New research has predicted the old-fashioned names that could make a surprise return following a 100-year cycle of popularity.
The results are based on record analysis and in accordance with the trend that names become popular in 100 year cycles, making them remerge every century.
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Digitised exclusively by Findmypast and recently released to the public for the first time a century later, the 1921 Census revealed the most popular names for children under one year old. Historians used this data along with an analysis of current royal trends to predict which baby names are most likely to have a revival.
10 baby boy names set to make a comeback:
- Ronald
- Arthur
- Robert
- Albert
- Freddie
- Edward
- Archie
- Ernest
- Isaac
- Harris
10 baby girl names set to make a comeback:
- Joan
- Mary
- Margaret
- Dorothy
- Gladys
- Irene
- Iris
- Elsie
- Ada
- Mabel
Mary McKee, head of content publishing operations at Findmypast, said of the predictions: “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, as revealed by the 1921 Census, it then plummeted in popularity in the mid-1950s before falling out of the Top 100 entirely.
The findings from family history brand Findmypast also revealed the impact royal events have on the popularity of baby names.
The name Elizabeth surged with a 16% increase in popularity in 1953, the year of the Coronation. Similarly, after a dip across the 1960s and 1970s, Prince Harry’s birth in 1984 sparked a rush in popularity throughout the following decades.
Royal marriages also provided the population 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.
Similarly, 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.
