Parents are riding the Barbiecore wave by looking to the hit film for baby name inspiration

Being Pregnant – 08 Aug 23 By Rebel Wylie

The perfect names for the newest member of your mojo dojo casa house.

The world has tuned pink! According to reporting by TMZ, the new Barbie Movie is influencing culture so much that baby name site BabyNames.com has seen a 300 per cent uptick in searches for ‘Barbie’ in the month of July alone.

And it’s probably not too much of a surprise to hear that searches for ‘Ken’ have also blown up, although in keeping with the themes of the movie, he is coming in behind Barbie at a 200 per cent rise. Makes sense, he is just Ken.

Starring Australia’s sweetheart, Margot Robbie in the title role, the Greta Gerwig film has been dominating at the cinemas, already passing $1B worldwide! Get it, girls.

What are some popular ‘Barbie’ names?

Obviously the names Barbie – which means “stranger” or “foreign woman” – and Ken – meaning “handsome” and “born of fire” – are bringing main character energy, but there are some associated names inspired by the film that might pique the interest of parents-to be.

Sadly, according to the TMZ report, Allan – meaning “handsome” and “little rock” – was not rising in the searches, but movie fans do love him, with eBay searches for Ken’s buddy Allan toys skyrocketing since the film’s release.

Michael Cera on set playing Allan in The Barbie Movie. — Ken’s “buddy” Allan doesn’t seem to be on baby name wish lists! *(Image: HeyDay Films)*

Fans of the movie may look toward the names of Barbie’s friends and family like Midge – a nickname for Margaret which means “pearl” , Kira meaning “mistress” or Skipper which means “ship captain”.

Of course the movie also introduces us to mother daughter duo, Gloria and Sasha, which mean “glory” and “helper of mankind” respectively.

America Ferrera, Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling at teh Barbie Movie premiere. — The cast of the film itself offer some cool name inspo too! *(Image: Getty)*

It’s probably fair to assume that those associated with the film will be a source of inspiration to parents-to-be too! Could we expect a surge in popularity for names like Greta and Margot – both meaning “pearl” – Ryan – meaning “little king” or “illustrious” – or America, a name that is bang on the geography name trend.

Whatever name parents choose, it’s wise to remember that to live in Barbie Land is to be a perfect being in a perfect place. Unless you have a full-on existential crisis.

Or you’re a Ken.