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Amelia and Oliver top list of most popular British names

Xinhua, September 3, 2016 Adjust font size:

Amelia and Oliver have retained their crowns by topping the list of the most popular first names given to babies born in England and Wales in 2015, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) announced.

In the list of girls' names Amelia was favourite, rising from the 15th place in 2005. Olivia was the second most popular with Emily in third place.

Jack, the name that topped the 2005 list, is runner up in the boys' list, followed in third place by Harry.

ONS said Amelia has been in the top spot since 2011 while Oliver has been in the top spot since 2013.

ONS statistician Elizabeth McLaren said: "Amelia and Oliver remained the most popular names for baby girls and boys born in 2015, having held the top spot since 2011 and 2013 respectively. Ella re-entered the top 10 baby girls' names in 2015 - Ella was last in the top 10 in 2007. Noah entered the top 10 baby boys' names for the first time on record in 2015, following a gradual increase in popularity."

The baby name statistics are compiled from first names recorded when births are registered in England and Wales as part of civil registration which is a legal requirement in Britain, leading to the issue of a birth certificate.

There were four new entries in the top 100 most popular boys' names in 2015 for England and Wales: Jaxon, Roman, Reggie and Carter. These replaced Owen, Robert, Joey and Finlay which were in the top 100 in 2014.

Within the boys' top 100, Jaxon showed the largest rise, up 35 places to number 80. Kian, down 44 places to number 98, showed the largest fall.

ONS reported six new entries in the top 100 most popular girls' names in 2015: Penelope, Mila, Clara, Arabella, Maddison and Aria. These replaced Lydia, Faith, Mollie, Brooke, Isabel and Amy.

Within the girls' top 100, Aria showed the largest rise, gaining 70 places to number 100. Katie, down 22 places to number 99, showed the largest fall.

In 2015, there were 697,852 babies born in England and Wales, with over 27,000 different boys' names and over 35,000 different girls' names registered. The top 100 boys' names accounted for 52 percent of all baby boys born in 2015, while the top 100 girls' names accounted for 43 percent of all baby girls born in 2015, said ONS.

Oliver was the most popular name in Wales and in all regions of England, except in London and the West Midlands where the first name Muhammad was the most popular.

Amelia was the most popular name in Wales and in all regions of England, except the East Midlands and East England where Olivia was in top spot. Endit