Note the influence of British royal names in England and Wales of 2020. George was very popular, after the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge chose it for their first son. Archie, the name chosen by the Duke and Duchess of Sussex for their son, entered the top 10 for the first time since records began. Harry and William were still popular, but Charles dropped out of the top 10 for the first time in two decades. This trend is present in the girl’s names with Charlotte and Elizabeth. However note that the name Victoria has dropped off the list since 2020.
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The ONS noted again that the age of mothers had an impact on the choice of baby name. Archie jumped into the top 10 boys’ names for the first time, driven by younger mothers as well as the obvious royal link, as did Ivy on the girls’ side. Popular culture continued to provide inspiration for baby names, whether it was after characters in favourite shows. Fast risers included Maeve and Otis, characters in the Netflix comedy-drama Sex Education. Milo was another swift climber in the list of boys’ names, presumably from the Japanese children’s adventure featuring a kitten and puppy, Miloand Otis. Celebrity influences include the name Luna, growing in popularity since John Legend and Chrissy Teigen’s daughter Luna was born in 2016.
Parents aged 35+, on the other hand, continued to choose more traditional names. I agree with that. I have never heard of Netflix programmes or John Legend, and would never have recognised these uber modern names. So my generation’s favourite names, Margaret, Rebecca, Paul and John were among the most popular names of the last 100 years, but have since fallen out of favour.
Top 10 British baby names: girls
1 Olivia
2 Amelia
3 Isla
4 Ava
5 Mia
6 Ivy
7 Lily
8 Isabella
9 Rosie
10 Sophia
Back in 2012 in this blog I analysed favourite baby names. And loved the experience. Charlotte for girls and Oliver for boys are still in the top position in Australia in 2021. Also the top five names for both boys and girls unchanged since last year, just a little shuffling for positions. So in order, the top girls’ names for 2021 were Charlotte (top name for a decade), Amelia, Olivia, Isla and Mia.
Naming trends of botanical names for girls was still strong: Willow, Ivy, Lily, Hazel, Violet, Daisy, Poppy, Jasmine and Rosie. Newer popular names for girls were Remi, Harlow, Hallie, Maeve, Molly, Maggie, Eliza Delilah and Isabella. The biggest rises in position for the girls were Addison, Rosie and Billie. The biggest drops in girls’ names were Sarah, Claire, Eden, Madison, Lara, Heidi, Madeline, Riley, Alexis, Chelsea, Indiana and Thea.
For boys, Oliver (most popular name for 8 years), Noah, William, Jack and Leo took the top places. While the names rising the most were Ryder, Caleb, Ari, Theodore, Hudson, Archer, Hugo, Arlo and Harvey. And there has been some increased use of the names Leonardo, River, Lewis, Arthur and Lennox. The biggest drops in boys’ ranking were: Ezra, Hamish, Zachary, Dylan, Matthew and Luke.
When I had my babies in the early 1970s, they had to be named in honour of the closest relatives who had recently past away. But Gen Y parents had wider access to information than any other generation of parents in history. They were clearly not bound by family and religious traditions, drawing instead on social media and popular culture influences, blogs, websites and baby naming apps.
My grandchildren,
all born between 2003-2010
all with French or Hebrew family names
The Office for National Statistics/ONS data showed Oliver retained the No 1 slot for British boys for the 8th year in a row. George was the second-most popular name for boys. Arthur and Noah were third and fourth respectively, and Muhammed was next. For boys, the biggest risers were Hudson, Sonny and Myles.
Olivia was once again the top choice for girls. Fast-risers in British girls names were Lyra, Arabella and Mabel.
The ONS noted again that the age of mothers had an impact on the choice of baby name. Archie jumped into the top 10 boys’ names for the first time, driven by younger mothers as well as the obvious royal link, as did Ivy on the girls’ side. Popular culture continued to provide inspiration for baby names, whether it was after characters in favourite shows. Fast risers included Maeve and Otis, characters in the Netflix comedy-drama Sex Education. Milo was another swift climber in the list of boys’ names, presumably from the Japanese children’s adventure featuring a kitten and puppy, Miloand Otis. Celebrity influences include the name Luna, growing in popularity since John Legend and Chrissy Teigen’s daughter Luna was born in 2016.
Parents aged 35+, on the other hand, continued to choose more traditional names. I agree with that. I have never heard of Netflix programmes or John Legend, and would never have recognised these uber modern names. So my generation’s favourite names, Margaret, Rebecca, Paul and John were among the most popular names of the last 100 years, but have since fallen out of favour.
Top 10 British baby names: girls
1 Olivia
2 Amelia
3 Isla
4 Ava
5 Mia
6 Ivy
7 Lily
8 Isabella
9 Rosie
10 Sophia
Top 10 British baby names: boys
1-4 Oliver, George, Arthur & Noah, almost equally popular
5 Muhammad
6 Leo
7 Oscar
8 Harry
9 Archie
10 Jack
***
1-4 Oliver, George, Arthur & Noah, almost equally popular
5 Muhammad
6 Leo
7 Oscar
8 Harry
9 Archie
10 Jack
***
Back in 2012 in this blog I analysed favourite baby names. And loved the experience. Charlotte for girls and Oliver for boys are still in the top position in Australia in 2021. Also the top five names for both boys and girls unchanged since last year, just a little shuffling for positions. So in order, the top girls’ names for 2021 were Charlotte (top name for a decade), Amelia, Olivia, Isla and Mia.
Naming trends of botanical names for girls was still strong: Willow, Ivy, Lily, Hazel, Violet, Daisy, Poppy, Jasmine and Rosie. Newer popular names for girls were Remi, Harlow, Hallie, Maeve, Molly, Maggie, Eliza Delilah and Isabella. The biggest rises in position for the girls were Addison, Rosie and Billie. The biggest drops in girls’ names were Sarah, Claire, Eden, Madison, Lara, Heidi, Madeline, Riley, Alexis, Chelsea, Indiana and Thea.
For boys, Oliver (most popular name for 8 years), Noah, William, Jack and Leo took the top places. While the names rising the most were Ryder, Caleb, Ari, Theodore, Hudson, Archer, Hugo, Arlo and Harvey. And there has been some increased use of the names Leonardo, River, Lewis, Arthur and Lennox. The biggest drops in boys’ ranking were: Ezra, Hamish, Zachary, Dylan, Matthew and Luke.
When I had my babies in the early 1970s, they had to be named in honour of the closest relatives who had recently past away. But Gen Y parents had wider access to information than any other generation of parents in history. They were clearly not bound by family and religious traditions, drawing instead on social media and popular culture influences, blogs, websites and baby naming apps.
What name would you give a newborn this year? I would choose Naomi.