Oliver and Olivia become Britain's most popular names for children in 2010

By Tom Kelly for the Daily Mail
Updated: 04:24 EST, 31 December 2010


Oliver became the most popular boy’s name this year, knocking Jack into second place after 16 years.

And Olivia remains the most popular girl’s name for the third year running, according to a survey of 423,000 children born in 2010.

The list also suggests that TV, celebrity and news trends continue to have a major influence on what parents call their children.

Go with the Flo: Florence has become a popular name again, coinciding with pop star Florence Welch's success
Go with the Flo: Florence and Zac have become popular names again, coinciding with the success of pop star Florence Welch and actor Zac Efron

Go with the Flo: Florence and Zac have become popular names again, coinciding with the success of pop star Florence Welch and actor Zac Efron

Florence is becoming increasingly popular for girls, moving up 33 places, following the birth of David Cameron’s daughter in August.

Ollie, which is listed separately from Oliver, emerged as the biggest male climber – up 56 places to number 53, perhaps due to the X Factor star Olly Murs.

Lacey jumped from number 57 up to 37, possibly because of EastEnders actress Lacey Turner.

top boys names.jpg

The highest climber in the girls’ list is Bella, the same name as the lead character in supernatural romance fantasy film series Twilight, played by actress Kristen Stewart. But the first names of troubled stars Katie Price and Amy Winehouse fell out of the top 20.

Both Zachary and Zac have become more common – moving into the top 80, perhaps inspired by High School Musical’s Zac Efron.

Kai, the name of Coleen and Wayne Rooney’s son, has jumped ten places to number 56, despite the England footballer’s indiscretions and disappointing World Cup performance.

Top girls names.jpg

The list was compiled by online parenting club Bounty from names given to it by parents who had children this year.

 An official Office for National Statistics list of names released earlier this year revealed that Mohammed, encompassing all its different spellings, was the most popular boy’s name. But it does not appear on the Bounty list because of the site’s social demographic.

The name game: Parents are increasingly choosing old fashioned names for their babies, according to new figures

The name game: Parents are increasingly choosing old fashioned names for their babies, according to new figures


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