THE top 20 baby names for 2019 so far have been revealed.
The BabyCentre is behind the list and says influences as diverse as politics, our favourite binge TV, the climate crisis and celebrity power couples are making their mark on the charts.
At the top of the girls’ chart, Olivia remains steadfast, followed by Sophia, which keeps its number two spot, and top three newcomer Lily which ousts Mia. Freya stormed up 15 places into the top ten at number eight with Isabella another new entry, rising three places to number nine.
For boys, Muhammad remains at the top. Oliver has dropped two places, losing the number two spot it has held for years to Noah while George has risen to number 3. The rest of the top ten was largely stable with no new entries although Jaxon, a meteoric riser last year, narrowly missed out on the top ten after soaring another 13 places to number 11.
Top 20 girls' names
1. Olivia
2. Sophia
3. Lily
4. Ava
5. Mia
6. Isla
7. Amelia
8. Freya
9. Isabella
10. Emily
11. Aria
12. Evie
13. Grace
14. Isabelle
15. Ella
16. Ivy
17. Sophie
18. Willow
19. Charlotte
20. Elsie
Top 20 boys' names
1. Muhammad
2. Noah
3. George
4. Oliver
5. Charlie
6. Harry
7. Leo
8. Arthur
9. Jack
10. Freddie
11. Jaxon
12. Ethan
13. Jacob
14. Theo
15. Oscar
16. Alfie
17. Henry
18. Archie
19. Joshua
20. Thomas
On its website, BabyCentre says: "As Brexit hangs in the balance and there is another change in prime minister, UK politics are in turmoil. So parents are increasingly plumping for strong and stable names, especially those with a 1980s twist. Whatever anyone’s thoughts on the decade’s politics, we can safely say they were a little more settled than they are now.
"Parents of baby Michaels and Maxines are compensating for the current turmoil with solid choices. Jason, John, David, Penny, Hannah and Emma are also making a comeback. And there was even a registration for the unusual name combination of Blair Margaret.
"Another hot topic dominating the headlines might also be behind the rise of David, which is up 15 places to number 74. As the climate crisis escalates, eco-conscious parents could be looking to campaigner David Attenborough for inspiration. Registrations were also on the up for Greta after Greta Thunberg’s rise to fame in early 2019."
And it’s not just campaigners influencing environmentally aware parents. Animal and botanical names are on the up. Willow is new into the top 20 while Ivy climbed two places to number 16. Robyn, Raven, Rowan and Sage were also all boosted as a new generation of parents are increasingly conscious of the climate crisis.
The conclusion to fantasy epic Game of Thrones may have been controversial but that didn’t stop parents turning to some of its more popular actors for name inspiration. Maisie (Williams, who played Arya) and Emilia (Clarke, the actor behind Daenerys) both stormed up the charts. Meanwhile character names Tyrion and Theon rose in popularity and 2019 has even seen one registration for the unusual double character name combo of Arya Cersei.
Jake, Rosa, Charles and Amy, key characters from Brooklyn Nine Nine, were also all strong outside the top 100. Eve (from Killing Eve) and Teddy (Ted Hastings from Line of Duty) also saw a rise in registrations. With Line of Duty getting increasingly popular, will we start seeing a rise in names beginning with H, the mystery code name of the unknown villain of the series, in our end of year charts?!
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