a bloody yet undeniably popular genre -true crime.To quote William Shakespeare, "What's in a name? That which we call a rose, By any other name would smell as sweet."

It's unlikely, however, that The Bard was at that time considering that people would one day be naming their daughters after the notorious serial killer, Rose West. And Rose isn't the only name creeping into the charts.

We humans have arguably long had a taste for the morbid and macabre, and a host of gripping crime documentaries and shocking podcasts are now accessible at the click of a button. And it would seem that some baby name choices are settling into our subconscious, alongside plenty of nightmares.

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While announcing its Top 100 Baby Names of 2025, BabyCentre UK noted a new trend towards crime-related picks, which may well come as a surprise.

Intriguingly, as explained by experts, you may well have picked up a liking for a serial killer's name without even realising it, with chart-dominating listens making the monikers impossible to forget.

BabyCentre UK’s Baby Naming Expert, and author, SJ Strum, revealed: “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 featured in BabyCentre’s top 100 baby names for 2025 are as follows:

Anna – The “Fake Heiress” Anna Delvey

Arthur – Zodiac Killer suspect, Arthur Lee Allen,

Bella – Inspired by wellness scammer, Belle Gibson,

Erin – Erin Patterson, dubbed The Mushroom Killer

Freddie & Rose – The story of serial killer couple Fred and Rose West, featured recently in a Netflix doc

Joseph – A nod to ‘Joe Exotic’, Tiger King

Luca – From the shocking documentary Don’t F** with Cats

Teddy – A soft spin on serial killer Ted Bundy

Ruby – From viral doc ‘Devil in the Family’, Ruby Franke

Ronnie & Reggie – As in the notorious London gangsters, the Kray twins

Meanwhile, in quite literally much lighter news, celestial baby girl names are also on the rise, with names such as Luna, Nova, Aurora and Maryam lighting up the charts amid fascination with all things lunar cycles and astrology.

Do you have a story to share? Email me at julia.banim@reachplc.com

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