From the royal rage to the new spins on classic names.
By: Briony Walker
McCrindle have released their Baby Names Australia 2014 report which looks at the most popular baby names in Australia for 2014.
It’s good news: we Australians have pretty good taste! The big theme for 2014 was traditional with a twist: parents opted for old-fashioned names and in many cases, put a new spin on them such as modified spelling. We were also opting for very soft, feminine girls names and strong, active boys names.
We’ve had a look through all the trends for you, and this is what babies born in 2014 have in common.
1. Top ten baby names for boys and girls.
The top ten baby names for boys are all about tradition, with inspiration provided by the Royals and the Bible stories. The top ten girls names are simply so sweet! The theme for 2014 seems to be ultra-feminine.
2. Short versus long.
Boys are twice as likely as girls to have a single-syllable name, and girls are twice as likely as boys to have three syllables in their name. So if your son is called Sebastian and your daughter is called Claire, you’re bucking the trend.
3. Everything old is new again.
We just love that old-timey elegance of traditional names! Jack was really popular in the 1920s before dipping in popularity mid-century, now it’s a favourite again. Hardly anyone named their daughter Ruby between the 1950s and 1990s, but it was hugely popular in the 1920s, and now it’s the seventh most popular girls name. Want something unique? Pick a name that was big 20 or 30 years ago, they seem to have fallen out of fashion.
4. Sing songy names for girls.
Soft, sing-songy names for girls and firm, sturdy names for boys are all the rage. Practically all of the most popular girls names end with a vowel or a ‘y”: the top ten girls names include Olivia, Ava, Emily, Mia, Amelia. La la la la la! In comparison, practically all of the most popular boys names end in a consonant, such as Jack, Jackson, James, Ethan and Cooper.
