Olivia has been knocked off the top spot as the most popular baby name for girls in a shock change as parents choose the 'most beautiful' name Sophia.
The top 100 list of baby names for boys and girls has been released and after news that Oliver had been knocked from its top spot after eight consecutive years, popularity in the female equivalent of the namesake has also fallen.
BabyCentre has crowned Sophia as the most popular baby name for girls in 2022 - after it was recently crowned the 'most beautiful name' of the year by scientists. The name originated in Greece and means 'wisdom'. There are six famous people with the name Sophia - Sophia Vergara, Sophia Loren, Sophia Bush, Sophia Grace, Sophia Smith, and Sophia Myles.
The change in popularity of a few names saw the Top 10 have a bit of a reshuffle - with Olivia dropping to third place and Lily overtaking it to steal the second spot. And two new names entered the baby name chart with Maya landing in at number nine and Ivy reached number 10.
It's thought that Maya's increase in popularity could be because Maya Jama was announced as the new Love Island host.
Sarah Redshaw, UK Managing Editor for BabyCentre, said, "Love Islander names are definitely parents’ type on paper. And BabyCentre parents haven’t been putting all their eggs in the 2022 Love Island basket either. It’s possible that the islanders’ continued fame on social media and more reality TV is causing this surge. We now want to keep a watch on the names of 2022 winners Ekin-Su and Davide to see if they become more popular as they go on to bigger things."
And speaking of the 90s revival, she added, "We wonder if parents are just excited to be dusting off their bucket hats or if 90s babies are now starting to have their own and giving into nostalgia when it comes to naming their little ones!"
Top 5 girl's names in England and Wales in 2022
- Sophia [in 2021 it was Olivia]
- Lily [in 2021 it was Emma]
- Olivia [in 2021 it was Amelia]
- Isla [in 2021 it was Ava]
- Ava [in 2021 it was Sophia]
Top 5 boy's names in England and Wales in 2022
- Muhammad [in 2021 it was Oliver]
- Noah [in 2021 it was George]
- Theo [in 2021 it was Arthur]
- Leo [in 2021 it was Noah]
- Oliver [in 2021 it was Muhammad]
Other popular choices come from Women's football baby names - including Leah (Williamson), Millie (Bright) and winning goal scorer Chloe (Kelly), plus Lauren (Hemp) - taken from the Lionesses following their EUFA Women's Euros 2022 victory.
And the sports reporters have also had a boost in name popularity - from Gabby (Logan), Alexandra (Alex Scott), Susan (Sue Smith) and Isobel (Izzy Christiansen).
And the revival of 90s fashion with bucket hats, has seen 90s names grow in popularity again - with Thomas, Jack, Daniel, Matthew, Samuel, Charlotte and Emily making a welcomed return when it comes to baby name registrations, teetering on Royal baby names.
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