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Baby name trends tend to move in waves—sometimes it’s all about creative spellings, other times it’s pop Culture-inspired. But one Brooklyn mom, laurainbk, on TikTok, as per featured on Scary Mommy, that her daughter’s preschool roster had her laughing, because instead of Braxleighs and Peightyns, the classroom felt more like a throwback to another era.
Laura, a mom and content creator, shared in a TikTok , which now has 320.9K views, that when she got her two-year-old daughter’s class list, she immediately noticed the difference. “We got my two-year-old daughter’s class list, and it kind of made me laugh because, while in some parts of the country, people are naming their kids like Breighlynn and Braxleigh and Peightyn and whatever. I guess, in Brooklyn, we’re going in the complete opposite direction,” she said.
Edith, Arthur, Bonnie … and Bruce?
The names in her daughter’s preschool class read more like a roll call from decades past:
- Edith
- Oscar
- Arthur
- Nicholas
- Bonnie
- Owen
- Henry
- Ruby
- Lewis
“The trend, at least around here, is going back to traditional names, which I think is cool,” Laura concluded. “I find name trends so interesting, so I would love to know what class lists look like in other parts of the country.”
Related: ‘Old people baby names’ are the 2025 trend we didn’t know we needed
And she’s not alone in spotting it—several TikTok users chimed in with their own experiences.
@daniellemarie4882: ““Here me out” it’s blue names vs. red names”
@joseprromero: “Somewhere in Park Slope there’s a new born named Bruce”
@mckenzieshafer: “Mind you I am in California and my kids friends are coyote, Denver, Sahara, Dior, storm, silver, story, velvet lion so crazy”
Parents are amused—and charmed
The generational humour hasn’t gone unnoticed. The idea of toddlers named Edith and Henry sitting cross-legged in circle time has sparked both nostalgia and laughter online. Many parents say it reminds them of their grandparents, while others admit they’d secretly love to hear their preschool teacher call out “Gertrude, snack time!”
What’s behind the swing back to “grandparent names”?
According to an article in the New York Post, such baby names reflect a sense of nostalgia. Baby name experts explain that the comeback of old-fashioned names reflects cultural trends and family influences.
Related: French baby names are having a moment—and Olivia Culpo’s pick shows exactly why
What about your child’s class list?
Laura’s video struck a chord because so many parents recognise the phenomenon in their own communities. And while some kids are growing up alongside Coyote and Dior, others are learning their ABCs with Edith and Nicholas.
It all begs the question: when you scan your child’s roster, does it read more like a baby name book from 2025—or 1925?