Most popular baby names of 2020 revealed

Choosing a baby name is a big responsibility. Too popular and you run the risk of your child being one of five Olivers on the pre-school register, but too unique and you could set them up for a lifetime of mispronunciation and/or moniker mickey-taking.

To help parents-to-be strike a balance between unusual and on-trend, BabyCentre has put together a list of the top 100 names for boys and girls in 2020.

The baby name bods quizzed 54,636 parents of babies born in 2020 about the name they chose for their child, and the results are somewhat revealing.

The most popular name for a girl has changed for the first time in three years, with Olivia moving into second place, handing over her crown to Sophia, followed by Amelia in third place.

For the boys, Muhammad remains the most popular name for another year, followed by Noah and Oliver, which has also previously held the top spot.

Several new names made it into the top 100 boys names this year, including Ayaan, Ronnie, Rowan, Austin, Jasper, Hudson, Milo, Albert and Ellis.

Meanwhile, Lyla, Nora, Eliana, Margot, Zainab, Mabel, Aisha, Anaya, Madison, Talia, Delilah and Niamh were all hot new entries for baby girls.

As well as revealing the most popular names this year, BabyCentre also studied the registrations to reveal the hottest up-and-coming baby name trends.

Turns out coronavirus and the resultant lockdowns are having an impact on the monikers being chosen, with parents seeking baby name inspo from TV binges, Instagram reels, the great outdoors, 2020 heroes and symbols of hope.

BabyCentre said parents were particularly influenced by binge-worthy content watched during lockdown, with the list revealing an increase in babies called Tiger in 2020, following the popularity of Netflix’s Tiger King.

Our obsession with the character, Connell from Normal People, manifested in a rise in mini Connells, and Arabella, the heroine of I May Destroy You, soared 30 places to number 57.

Another potential source of inspiration from this year was the Black Lives Matter movement, as a number of names of history's most prominent black activists were reflected in parents’ choices.

Rosa (Parks) and Martin (Luther King) both climbed towards the top 100, while Ruby (Bridges), the first black woman to attend a white school, rose four places to number 22, and Malcolm (X) nearly doubled in registrations.

Activists Ella (Baker), rose to number 11, while Blair (Imani), Nina (Simone) and Nelson (Mandela) all increased in registrations.

The name Chadwick was also registered for the first time following the death of actor Chadwick Boseman, one of the movement’s real-life superheroes as the first black actor to headline a Marvel film in Black Panther.

Commenting on the top 100, Sarah Redshaw, UK managing editor for BabyCentre, told Yahoo: “A global pandemic has had us looking for ways to find optimism, reflected in a rise in positive and heroic names.

“TV really showed its impact when the name Connell made an appearance for the first time after the Normal People hero, played by Paul Mescal, dominated TV chat, along with his chain.

“And with staying in forcibly becoming the new going out we’ve all been turning to social channels to keep us feeling part of a community, reflected in the increasing influence that Insta stars are having on us.

“With tech acting as a lifeline for work, staying in touch with our loved ones and keeping us entertained it remains to be seen whether Zoom, Nintendo or TikTok will appear in next year’s list.”

Most popular girls names of 2020

1. Sophia

2. Olivia

3. Amelia

4. Lily

5. Isla

6. Ava

7. Mia

8. Aria

9. Freya

10. Isabella

11. Ella

12. Ivy

13. Emily

14. Grace

15. Isabelle

16. Rosie

17. Poppy

18. Evie

19. Charlotte

20. Hannah

21. Sophie

22. Ruby

23. Alice

24. Willow

25. Elsie

26. Florence

27. Emilia

28. Sienna

29. Luna

30. Maya

31. Millie

32. Zara

33. Phoebe

34. Evelyn

35. Molly

36. Ada

37. Mila

38. Emma

39. Ellie

40. Daisy

41. Chloe

42. Eva

43. Maisie

44. Harper

45. Layla

46. Matilda

47. Sarah

48. Esme

49. Zoe

50. Holly

51. Jessica

52. Nur

53. Robyn

54. Maryam

55. Scarlett

56. Erin

57. Arabella

58. Thea

59. Fatima

60. Lucy

61. Anna

62. Lyla

63. Bella

64. Violet

65. Aurora

66. Ayla

67. Lottie

68. Hallie

69. Eleanor

70. Jasmine

71. Eliza

72. Bonnie

73. Maria

74. Darcie

75. Lola

76. Imogen

77. Amber

78. Clara

79. Abigail

80. Georgia

81. Orla

82. Nora

83. Eliana

84. Rose

85. Harriet

86. Amelie

87. Eden

88. Iris

89. Penelope

90. Gracie

91. Nancy

92. Margot

93. Aisha

94. Anaya

95. Zainab

96. Madison

97. Mabel

98. Talia

99. Delilah

100. Niamh

Most popular boys names of 2020

1. Muhammad

2. Noah

3. Oliver

4. Arthur

5. Leo

6. Freddie

7. George

8. Theo

9. Charlie

10. Jack

11. Harry

12. Oscar

13. Ethan

14. Archie

15. Finley

16. Alfie

17. Joshua

18. Jacob

19. Thomas

20. Isaac

21. Lucas

22. Henry

23. Adam

24. James

25. Louis

26. Aiden

27. Teddy

28. Tommy

29. Luca

30. Max

31. Theodore

32. Liam

33. Elijah

34. Alexander

35. Daniel

36. Reuben

37. Jayden

38. Arlo

39. Jaxon

40. William

41. Mason

42. Logan

43. Ryan

44. Rory

45. Elliot

46. Nathan

47. Dylan

48. Roman

49. Harrison

50. Yusuf

51. Kian

52. David

53. Ezra

54. Michael

55. Joseph

56. Sebastian

57. Ayaan

58. Caleb

59. Albie

60. Toby

61. Benjamin

62. Ali

63. Samuel

64. Grayson

65. Jude

66. Zachary

67. Finn

68. Ollie

69. Hunter

70. Riley

71. Myles

72. Gabriel

73. Hugo

74. Aaron

75. Reggie

76. Carter

77. Jesse

78. Ronnie

79. Alex

80. Luke

81. Edward

82. Kai

83. Matthew

84. Ibrahim

85. Harvey

86. Frankie

87. Jason

88. Eli

89. Rowan

90. Jenson

91. Austin

92. Jasper

93. Hudson

94. Blake

95. Stanley

96. Milo

97. Bobby

98. Lewis

99. Ellis

100. Albert

Reporting by Marie Claire Dorking.

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