Emily and Jack top baby name lists for another year
Despite the rising popularity of breakthrough names such as Lexi, (blame Grey’s Anatomy) and Maisie (blame Game of Thrones, in which Maisie Williams plays the character of Arya), the top girl’s name for the second year running is Emily.
As for the boys, Jack has topped the lads since 2007 and continues to do so.
We are not alone in our attraction to Jack. The name has held sway in England and Wales for more than a decade, but has made way for Harry.
We now play so safe in our choices that the top five boys’ names — Jack, James, Daniel, Sean, and Conor — have made up the top five since 2007.
Why Jack, you ask? He’s nimble. He’s quick. He can easily clear a candlestick. He’s a pirate ahead of his time and a slayer of giants. Bearers of the name have acquired varying levels of fame from Jack Nicholson and Jack Kerouac to Jack Black and Jack the Ripper. It’s a name boys embrace as easy to spell and one that wears well.
And it’s safe. As a bonus, grandparents recognise it.
The popularity of Emily is not as readily explained. Emily, Sophie, Emma, Grace, and Lily were the top girls’ names in 2012 and 2011, a list that sounds like the roll-call at Malory Towers. Catherine is nowhere in the top 100, making me far more unique than in my childhood days when I shared a class with three Catherines.
Mary is still there, although losing ground, dropping 11 places since 2007.
Hanna has made great strides, up from 222 to 97, possibly thanks to Saoirse Ronan and her action heroine in the film of the same name. It still has a long way to go to Hannah at number 13. What a difference an “h” makes.
A spokeswoman for the Central Statistics Office — compilers of the list of most popular baby names — said “each individual spelling of a name was given an individual slot”.
Madison just hung onto its spot in the top 100, despite dropping several places since last year; Amelie gained considerable ground, up from 196 in 2007 to 93 last year. A couple of eastern European names also made the list — Maya at 80 for the girls and Kacper at 98 for the boys.
There were three first-time entries to the top 100 for boys: Isaac, Danny, and Logan. The highest new entry at number 85 was Isaac, rising from 101st place in 2011. The name rising in popularity most was Danny, up 22 places from 114th place in 2011 to 92nd place in 2012.
There were five first-time entries to the top 100 for girls: Evie, Amelie, Hanna, Maisie, and Rose. The highest new entry and the name that climbed most places since 2011 was Evie; it rose 40 places from 124th place in 2011 to 84th place in 2012.
In the fame stakes, Natalie Portman played an Evie in V for Vendetta and Rachel Weiss bore it in The Mummy. Baby-wizard.com says the name is derived from the Hebrew for “life” and is the name borne in the Bible by the first woman, “the mother of all the living”. Who said the Old Testament was “so last season”?
CONNECT WITH US TODAY
Be the first to know the latest news and updates
