Your little bundle of joy is on the way. The nursery is decorated, tastefully, after you’d cruised half of Pinterest looking for cot inspiration. The wardrobe is full of an artfully quirky ensemble of outfits.

Everything is ready. But wallpaper can be changed, clothes are grown out of – there’s one decision that sticks a little longer. What’s your little darling going to be called?

It’s a tricky balance. You want something individual, but not weird. Maybe something from generations past, an exotic great uncle or a character from classic literature. But the main thing is, it’s got to show how classy and tasteful and knowledgeable and interesting you are.

And it’s got to something you haven’t heard any other parents call out in the park or at Tesco. It’s got to be original.

You’re not alone – there were 3,715 names for boys 20 years ago in 1996 and 4,957 for girls.

Last year, there were a whopping 7,514 girls names and 6,247 for boys. A 46 percent increase for boys and 52 percent for girls. It seems everyone is on the lookout for something different.

 

What’s the most fashionable baby name this year?

While style lasts forever, fashion is a fickle creature, and over the last 20 years, there have been many twists in the fabric of names.

Top 10 girls' names in England and WalesTop 10 boys' names in England and Wales
1. Olivia - 5,0171. Oliver - 6,623
2. Amelia - 4,7772. Harry - 5,284
3. Emily - 3,5513. George - 5,263
4. Isla - 3,4764. Jack - 4,751
5. Ava - 3,2855. Jacob - 4,485
6. Isabella - 2,7296. Noah - 4,305
7. Lily - 2,7227. Charlie - 4,190
8. Jessica - 2,7038. Muhammad - 3,908
9. Ella - 2,7029. Thomas - 3,898
10. Mia - 2,66210. Oscar - 3,894

In 1996, over 5000 boys were given the name Jordan, then the face that launched a thousand Take A Break cover stories hit the news and the name lost popularity, slowly at first, until last year, when there was only 256 boys registered with the first name and just four girls.

Jaxon, on the other hand, is the name of over a thousand baby boys, and who has heard that name before?

Royal names are doing well – Harrys, Georges, and the like. Though the most popular boy’s name in 2017 belonged to someone who decapitated a royal – Oliver.

Though the most popular boy’s name in 2017 belonged to someone who decapitated a royal – Oliver.

Curiously, the female version, Olivia, is also the biggest girl’s name, as if the whole country was having a pair of spooky twins.

You can see here where your cherished offspring feature on the Office of National Statistics here.

If you’re of a certain vintage yourself, you’re likely to be surprised by the demise of names like Sarah or Paul when your schooldays were packed with them. Just think about Grandad Jaxon decades from now, wondering why no one calls their kid Hunter any more.

 

Different nouns for different towns

There’s also data which breaks down popularity of a name by where in the country you are, which you can search below.

So, if your heart is set on blending in with the crowd in, say, Kensington and Chelsea, then have a look and see what the kids are being called there. (It’s Alexander and Isabella, by the way.) Whereas in Gwynedd in north Wales, Hari and Efa might sound a little odd to non-Welsh-speaking ears

And if it turns out that your name wasn’t as cool as you thought, though, there’s always Deed Poll.