Top Baby Names Australia Revealed

Around 1 in 10 Australian babies last year were given one of the Top 10 baby names; a total of 30,581 babies. There were 2,189 boys named Oliver and 1,796 girls named Olivia last year.

Oliver most popular in the States but William more popular in the Territories

Keeping the top spot from 2013 is Oliver, the top boy baby name in Australia for 2014 having overtaken Jack and William which were 1st in 2011 and 2012 respectively.

Oliver was the top boys’ name in all 6 states (NSW, VIC, QLD, SA, WA, TAS) while William was the top boy baby name in the 2 territories (NT, ACT).

There were 230 more instances of Oliver than William, an increase on the margin of 37 from 2013. In 2014, there were 2,189 boys named Oliver, 1,959 named William and 1,841 named Jack which is a decrease for both William and Jack on 2013.

Olivia Takes Top Spot after Charlotte’s 3 Year Reign

Olivia, with 1,796 occurrences is the top girl baby name in Australia for 2014, taking the top spot from Charlotte which is now in 2nd place. Charlotte was the most popular girls’ name from 2011-2013 but has now fallen behind by 123 occurrences.

Olivia was the most popular baby girls’ name in the three most populous states (NSW, VIC, QLD) while Charlotte was top in SA, TAS and NT with the names Emily and Amelia being the most popular in WA and the ACT respectively.

Shorter names win out

Jack (3rd) beats out Jackson (5th) just as it beats out John (93rd). Archie (34th) beats Archer (40th) and Max (16th) is more popular than Maxwell (97th). Even for girls currently Lily (11th) is more popular than Lillian (86th)
and Ella (13th) outranks Isabella (14th) and Isabelle (22nd).

Place names

Place names are still a source of inspiration and while Australian places are rising the ranks, many (such as Bronte, Avalon, Brighton and Arcadia) are yet to enter the Top 100, and others like Adelaide are now out of the Top 100.

Indeed Maddison (16th) outranks Victoria (80th) and Georgia (31st) and Indiana (60th) are ahead of Eden (68th). For boys overseas locations still dominate with Jordan (54th), Austin (61st) and Phoenix (94th) outranking Australian locations (with the exception of Hunter, 21st).

A royal influence

The original category of celebrities – the royals – have not only captured the loyalty and affections of modern Australians but continue to significantly influence their choice in baby names.

Prince William’s popularity first placed William in the Top 10 in 2001 and the name’s popularity has grown significantly since then. In 2011, the year of the royal wedding, William became the most popular boy’s name
Australia-wide and maintained this position until 2012 when Oliver took the top spot. While William is the 2nd most popular name overall, it is still the most popular boy’s name in the ACT, and the NT.

The birth of Prince George (George Alexander Louis) in July 2013 has positively impacted the use of George by Australian parents, increasing George’s rank from 71st in 2012 to 60th in 2013 and 42nd in 2014 – its
highest ranking since the 1950s. Alexander’s popularity has also been impacted with an increase in rank from 15th to 9th in 2014.

Despite having only influenced parents for a period of less than 18 months to the end of the 2014 calendar year, the number of baby boys named George has dramatically increased, from 364 in 2012 to 640 in 2014.

Download Baby Names Australia 2015. Click here to download the full report.

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