Whose name is trending now?

GROWING up in the 1940s, Harrison Ford’s name would have stood out, but babies born in Grafton last year will be sharing the moniker with a few classmates.

Ruby Doran, Harrison Light, Harrison Kenny and Harrison Swain - the most popular baby names for 2013 in the Clarence Valley. Photo Adam Hourigan / The Daily Examiner. Picture: Adam Hourigan

GROWING up in the 1940s, Harrison Ford's name would have stood out, but babies born in Grafton last year will be sharing the moniker with a few classmates.

A spokesman for the NSW Department of Births, Deaths and Marriages said because parents had 60 days to register their children's names, final figures for 2013 baby names would be released next month.

But as of this month, Harrison and Ruby were at the top for babies born in Grafton last year.

Three-and-a-half-month-old Harrison James Swain's mum Jess said she and her husband picked the name at the last minute.

"We liked the name Harry. We didn't realise it was so popular," she said.

"It was funny because my husband went back to work and his workmates asked him what we had named him and his boss laughed because he had a Harrison James as well born a couple of months before."

Harrison William Kenny's mum Alana said she and her husband picked out the name in two previous pregnancies, but didn't use it until their son was born eight and a half months ago.

"It was something different, but it wasn't too hard to pronounce," she said.

"We didn't decide until the night before."

Louise Light, mum to nine and a half-month-old Harrison Nathan, said she and her husband liked the name because it was strong and there was also a family connection to it.

"And we both agreed on it," Mrs Light said.

Despite being one of the most popular boys' names in Grafton last year, Harrison hit its peak statewide in the early 2000s, with more than 300 being born. Its use declined about 2004 to 2009 before increasing in the past couple of years. On a national level, in 2012 there were 985 Harrisons born, making it the 23rd most popular name across the country.

Ruby Eva Doran might have been outnumbered by Harrisons at The Daily Examiner photo shoot, but there was an equal number of Rubys and Harrisons born in Grafton last year, as of last month's head count.

Born at the beginning of December, she just sneaked into the 2013 girl baby name count, but mum Katrina said Ruby was on the radar for some time.

"We liked it three years ago when our daughter Piper was born, but we didn't go for it," she said.

In NSW, the name Ruby was most popular in the 1900s before declining and becoming out of vogue in the 1940s to the 1980s.

Since the 1980s the numbers of baby Rubys increased in NSW.

In 2012 Ruby was the second most-popular girls' name nationally.

As for that famous Harrison, the mums said the Indiana Jones star wasn't the inspiration for their son's names. "I didn't think of that, but I do like Harrison Ford," Alana said.

Louise was also a fan.

"He's one fella I wouldn't mind sitting down with, even though he is a bit old," Louise said.

HOW POPULAR?
If you want to know how popular your baby names have been, click here then enter the name. It will show you a graph with trends from 1900-2011 for that name.

Originally published as Whose name is trending now?