Australia’s Top Baby Names of 2017 Revealed

The most popular baby names of 2017 have just been revealed, and our love affair with two top names has continued.

But while the top spots have remained unchanged for the past couple of years, a gaggle of new names has shot up the popularity ladder. McCrindle has just finished sifting through data from across the nation to come up with the top 200 baby names in Australia for the past year.

Top 100 baby names for girls and boys

 Charlotte and Oliver stay on top

There were 300,000 babies born in Australia last year, and one in ten was given one of the top ten baby names. The right royal name Charlotte was crowned the most popular girl’s name for the third year in a row. The only state that Charlotte wasn’t the most popular name was Western Australia, where the gorgeous moniker Isla reigned supreme.

For the boys, Oliver once again wears the crown for the fourth consecutive year. It was the most popular boy’s name everywhere except for the Northern Territory, where Jack was top of the pops.

New faces

Seven new names bolted into the boy’s and girl’s top 100. It’s a warm welcome to the regal Arthur, Bodhi, Jude, Asher and Leon who made their first-ever appearance in the top 100. Aaron was the comeback kid, back in the top billings after leaving the list in 2016, while Harley just managed to stay in.

Into the girl’s top 100 for the first time are Freya, Luna, Harlow, Elena and Millie – just gorgeous. Dropping out of the top 100 last year were Paige, Alyssa, Hayley, and Molly. The name Charlie is the only name on both the boys’ and girls’ list in its unchanged spelling.

Beautiful botanicals

Nature, and in particular floral baby names was once again a popular theme among the girls. Ivy, Lily, Willow, Violet, Poppy, Jasmine, Rose, Daisy and Olive all continue to be firm favourites.

Crowning glory

While the world continues to be gripped by royal wedding fever, it seems that Royal baby names were a big influence in Australia last year. The births of Prince George and Princess Charlotte in 2013 and 2015 continue to have an obvious impact on baby naming across the nation. And there’s an expectation that this year’s baby name data will see a spike in the use of the name Louis, after the birth of William and Kate’s third bub.

Prince Harry, who is formally known as Prince Henry may have been the inspiration for many parents last year, with Henry entering the top 10 for the first time in more than six years. Meghan hasn’t featured in the top 100 for more than six years, but it’s expected that may also change this year. As well as George, Charlotte, Louis and Henry, the current top 100 also includes the names William, Edward, Charles, Elizabeth, Zara and Victoria.

Perfectly placed

Many Aussie parents are still using place names as baby name inspiration. Australian locations that rose up in the ranks included Bronte, Avalon, Brighton and Arcadia, but Adelaide slipped out of the top 100. Also remaining on the list are Victoria, Georgia, Eden and Indiana.

Overseas locations are popular choices for boys’ names, including Austin and Jordan.

If you’re looking for names that are less likely to feature on the most popular list, make sure you have a look through the amazing list of 1,391 baby unique names put together by a self-confessed name hoarder.