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Nottingham Post
Nottingham Post
National
Neil Shaw & Mia O'Hare

Top 10 baby names set to make a come back after a century away

New research has predicted the top 20 baby boys and girls names set to make a come back after a century. The results are based on the trend analysis that names become popular in 100 year cycles.

The findings come from family history company Findmypast which also revealed that the Royal Family influence baby names. In the Queen's birth year the name Elizabeth increased in popularity by 16%.

The Daily Record reported that Prince Harry's birth in 1984 made the name grow after a slump in the 1960s and 70s. The influences of the royals is expected to continue with the births of Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s babies, Lillibet and Archie.

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Royal marriages also provided new parents with plenty of inspiration when it came to choosing a name for their babies throughout history, with a whopping 56% increase in babies named Phillip in 1947, the year the Prince married Elizabeth. The name Diana saw a resurgence in 1981, in celebration of her wedding to Prince Charles with a staggering 122% increase in babies named after her.

The 1921 Census has allowed historians to study its data of the most popular names for children under one at that time. They have also used analysis of current royal trends to predict which baby names are set to make a come back 100 years later.

10 girl baby names set to make a comeback

  1. Joan
  2. Mary
  3. Margaret
  4. Dorothy
  5. Gladys
  6. Irene
  7. Iris
  8. Elsie
  9. Ada
  10. Mabel

10 boy baby names set to make a comeback

  1. Ronald
  2. Arthur
  3. Robert
  4. Albert
  5. Freddie
  6. Edward
  7. Archie
  8. Ernest
  9. Isaac
  10. Harris

Mary McKee, Head of Content Publishing Operations at Findmypast, said: “History always has a tendency to repeat itself and baby names are no exception. All roads point to Joan as parents are increasingly looking to name their baby girls after strong female historical figures, and who better to take inspiration from than Joan of Arc.

"When it comes to boys’ names, these have a tendency of coming back into fashion but as their nickname equivalent - Frederick becomes Freddie, Archibald becomes Archie and so there is every chance that Ronald could come back into circulation as Ronnie.”

Joan tops the list as the name most likely to make a return to favour in the coming years. The name was previously in the Top 10 most popular baby names in 1921, it then plummeted in popularity in the mid-1950s before falling out of the Top 100 entirely.

The resurgence has even already begun for some names, with Arthur, Freddie and Edward re-entering 2021’s Top 100 Baby Names for Boys, and Rose, Iris, Ada all featuring on the list for girls.

10 most popular girls names in 1921

  1. Mary
  2. Margaret
  3. Dorothy
  4. Joan
  5. Doris
  6. Irene
  7. Kathleen
  8. Gladys
  9. Elsie
  10. Joyce

10 most popular boys names in 1921

  1. John
  2. William
  3. George
  4. Thomas
  5. James
  6. Ronald
  7. Arthur
  8. Robert
  9. Albert
  10. Frederick

10 most popular girl names in 2022

  1. Olivia
  2. Amelia
  3. Isla
  4. Ava
  5. Mia
  6. Ivy
  7. Lily
  8. Isabella
  9. Rosie
  10. Sophia

10 most popular boy names in 2022

  1. Oliver
  2. George
  3. Arthur
  4. Noah
  5. Muhammad
  6. Leo
  7. Oscar
  8. Harry
  9. Archie
  10. Jack

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