Traditional Christian names on the increase among Oxfordshire’s newest residents in 2015

A total of 7,989 births have been registered from January 1 to November 30 in Oxfordshire. The most popular names for boys have been Oliver, George and Jack with Elizabeth, Ella, Lily and Ruby proving popular for girls.

The trend for using what are normally seen as surnames for first names continues with Tyler, Brandon and Brooke to the fore.

The Registration Service is also noticing the reappearance of some very traditional names that had largely fallen out of use such as Ivy, Iris, Wilfred and Montgomery.

Jacquie Bugeja, Oxfordshire County Council’s Head of Registration, said: “When the calendar year draws to a close it is always good fun to have a quick look at the trends for the first names that parents are selecting for their newly born children.

“It is great to see what some might see as old-fashioned names making a bit of comeback. Perhaps Ivy and Wilfred will lose that old-fashioned tag if the trend for their increased use continues.

“George and Elizabeth are names whose continued comeback in popularity have now become well entrenched – and this might well have something to do with the Royal Family!”

Oxfordshire County Council’s Registration Service provides a caring and efficient service for registering; births, deaths, marriages, civil partnerships and other celebratory ceremonies.

The service operates out of seven Registration Offices in Abingdon, Banbury, Bicester, Didcot, Henley, Oxford and Witney and also out of the John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford.