2019's most popular baby names have been revealed and there's some surprise new entries
Whether you want to see if your own baby moniker is on-trend or you want to know which names are proving popular so you can avoid them, we just can’t seem to resist a baby name list.
And as we’re about to wave goodbye to 2019, the most popular names new parents have been picking for their pickles has been revealed.
Yep, BabyCentre has released its annual top 100 baby names chart to give us a steer on the naming trends that have been inspiring new parents this year.
And it seems mums and dads have been taking namespo from a whole host of trends including the climate crisis and popular culture.
The annual list found the most popular name for girls in 2019 was Olivia, which held the top spot last year too, closely followed by Sophia and Ava.
When it came boys, Muhammad also remained in the first spot, with Noah in second place and Leo in third.
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Eco-friendly baby names have been popular this year, with Forrest and Ivy both appearing on the list, while registrations were also up for the moniker Greta, possibly inspired by climate change activist Greta Thunberg.
Nature also seemed to have sparked the imagination of parents this year with Robyn soaring 27 places to number 65, while Forrest, Eden, Willow, Holly, Jasmine, Iris and Olive also rising up the popularity ranks.
New parents also appeared to have been influenced by names of popular Hollywood films, with beloved character names from movies, with Simba from this year’s blockbuster success ‘The Lion King’ making its first foray in the top 100 and the number of newborn Nalas quadrupling.
Characters from musical films and children's favourite books also proved to be a hit with new parents.
‘Rocketman’ is no doubt behind the moniker Elton appearing in BabyCentre registrations for the first time. Bernie (Taupin, Elton’s manager) was also on the rise, along with Taran (Egerton, the lead actor), Sheila and Ivy, Elton’s mum and grandmother.
Despite being released last year ‘A Star is Born’ could still be working its magic on parents. Ally, the lead female character played by Lady Gaga, increased in popularity. While Jaxon and all its different spellings, including that of male lead character Jackson, broke into the top 20.
“It's been a year of blockbuster musical movies and this clearly struck a chord with BabyCentre parents, who found notes of inspiration in films ranging from Bohemian Rhapsody to The Lion King,” explained Lorna Marsh, BabyCentre senior editor.
“Looking forward, we also wonder if Frozen fans are anticipating the sequel to the animated hit, as we’re seeing an increase in babies named Elsa, Olaf, Hans and Anna.”
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Literary heroes and heroines also proved popular this year, with parents opting for Charlie (and the Chocolate Factory), which was up three places to number five, as well as rising name stars Luna, Hermione (Harry Potter) and Nancy (Nancy Drew series).
Favourite characters from books for younger readers also influenced parents' picks. Winnie (the Pooh) gained in popularity to land just outside the top 100, Thomas (the Tank Engine) continued to chug up the top 20, and the number of registrations for Jemima (Puddleduck) almost doubled.
As well as taking inspo from popular culture, the name bods spotted that parents were increasingly opting for multi-syllable monikers with an aristocratic twist.
Frederick, Benedict, Kingsley, Nicholas, Nathaniel, Alexander, Zachary, Bartholomew and Gabriel were all on the rise, with Theodore climbing a very respectable 22 places to number 41.
Baby name movers and shakers
The girls baby name list included Freya, which hopped up an impressive 13 places to push Aria out of tenth spot, while another new top 10 entry, Isabella, rose three places to number nine.
The highest chart riser was Fatima, gaining 37 places to land at number 57, while Zara also climbed an impressive 33 places to number 29.
Top 100 new entries included Nur at number 45, Hallie at number 68 and Delilah at 88. But these new moniker entries pushed out Felicity, Elena and Victoria, which were among those to drop out of the charts.
For boys the royal effect took hold with baby name Louis skipping 65 places up to number 26, but elsewhere in the charts, parents' interest in royal names seemed to dwindle with George, Archie and William all slipping down the charts.
READ MORE: Britain's most unpopular baby names revealed
Top 20 girls' names (for the full list visit Babycentre)
1. Olivia +0
2. Sophia +0
3. Ava +2
4. Amelia -1
5. Isla +3
6. Lily -2
7. Mia +2
8. Emily -2
9. Isabella +3
10. Freya +13
11. Aria -1
12. Ella -5
13. Evie +3
14. Grace -3
15. Isabelle -2
16. Ivy +2
17. Rosie +14
18. Sophie -4
19. Willow +9
20. Charlotte -5
Top 29 boys' names (for the full list visit Babycentre)
Muhammad +0
Noah +1
Leo +2
Oliver -2
Charlie +3
Harry -2
George -1
Arthur +2
Freddie +0
Jack -3
Theo +3
Oscar +1
Jacob +3
Ethan +5
Alfie -4
Jaxon +8
Thomas +3
Joshua -1
Henry -7
Lucas +3