Welcome To The World Baby Anakin: Most Popular Baby Names Of 2016 Revealed
‘You want to call me what? [Photo: Rex Features]
Naming an actual human being is a big responsibility. Maybe that’s why some parents are taking the pressure off by paying a company to name their baby for them! But if you don’t have the spare £20K that costs, you’ll have to look elsewhere for inspiration. And according to BabyCentre when it comes to naming your offspring inspiration is all around.
The parenting site has just released their half-year baby name charts and there are some pretty interesting trends emerging.
For a start Tom Hiddleston is having an influence on more than just Taylor Swift’s love life as parents look to the race for the next James Bond for inspo. Tom (Hiddleston and Hardy), Idris (Elba), Damian (Lewis) and Henry (Cavill) have all seen more registrations this year.
Still on the film theme, the popularity of Star Wars is totally having an effect on baby monikers. Old fave George continues to rise in popularity, while the new gen Leia, Kylo, Lucas and even Anakin have all popped up in 2016 registrations.
‘Sorry, mum I’m just not feeling Severus’ [Photo: Rex Features]
And while it’s been years since the end credits have rolled on the Harry Potter films, it seems fans haven’t forgotten their love of the characters, or the actors who play them. Harry, Daniel, Hermione and Emma are up on 2015 and though Severus or Sirius are still yet to make a baby name appearance, there’s still time.
Parents are also looking to the news for inspiration. Not only has Tim Peake’s space adventure sparked a wave of stellar-inspired namings with Aurora, Luna, Phoenix, Orion, Nova and Heaven all on the rise, Leicester City’s fairytale football story could also lead to a generation of Kaspers, Dannys, Roberts and Christians.
Our love of a good box-set could also have a part to play in the baby naming story. Harley, Abel, Jax and Jackson are all up places on last year’s list thanks to the brilliant, Sons of Anarchy. And breakout Brummie drama Peaky Blinders is fuelling a wave of gangster-inspo names with Alfie, Cillian and Polly all storming up the popularity charts.
Peaky Blinders could have sparked a generation of Cillians [Photo: Rex Features]
And no baby name list would be worth its weight in Farley’s Rusks without a nod to the Kardashians. Yep, according to BabyCentre, names that begin with K are experiencing a boost in popularity, with Kendall, Kim and Kylie all rising up the baby name chart.
Of course, there’s one other family who have an influence greater than the Kardashians and that’s the Royals. Unsurprisingly, both George and Charlotte continue to gain in popularity, proving that when it comes to naming your offspring traditional can’t be beaten.
“Parents are always influenced by popular culture,” explains Sarah Redshaw, Managing Editor of BabyCentre UK. “Social media makes celebrities more accessible than ever, so it’s no wonder that we are increasingly influenced by actors, singers and high profile events as this filters into every aspect of our lives.”
Top 20 girls’ names so far in 2016:
1. Emily
2. Ava
3. Amelia
4. Olivia
5. Sophia
6. Evie
7. Lily
8. Chloe
9. Ella
10. Sophie
11. Alice
12. Isabelle
13. Charlotte
14. Grace
15. Isabella
16. Isla
17. Emma
18. Freya
19. Abigail
20. Mia
The most popular baby names list of 2016 has been released [Photo: Rex Features]
Top 20 boys’ names so far in 2016:
1. Oliver
2. Muhammad
3. Noah
4. Harry
5. Charlie
6. Jack
7. George
8. Jacob
9. Henry
10. Joshua
11. Ethan
12. James
13. Max
14. Freddie
15. William
16. Oscar
17. Thomas
18. Isaac
19. Finley
20. Alfie
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