'B' is for BABY
Discover the 3 most popular UK baby name trends for 2016
Picking your baby's name is an exciting part of bringing a new life into the world, however with endless options it can also be difficult to choose the perfect one.
Like anything, names tend to follow themes, trends or tradition with some choosing a namesake such as a grandparent or friend. Historically, our ancestors relied on a small pool of names, nowadays partly down to cultural shifts there is so much more variety.
The Office for National Statistics in the UK last month released their annual list of the most popular baby names for 2015/16. Although it was Amelia and Oliver that topped the charts - 5,000 little ladies were named Amelia, taking the top spot for the 5th year running and over 6,000 little boys, Oliver for the 3rd consecutive year in the lead - there were three key trends that stood out.
Vintage
Vintage-style names with the hint of a bygone era have become increasingly fashionable again and they tend to fall under the categories of 'old fashioned' or 'traditional'. Previously more widely associated with our grandparent's era, names such Elsie, Evelyn and Eliza all appear within the top 50 favourites for girls, with Ruby, Daisy and Florence, still proving popular. For boys, Alfie, Archie and Arthur make the list, with biblical names such as Zachary, Isaac and Noah also featuring. On the more traditional side, since the birth of Prince George in 2013, the royal family has been a key name influencer with George, Henry, William and Harry all appearing within the top 20 for boys and Elizabeth and Charlotte for girls.
Gender Neutral
The power of 'celebrity' should never be underestimated. From setting trends in fashion and more, their influence has a significant effect on what parents decide to name their children. The unisex name trend has become increasingly popular, with a surge of celebrities such as Ashton Kutcher and Mila Kunis who opted for Wyatt, Ryan Reynolds and Blake Lively who chose James and Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg and his wife deciding on Maxima (Max for short) for their little girls. It works both ways with names such as Casey and Tatum (likely influenced by Hollywood actor Channing Tatum), proving popular for boys.
This year, the Office for National Statistics list documents almost one fifth of the top baby names in the UK as gender neutral, the most popular ones being Charlie, James, Mason, Harper and Harley.
Fantasy
Popular culture is a large influencer and with the rise of shows such as Game Of Thrones, American Horror Story and True Blood, fantasy-inspired baby names have become a prevalent trend.
Following the release of the first Star Wars film in 1976, the popularity of the name Luke escalated and continued to do so throughout the 1980's and '90's. Across the Atlanic, 'The Twilight effect' in 2010 saw Isabella and Jacob becoming the most popular names in the US that year, according to the Social Security Administration. It comes as no surprise then that in 2014, the world's best-loved ice princess was responsible for a spike in the popularity of Elsa in the UK and following the realease of Marvel's X Men Origins: Wolverine film in 2013, 2,813 boys were named Logan in the UK that following year.
This year, the Game Of Thrones has had significant impact on girls' names in particular with Summer, Robyn, Arya and Ella all making it into the top 100 most popular.
* To see the full list, visit the Office for National Statistics site.
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