As 2016 comes to a close, BabyCentre U.K. has revealed its top 100 boy and girl names of the year. Olivia ranks at number one for girls for a second year in a row, while Oliver now reigns supreme for boys after surpassing last year’s top pick, Muhammad.
To determine these top names, BabyCentre surveyed over 70,000 parents who welcomed babies this year about the names they chose for their little ones.
The top 10 list for boys and girls reveals that parents are still drawn to classic monikers, such as Harry, Jack, Sophia and Emily. However, looking at BabyCentre’s full list, it’s clear that baby names of 2016 were heavily influenced by pop culture.
In particular, there was a surge of names inspired by superheroes and “Star Wars.” These monikers include unique picks such as Kara (“Supergirl”), Harley (“Suicide Squad”), Felicity (“Arrow”), Kylo (“Star Wars”) and Finn (“Star Wars”).
The “Star Wars” trend is nothing new. In fact, last year, Anakin made its ways into the top 1,000 baby names in America for the very first time, according to U.S. Social Security Administration. And with the release of “The Force Awakens” last December, “Star Wars”-inspired names have never been more popular, with Kylo rising 67 per cent this year compared to last, and Rey rising 82 per cent, according to BabyCenter.com.
Interestingly, it appears the ongoing “Star Wars” theme has influenced moms and dads to turn to the cosmos for inspiration in 2016. For instance, Nova, Orion and Luna have all grown significantly in popularity this year.
“Luna is one of the highest new entries and with 2016 being all about Major Tim Peakes’ epic space adventure, ‘Star Wars’ and Super Moons, it’s no wonder names like this have seen a rise,” says Sarah Redshaw, BabyCentre’s managing editor. “With more Marvel and DC Comic films planned for next year and beyond, I suspect superhero names will increase further in popularity in 2017.”
Other unique names that broke to top 100 this year include Arlo, Ezra, Kai, Albie and Ellis for boys, and Lexie, Lottie, Eden, Niamh and Ayla for girls.
Visit BabyCentre U.K., for its full list of top 100 boy and girls names of 2016.
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