If you know a little Oliver or Charlotte born in 2017, they are in good company – they were the most popular names given to babies born in Victoria last year.
More than 500 Oliver’s and 426 Charlotte’s were born in Victoria in 2017, well outranking the next most popular names of William (466) and Olivia (360).
Figures released by the Victorian Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages show that Oliver has been the most popular name for newborn boys in Victoria every year since 2014, while Charlotte and Olivia have been consistently vying for the top two spots in the same period.
Jack, Thomas and James have also been stayers, having been in the top ten boys names since 1994. Lucas, Henry and Charlie are new entries in the top ten.
The top ten girl’s names have not changed from 2016, but are completely different to the names favoured by parents 20 years ago. Jessica, Victoria’s top name for newborns born in 1997, has fallen to 100th place.
There were more than 68,000 births in Victoria in 2017, with the most popular day for newborns being 13 April, when 279 new Victorians came in to the world.
New Year’s Day 2017 saw 145 babies born, while 148 babies arrived on Grand Final Day, 30 September.
Boys made up 52 per cent of all births registered in 2017, with the number of births peaking in March, with the arrival of 6,600 new babies – nine months after Victoria’s chilly winter.
You can view Victoria’s most popular baby names since 1929 at the Victorian Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages at www.bdm.vic.gov.au
