Move over Oliver...

Jenson went from 99th to 69th, presumably inspired by the success of British Formula One ace Jenson Button.

Jenson went from 99th to 69th, presumably inspired by the success of British Formula One ace Jenson Button.

Published Jan 11, 2012

Share

London - They may have been trying to give their newborn son a regal air - or perhaps some proud parents just took a fancy to Harry Judd in this year’s Strictly Come Dancing in the UK.

Either way, they have helped Harry overtake Oliver as the most popular name for baby boys in Britain, propelling it to first from third.

Oliver lost the top spot only a year after it took the crown from Jack, which had held first place for 16 years.

In the girls’ list, Olivia again stayed top, while Lily swapped with Sophie to climb to second place.

Tommy was the biggest climber among the boys’ names, leaping from 131st last year to 66th this time round, an improvement of 65 places, while Riley rose from 25th to enter the top ten, in ninth place.

Jackson also made a huge jump, rising from 128th last year to 75th in 2011, as did Jenson, which went from 99th to 69th, presumably inspired by the success of British Formula One ace Jenson Button.

Among the girls’ names, Eliza made the biggest jump, going from 141st to 84th. Willow was also popular last year, climbing 31 places from 108th to 77th.

Sofia rose from 78th to 53rd, while Julia, which has only been in the top 100 for five years, leapt 22 spots to 63rd.

The enormous popularity of the Twilight films has also propelled the names of its characters up the charts. Bella - played by Kristen Stewart - soared 27 places from 98th to 71st, while Esme climbed ten from 82nd to 72nd. And Jacob went from 11th to sixth - perhaps a nod to the saga’s Jacob Black.

Less popular were Tia, Scarlett and Aimee, which all dropped out of the girls’ top 100, while Christopher, Ellis, Robert and Brandon disappeared from the boys’.

The list was compiled from a national survey of 434,756 babies born to members of the Bounty Parenting Club in 2011.

Lisa Penney, of Bounty.com, said: “Our records show that parents are continuing to be influenced by popular culture and celebrity fads.

“Today’s baby name trends are changing more quickly and names that seem relatively unusual and quirky can quickly become mainstream and common in the classroom.

“For example, ten years ago the name Ruby was relatively unheard of as a baby girl’s name, yet these days Ruby is regularly ranked in the top ten.

“Common baby naming tips often warn against calling your baby something too trendy, unpronounceable or difficult to spell. But, in general whatever name you give your child they always grow up to make it their own.” - Daily Mail

Related Topics: