6 Jan 2016

Sorry, Charlotte: the top name is now...

1:37 pm on 6 January 2016

It may have the royal seal of approval, but the name Charlotte has been pipped by Olivia as the top choice for baby girls in 2015.

Princess Charlotte

Princess Charlotte Photo: AFP/HRH Duchess of Cambridge

The Department of Internal Affairs has released a list of the 100 most popular names chosen last year.

Olivia reclaimed the title of the most popular name for girls, having last held the top spot in 2013.

Oliver was the number one choice for boys for the third year running, with Jack coming in at second place.

Charlotte, which was number one in 2014 and was the name the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge chose for their second child, was demoted to second place.

Other girl names in the top five included Sophia, Emily and Harper, which jumped from eight to third place last year.

William, James and Benjamin were among the favourite boy names.

The department said 62,500 births were recorded in 2015, with nearly 14,000 unique names registered.

2015 Top Girls' Names (2014 place in brackets):

  • 1. Olivia (2)
  • 2. Charlotte (1)
  • 3. Harper (8)
  • 4. Sophie (5)
  • 5. Emily (4)
  • 6. Ella (7)
  • 7. Isla (3)
  • 8. Mia (14)
  • 9. Amelia (6)
  • 10. Isabella (11)

2015 Top Boys' Names (2014 place in brackets):

  • 1. Oliver (1)
  • 2. Jack (2)
  • 3. William (6)
  • 4. James (3)
  • 5. Benjamin (9)
  • 6. Mason (4)
  • 7. Hunter (12)
  • 8. Charlie (15)
  • 9. Liam (5)
  • 10. Jacob (10)