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Daily Mirror

National

Jessica Taylor

Most popular baby names of the year - with three favourites dropping off list

It's a question that causes squabbling among all new parents - which name should you give to your newborn baby?

Never an easy decision, it's something that takes careful consideration and will stay with a child for their entire life.

But when it comes to choosing baby names in the UK, it seems many parents tend to think alike - with several favourite names seeming to top the charts every year.

Names like Amelia and Isla often top the list of girls' names, with Jack and James always being firm favourites for newborn boys.

Naming your baby is a difficult decision to make (Getty Images/iStockphoto)

And the top choice for both girls and boys remains unchanged this year - with Olivia and Oliver taking first preference among parents in England and Wales for the eighth year in a row.

However, it seems these names tend to be most popular with older parents, as the data also showed that younger parents favoured shorter names like Leo and Theo for boys and Ava and Ivy for girls.

It's a huge decision for all new parents (Getty Images/Tetra images RF)

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Data from the Office for National Statistics shows that, for both boys' and girls' names, the top 10 was slightly changed.

Whereas Grace and Freya made the shortlist the previous year, 2020 data shows those favourites had been replaced by Ivy and Rosie.

And Charlie was knocked out of the top 10 for boys' names for the first time since 2005 - being replaced by Archie, which could have been influenced by Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's son.

It's thought the popularity of the name Archie could be due to Harry and Meghan's son (Pool/Samir Hussein/WireImage)

What's your favourite baby name? Have your say in the comment section below.

Statistics from the last 20 years show boys' names Arthur and Noah have soared up the ranks in popularity to rank in the top five in 2019.

The two biggest climbers for boys' names in 2020 were Milo and Otis, which went up by about 20 places.

According to the ONS, parents over the age of 35 were more likely to choose traditional names while younger parents tended to choose modern, shortened names.

Sian Bradford from the ONS said: "Oliver and Olivia held on to the top spots as the most popular boys' and girls' names in 2020 but some interesting changes took place beneath them.

"We continue to see the age of mothers having an impact on the choice of baby name.

"Archie jumped into the top 10 boys' names for the first time, driven by younger mothers as well as the obvious royal link, while on the girls' side, Ivy rose to sixth place.

"Popular culture continues to provide inspiration for baby names, whether it's characters in our favourite show or trending celebrities.

"Maeve and Otis, characters from the popular programme Sex Education, have seen a surge in popularity in 2020, while the name Margot has been rapidly climbing since actress Margot Robbie appeared in the popular film The Wolf Of Wall Street."