THE BABY NAME TRENDS SET TO TAKE OVER

Image: Unsplash/@mroz

BY JESSICA BOSCO

These days it feels a little like groundhog day when it comes to baby name lists, with the top names barely changing from one year to the next. But things might be about to change.

While analysing the most recent baby name data here in Australia, the clever folk at McCrindle also have spotted a couple of major new trends which they predict are about to surge and dare we say even shake up the status quo in the coming years - which might just help you on your search for the perfect name.

While Charlotte and Oliver for now remain firmly in the top spots (closely followed by Olivia and Jack) it seems millennial parents are slowly moving away from the popular choices, with a desire for something a little more unique taking over. According to McCrindle millennial parents are opting for more creative choices, with 22% of babies born in NSW in 1987 given one of the top 10 baby names, compared with just 10% of babies given one of the top 10 baby names. Perhaps also driving this change is that in this digital age, your name is also your online identity and personal brand.

So what are the biggest trends?

1. Botanicals

When it comes to girls names, by far the biggest new trend is botanicals - think ahem, Poppy, but also think Willow, Ivy, Lily, Violet, Daisy, Rose, Jasmine, and Olive.

“The Millennials are a generation that have been impacted by social change and activism, with many giving consideration to the environment in their purchases, to even being inspired by botanic themes when naming their children,” Ashley Fell, Social Researcher at McCrindle, told Mamamia.

Interestingly though the botanicals trend doesn’t extend to the boys list.

2. Sounding it out

When it comes to girls names, it seems there are also certain sounds that are proving more popular, with 42 names in the top 100 ending in ‘ah’.

• Olivia (2nd)

• Amelia (3rd)

• Ava (4th)

• Mia (5th)

• Isla (6th)

• Harper (8th)

While the next most popular sound is ‘ee’ with 24 names in the top 100.

• Chloe (9th)

• Zoe (11th)

• Emily (14th)

• Sophie (15th)

• Ruby (16th)

• Ivy (18th)

• Evie (19th)

3. Biblical influence

In 2019 there are only two names inspired by the bible in the girls list, with Chloe (9th) and Abigail (33rd), however in the boys list the influence remains strong with 14 names.

• Noah (4th place)

• Thomas (6th)

• James (9th)

• Ethan (11th)

• Alexander (13th)

• Elijah (19th)

• Levi (20th)

• Isaac (27th)

• Samuel (28th)

• Jacob (32nd)

• Benjamin (33th)

• Joshua(36th)

• Eli (49th)

• Daniel (50th)

4. Royal influence

Yep the love off all things royal is still influencing what we call our babes, but this year the name Archie is set to surge thanks to Meghan Markle and Harry welcoming their little prince - and the name Meghan, while still yet to break the top 100 is expected to enter it in the coming years.

And just in case you want a reminder of where the top names currently sit, here’s the top 20 for girls and boys.

GIRLS:

1. Charlotte

2. Olivia

3. Amelia

4. Ava

5. Mia

6. Isla

7. Grace

8. Harper

9. Chloe

10. Willow

11. Zoe

12. Ella

13. Matilda

14. Emily

15. Sophie

16. Ruby

17. Isabella

18. Ivy

19. Evie

20. Evelyn

BOYS:

1. Oliver

2. Jack

3. William

4. Noah

5. Henry

6. Thomas

7. Leo

8. Lucas -

9. James

10. Liam

11. Ethan

12. Harrison

13. Alexander

14. Charlie

15. Mason

16. Harry

17. Hunter

18. Hudson

19. Elijah

20. Levi

For the full list and even more trends visit mccrindle.com.au for the 2019 Baby Names Australia report.