Australia’s Most Popular Baby Names 2024

Baby, baby, baby ohh! It’s once again that time of year, Australia’s top 200 baby names for 2024 have been announced. This year’s McCrindle baby name report revealed that the top boy’s name has once again been held by the same name that has been number one for 11 years, while the top girl’s name sees the return of a classic favourite.

With the final year of ‘Generation Alpha’ (born 2010 to 2024), parents have seemingly taken inspiration from a wide variety of places, with the most common coming from family names, baby name websites, and cultural/religious influences.

Gendered variations, classic and historical names are all trends seen in this years report as well as names with Christian roots, shortened versions of traditional names, names taken from pop culture and nature-inspired monikers making an appearance on the list.

Without waiting another second, here are the top baby names for boys and girls in 2024!

The winners

Once again, for the eleventh year in a row, the name Oliver is dubbed the reigning champion for boy names in Australia. Interestingly, although the name is still at the number one spot, the total number of times the name was used has dropped from 2,276 to 1,906 in the last 12 months.

The name Oliver originates from Old Norse, where it is related to the name Áleifr, meaning “ancestor’s descendant” or “heir.” It also has French and Latin roots stemming from the word ‘olive’ and ‘olive tree’ making the name a symbol of peace and fruitfulness.

The popularity of the boy’s name is also solidified with the shortened nickname Ollie (84) making its debut in the top 100.

It is no secret that the two baby girl names that are consistently battling for the number one spot on the list are Charlotte and Isla. This year, Isla is back on top after being bumped out by Charlotte last year, with the name Amelia, consistently sitting in the number two spot.

The soft, melodic-sounding name has Scottish and Spanish origins, meaning “island” in both cultures. The name itself was actually in position 34 back in 2010 (the conception of Gen Alpha) making it a very popular choice with the parents of this generation.

Out with the old, in with the new

There were ten names that entered both of the top 100 lists this year, showing the every changing landscape of baby naming.

The baby boy name Miles made the biggest entrance this year rising from 101 to 48 in the last 12 months. Names that also made the jump included Owen (91), Lottie (87), Riley (97), August (100) and Cleo (91). There were also a couple of names previously not on the list at all that debuted within the top 100, Kaia (93), Athena (99) and Myles (85).

Not just a nickname

It’s a given at this point that if you’ve got a name, Australians will likely try to shorten it to give you a nickname. Well Aussie parents are taking it the next step further by cutting out the middle man and naming their babies shortened variations of traditional names.

For girls the names Millie (32) short for Amelia (2) or Emilia (54), Bella (76) short for Isabella (16) and Ellie (28) short for Eloise (66) all made the list. For boys, names like Leo (4) short for Leonardo (94), Harry (35) short for Harrison (23) and Theo (36) short for Theodore (5) were also present.

Classic for a reason

Traditionally classic names are something that we can agree will continue to stand the test of time. These names are often free from the trends that can date a name to a specific era and more so than not have been passed down through generations.

The majority of parents of Generation Alpha that were surveyed for this report indicated that they were influenced by a family name when choosing their child’s name. Classics like William (8), Audrey (34), Sophia (18), Arthur (24), Charlotte (3) and George (26) all remained on the list.

Heavenly names

In this year’s list of popular baby boy names, many traditional Christian names stand out, showing a strong link to biblical roots and lasting appeal. Names like Noah (2), Levi (12), James (16), Isaac (38), Samuel (44), Jacob (52), Ezra (51), Daniel (76) and Joseph (83) all made the top 100.

These names are not only rich in history and religion, but they continue to be favourites for their classic charm and timeless values, bringing with them a sense of faith and tradition.

Pop culture power

Media and entertainment have always played a huge role in shaping societal trends, so it only seems fitting that parents continue to draw inspiration from pop culture and celebrity influence. Iconic characters from movies, TV shows and books, as well as the names of beloved celebrities, seem to always be popular as baby names.

In the last 12 months there were many moments within the pop culture industry that seemed to inspire the names that made this years’ list.

• Matilda (7), like the Australian Women’s Soccer Team
• Daisy (23), after Irish Actress Daisy Edgar-Jones and the popular book turned television series ‘Daisy Jones and the Six’
• Harry (35), after male pop star Harry Styles
• Billie (35), after singer Billie Eilish
• George (26) & Charlotte (3), after the main characters of the Bridgerton series ‘Queen Charlotte’
• Maeve (43), like the character from the Netflix show ‘Sex Education’
• Margot (68), after Aussie Barbie actor Margot Robbie
• Ryan (62), after Barbie actor Ryan Gosling
• Penelope (39), like the Bridgerton character Penelope Fetherington

Top 100 girl names in Australia for 2024

Top 100 boy names in Australia for 2024

Read next …

Want to take sneaky peek back to previous years? Take a look at these:

• • Australia’s Most Popular Baby Names 2023
  • Australia’s Most Popular Baby Names 2022
  • Australia’s Most Popular Baby Names 2021 

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