Australia’s most popular baby names revealed – including the names no one wants

A name once on the rise has now seen a significant drop in popularity, making it a moniker no one wants to give their baby anymore.

The names Oliver and Charlotte have consistently topped the list of the most popular baby names in Australia over the past 10 years.

But the names that have experienced the biggest fall in rank include Dylan and Sarah.

By 2020, Dylan ranked in 97th place overall, having dropped 61 places from number 36 in 2010, while Sarah, currently ranked 91, dropped 69 places.

Even though parents are still naming their kids Dylan and Sarah, it’s on the decline, according to the latest study by McCrindle Research.

“Both names have been in the top 100 over the past decade, but while they’re a popular baby name, they have really dropped,” Ashley Fell, social researcher of Australia’s Top Baby Names 2021 report, said.

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Dylan is the baby boy’s name that has dropped in popularity the most over the past 10 years. Picture: iStock

For the girls, it’s Sarah. Picture: iStock

She told news.com.au the names were particularly big in the ’80s and ’90s, but parents of the Alpha generation (2010 to 2020) are looking for more unique, diverse and robust names.

“In today’s digitally connected world, a name is a lot more than what a teacher calls you – a name is a social media handle, a brand, a web domain, it may be taking it to extremes but that’s the reality of this digital world we live in.

“Parents of Generation Alpha don’t want a super generic and common name that’s why we are seeing more variety enter the top 100.”

She said for girls you’re seeing more of a trend in botanical names like Willow, Ivy, Violet and Daisy, and even colours such as Ruby and Scarlett.

While for boys there’s been a trend in nicknames like Jack instead of Jackson.

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The name Oliver remains the number one baby boy’s name in Australia, with Noah and William followed closely behind. Picture: iStock

For the girls, it’s Charlotte, followed by Amelia and Olivia. Picture: iStock

Baby boys and girls name on the decline

Other boys’ names that have suffered dramatic declines include Matthew (currently 75th place), Luke (81st), Riley (47th) and Daniel (58th) – while for the girls it’s Maddison (82nd place), Lara (88th), Summer (71st) and Claire (90th).

However, there’s still a lot of Aussie parents who love traditional names, particularly with a royal connection, such as Charlotte which has been crowned the number one name for eight out of the last 10 years.

While Charlotte maintains her reign, Amelia has now eclipsed the name Olivia for the second most popular girls’ name.

Although it’s in a slightly different order, the top 10 girls’ names have remained mostly unchanged in the past year, except for Matilda replacing the name Harper.

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The baby names with the biggest fall over the past 10 years. Picture: McCrindle

The names with the biggest rise between 2010 and 2020. Picture: McCrindle

Oliver, the name given to over 2000 Generation Alpha baby boys has also been consistently popular over the last decade, having enjoyed an uninterrupted eight years at the top spot since overtaking Jack in 2013.

In the last year, Elijah has made an entrance to the top 10 boys names, at the expense of the name James (which dropped from 10th to 15th).

Ms Fell, co-author of Generation Alpha, said one of the most interesting parts of her analysis was discovering the ‘ie’ trend among girls’ names (Millie, 64th, Billie, 52nd, Sadie, 58th) and names ending in ‘o’ for the boys such as Arlo (33rd) and Hugo (34th).

Top 10 girls names. Picture: McCrindle

Top 10 boys names. Picture: McCrindle

“Among these new, emerging names we see the trends of girls’ names ending in a vowel or vowel sound, and botanic influences and colours,” Ms Fell said.

“We also see celebrity influences, with Luna growing in popularity since John Legend and Chrissy Teigen’s daughter, Luna was born in 2016.

“There is also the trend of shortening names and adding an ‘ie’ on the end (Elsie, Millie and Sadie),” Ms Fell added.

There were also 10 new girls names that entered the top 100, while just five new boys names made the cut.

For a list of all the top 100 girls and boys names, visit McCrindle.com.au

Originally published as Australia’s most popular baby names revealed – including the names no one wants