Naming rights ... English parents ignored 2010's trends when naming their babies in 2011.

Naming rights ... English parents ignored 2010's trends when naming their babies in 2011.

The Office for National Statistics has released the most popular baby names in England and Wales for 2011, with Harry and Amelia taking the top spots from 2010's stars, Oliver and Olivia.  

There seemed to be a trend for following celebrities: Amelia's rise from number five in 2010 to number one in 2011 followed the rise of a popular X Factor contestant, Amelia Lily, while Harry’s rise to the top, up from number three in 2010, could be attributed to either Prince Harry’s media appearances around his brother’s wedding, or One Direction’s Harry Styles’s rise to stardom.  

Nickname-sounding names – such as Evie, Ellie, Millie and Rosie for girls, and Archie, Tommy and Bobby for boys – also had a rise in popularity, all appearing in the top 100.

Multi-award winning blues singer Adele has has brought her name back into focus, as it's leapt more than 250 places since the release of her album <i>19</i> in 2008. </p> The name is of German origin and means here." /> Click for more photos

Celebrity-inspired baby names of 2012

Multi-award winning blues singer Adele has has brought her name back into focus, as it's leapt more than 250 places since the release of her album 19 in 2008.

The name is of German origin and means "noble, kind". See names similar to Adele here.

  • Multi-award winning blues singer Adele has has brought her name back into focus, as it's leapt more than 250 places since the release of her album <i>19</i> in 2008. </p> The name is of German origin and means "noble, kind". See names similar to Adele <a href="http://www.essentialbaby.com.au/pregnancy/baby-names/adele" target="_blank">here</a>.
  • The UK's <i>X Factor</i> produced more than a singing star with its winner, Amelia Lily Oliver, last year: it lead to the name Amelia jumping from the UK's number five in 2010 to number one in 2011. Over in the US, it's the 30th most popular girl's name. <p/><p/> Amelia means "industrious" and is of Latin origin. Find similar names <a href="hhttp://www.essentialbaby.com.au/pregnancy/baby-names/amelia” target="_blank">here</a>.
  • Audrina Patridge first came into the public eye in 2006, when she appeared on reality show <i>The Hills</i>. Her name entered the top 1000 list the following year and has continued to rise in popularity as the model/actress has appeared in further TV shows and ads. <p/> <p/> Audrina is of English origin and means "nobility, strength". Find similar names <a href="http://www.essentialbaby.com.au/pregnancy/baby-names/audrina” target="_blank">here</a>.
  • Apart from her role in her mother Sarah's run for political office, Bristol Palin came into public consciousness as a teen abstinence spokeperson following her own teen pregnancy, then appeared on the 2010 series of <i>Dancing with the Stars</i>. Her own reality show followed. The name Bristol first appeared on the American top 1000 list in 2009, and now sits at number 434.
  • Elle Fanning - the 14-year-old sister of fellow actress Dakota - has risen to fame in the films <i>Phoebe in Wonderland, Somewhere,</i> and <i>We Bought a Zoo</i>. Although also the name of an Aussie supermodel and lead characters in hit films <i>Kill Bill</i> and <i>Legally Blonde</i>, it's thought this young actress is at the root of the name's surge in the popularity rankings. <p/> Of French origin, the name means "woman, girl, she"; find similar names <a href="http://www.essentialbaby.com.au/pregnancy/baby-names/elle " target="_blank">here</a>.
  • In 2006, the name Kellan was almost unheard of in the US; six years later, after Kellan Lutz rose to fame in the <i>Twilight</i> movies, it's number 363 on the top 1000 list. The name Emmett - the character he plays in the series - has also had a large increase in popularity. <p/><p> Kellan means "powerful" and is Celtic Gaelic origin; find similar names <a href="http://www.essentialbaby.com.au/pregnancy/baby-names/kellan” target="_blank">here</a>.
  • In 2010, the name Harry was number five in the UK. A year later, it was number one. What - or who - was the reason for the jump? Not Prince Harry, but One Direction's Harry Styles. The band came third in 2010's <i>The X Factor UK</i>, causing a sudden shift towards the shortened version of Harold.
  • In 2010 Iker Casillas was the captain of the Spain's soccer team when it won the World Cup, simultaneously starting a new naming trend in the US. The name Iker - which is of Spanish origin and means "visits, visitation" - was the second-fastest rising name in America from 2010-2011, jumping 267 places.
  • The name hasn't even made the top 1000 list in the US yet, but Jenson is a hit in the UK, where Jenson Button rose to fame as a Formula One driver. It's now the 69th most popular name in Great Britain.
  • Although Logan has been in the top 100 lists for a few years now, <i>Percy Jackson</i> actor Logan Lerman has made it even more popular with new parents in the US and UK. The fact that Hugh Jackman's <i>Wolverine</i> character is also called Logan has also given the moniker a boost. <p/><p/> The name Logan is Celtic Gaelic in origin and means "small cove". Find names like it <a href="http://www.essentialbaby.com.au/pregnancy/baby-names/logan” target="_blank">here</a>.
  • Mila Kunis rose to fame in TV's <i>That '70s Show</i>, then as the voice of <i>Family Guy</i>'s Meg, but it wasn't until she starred in 2010's Oscar-nominated <i>Black Swan</i> that parents caught on to using her name for their own daughters. Mila is short for 'Milena', which means "gracious" in her native Ukraine. The name rose almost 200 places in the past lists.
  • Followers of naming trends believe that Niall is due for a rise in popularity following Niall Horan's fame in boy band One Direction. </p> The name is of Celtic Gaelic origin; find others like it <a href="http://www.essentialbaby.com.au/pregnancy/baby-names/niall" target="_blank">here</a>.

Interestingly, Alfie was number four on the English boy’s list, but didn’t appear in the Australian top 100 in 2011 - or even in America's top 1000 list in the same year. Likewise, Freya was number 19 on the English girl’s list, but entirely absent from the top 100 in Australia.

In Wales, some local names made the list, with Seren, Ffion, Cerys, Carys and Lowri appearing for the girls, and Iestyn, Ioan and Iwan for the boys.

Scotland’s most popular names were Jack and Sophie – the same as in Northern Ireland.

Nameberry.com also noted that there was a seasonal affect: Holly was the second most popular name for girls born in December, and Summer was most popular in … you guessed it, summer.

The full top 20 for each gender is below.

Boys

  1. Harry
  2. Oliver
  3. Jack
  4. Alfie
  5. Charlie
  6. Thomas
  7. Jacob
  8. James
  9. Joshua
  10. William
  11. Ethan
  12. George
  13. Riley
  14. Daniel
  15. Noah
  16. Oscar
  17. Joseph
  18. Mohammed
  19. Max
  20. Dylan

Girls

  1. Amelia
  2. Olivia
  3. Lily
  4. Jessica
  5. Emily
  6. Sophie
  7. Ruby
  8. Grace
  9. Ava
  10. Isabella
  11. Evie
  12. Chloe
  13. Mia
  14. Poppy
  15. Isla
  16. Ella
  17. Isabelle
  18. Sophia
  19. Freya
  20. Daisy

For more naming news, take a look at our gallery on 2012 naming trends in Australia, or find more  inspiration with the top baby names for 2011.