Oliver and Lily top the list of Oxfordshire most popular baby names in 2017

The most popular first names in Oxfordshire in 2017 were Lily and Oliver, the county council’s Registration service has reported.

A total of 7,672 births were registered in the county during 2017 with popular name choices by parents being broadly similar to those in 2015.

Royal baby effect

Alicja Gilroy, Superintendent Registrar at Oxfordshire County Council’s Registration Service, said: “Overall the trends haven’t changed much, but Charlotte is notable for an increase this year, making it to 14^th on the list for girls. Could this be the royal baby effect? It will be interesting to see what the forthcoming royal baby is named and whether this increases its popularity in Oxfordshire.

“Poppy is the girl’s name that has surged into the top ten in 2017 and there are a number of new names in the top ten for boys – Arthur, Alfie, Oscar, Jacob, Muhammed and Benjamin.

“Other notable recent trends are the use of hyphenated first names, and names that would once have been nick names from a longer name: Charlie, Albie, Archie, Ollie, Bobby, Reggie, Teddy, Vinnie, Ronnie, Freddie, Pippa, Maggie, Rosie, Ellie, Tilly are a few of the more popular ones.

"Old fashioned names are making a comeback as well – Stanley, Arthur, Wilfred, Evelyn, Elsie, Edith, Olive are all rising up the list. There are also quite a few names where the traditional spelling has been altered."

Caring and efficient

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 Registration Offices in Abingdon, Banbury, Bicester, Didcot, Henley, Oxford and Witney.

The 2017 Oxfordshire baby name league table (with 2016 for comparison)

Girls

Boys