- Harry knocks Oliver off top spot to become the UK’s most popular boys’ name for 2011
- Olivia holds position as the UK’s most popular girls name for 2011
- Teen vampire saga Twilight impacts baby name choices in 2011
- Parents continue to be influenced by popular culture and celebrity fads when naming their babies
Bounty, the UK’s biggest online parenting club, has released the top 100 baby names of 2011 based on information gathered from a national survey of its members for a grand total of 434,756 babies.
Results revealed that boys’ names Harry, shared by party-hard Prince Harry and JK Rowling’s popular wizard character Harry Potter, and Jack, have now overtaken Oliver as the UK’s most popular boys’ name, which now lie in first, second and third place, respectively.
Jenson, made popular by British F1 ace Jenson Button, has risen 30 places to 69th, while higher up the rankings Jacob has taken sixth place, having climbed 5 places from the previous year – a climb in popularity that can perhaps be attributed to Twilight character Jacob Black.
In the girls’ names stakes, Olivia remains in pole position despite strong competition from Lily, which has climbed one place to second, switching place with 2010’s second-placer, Sophie, which now takes third.
Unsurprisingly, Twilight character names Bella (Kristen James Stewart) and Esme (Elizabeth Reaser) have also soared in the rankings, moving 27 places to 71st and 10 places to 72nd, respectively.
Amid the higher ranks, Sophia, the name Peter Crouch and Abbey Clancy chose for their daughter, climbed 14 spots to 14th.
Slipping down the rankings are boys’ names Cameron, Conor, Reece and Bailey, while it’s Katie, Amy and Lauren suffering popularity hits for the girls.
Disappearing from the top 100 altogether are boys’ names Christopher, Ellis, Robert and Brandon, and girls’ names Tia, Scarlett and Aimee.
Brand new top-100 entries for boys included Jackson at 75th, Dexter at 79th and Rory at 85th, while for the girls Emilia and Elise are new in at 85th and 94th, respectively.
Lisa Penney, spokesmum for www.bounty.com said: ”Our records show that parents continue to be influenced by popular culture and celebrity fads.
“Today’s baby name trends are changing more quickly and baby 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 10. Likewise for boys, a decade ago the name Riley would have rarely been considered, yet this year it’s also leapt into the top 10 most popular boys’ names.
“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.”
The results of Bounty’s 2011 baby-name poll can be viewed on www.bounty.com, as well as on Bounty’s Facebook page.
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