Hurricane Names 2022-2026

Heads up! Here is the list of assigned names for storms in the United States from 2022-2026 as chosen by the World Meteorological Association. You might want to avoid using these names for your baby, so they won’t be associated with a huge weather event. On the other hand, you might just want to use one of these names to denote strength and power!

Why are hurricanes given human names?

Storms are given short, distinctive names to avoid confusion and streamline communications about the event. Until the early 1950s, tropical storms and hurricanes were given names that consisted of the year they took place and the order in which they occurred. But that got cumbersome when you’re in an emergency and you have to speak fast and understand the other first responders. So they devised a way to use short, easily remembered names to reduce confusion when two or more storms occur at the same time.

In 1953, the United States began using female given names for storms. In 1978, they started using both male and female names to identify storms in the Northern Pacific. By 1979 all U.S. storms were using names of all genders.

There is a strict procedure established by the World Meteorological Organization to name storms. For Atlantic hurricanes, there is a list of male and female names which are used on a 6-year rotation. However there is one exception: if a storm is so deadly or costly that the future use of its name on a different storm would be inappropriate – like Katrina – then it’s retired and never used again. In the event that more than twenty-one named tropical cyclones occur in a season, a backup list is used.

Hurricane Names for 2022

This is the first time Martin and Owen have made the list, replacing Matthew and Otto which retired in 2016.

Hurricane Names for 2023

Hurricane Names for 2024

Hurricane Names for 2025

Hurricane Names for 2026

Would you avoid using these names for your up and coming little one? Or would you use this list for inspo? Join our Facebook Group to discuss!

Jennifer Moss (she/her) is the founder of BabyNames.com, author of The Baby Names Workbook, and Producer of The Baby Names Podcast. Jennifer is widely regarded as the leading expert on popular baby name trends and the naming process, serving as the authoritative source on the subject for national and international media.

Jennifer entered the tech arena in the 80s as a software developer and database architect, and became a pioneer in the Internet industry. In addition to operating BabyNames.com, Jennifer owns a web development agency in central California.