It’s nearly the end of year, and that means it’s a good time to reminisce about all the trends that took off in 2022. So, what about baby names? Well, parenting site Baby Centre has just released a list of the most popular names for boys and girls – and we’ve got the results right here.
This year, the most significant changes can be seen in the top names for baby girls, with Olivia knocked off the number-one spot from 2021 and replaced by Sophia in first place and also beaten by Lily in second.
Tens of thousands registered their new baby names on the site this year, and experts used the data to figure out where the inspiration may have come from. The new entries are the most telling, with Maya and Ivy jumping into the top ten. BabyCentre suggested that the popularity of Maya may be down to Love Island’s recently announced celebrity presenter Maya Jama. The website also noted that parents seem to be showing their 1990s nostalgia when naming their newborns, opting for names like Gabrielle and Aaliyah – two of the decade’s biggest R&B icons.
As for the boys’ names, two fell down a huge 27 places each, with Joseph dropping to 88th place and Hugo down to 90th. Edward fell 20 places to 92nd and Ollie 22 to 76th. The top five names were Muhammad, Noah, Theo, Leo and Oliver.
Here are the top ten baby girls’ names for 2022:
- Sophia
- Lily
- Olivia
- Isla
- Ava
- Amelia
- Freya
- Aria
- Maya
- Ivy
And here are the top ten boys’ names:
- Muhammad
- Noah
- Theo
- Leo
- Oliver
- Jack
- George
- Luca
- Ethan
- Freddie
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