Favourite babies' names in Australia, 2024

In my community, a newborn baby is named after the last beloved relative, of the same gender, to pass away. Thus I was called Helen after my late grandmother Hinde, and my son was called Peter in honour of my beloved grandfather Pinchas. The only argument between the spouses is usually which grandparent to honour first.

Although it was only 12 years ago, I was interested to read the names we gave to our newborn babies back in 2012. Now I have read McCrindle Research NSW reported the following 10 most popular names for baby boys and girls in Australia, as chosen in 2024.

What names should we give these beautiful neonates?

Adobe

                  Oliver

                 Noah

                 Henry

                 Leo                 

                 Theodore

                 Hudson

                 Luca

                 William

                 Charlie

                 Jack

The 2024 boys’ list included both traditional names, and unique generation and trending names. Parents of Generation Alpha (the first generation to be entirely born in the C21st) opted for one or two syllable names and tended to choose names that could be abbreviated eg Harry from Harrison and Theo from Theodore. 

                  Isla          

                 Amelia

                 Charlotte

                 Olivia

                 Mia

                 Ava

                 Matilda

                 Harper

                 Lily 

                 Hazel

The girls top 100 list saw a larger number of names featuring “y” and names ending in “ie”, such as Millie, Billie and Lottie. Parents of Generation Alpha are also inspired by flora and wildlife, choosing names like Lily, Ivy, Willow, Summer, Daisy, Violet, Poppy and Rose.

Names became a generational marker and painted a fascinating picture of the era in which babies were born. Reviewing the decades after WW2 ended revealed interesting insights into the naming patterns of each generation. In the 1950s, names like Maxine and Norman were popular. In the 1960s, Ruth and Frank were popular, followed by Deborah and Neil in the 1970s. Fiona and Ian become popular in the 80s, and Lisa and Scott in the 90s. Turn of the C20th saw names like Laura and Jason become popular, followed by Florence and Reuben in the 2010s, both of which are still on the top 100 baby name list.

Oliver continued its 11-year reign as the #1 boy’s name in Australia with 1,906 occurrences and has now been on top for 11 years. While Oliver’s total number of occurrences in the top ten reduced since 2022, Oliver is still the #1 baby name overall. Demonstrating the popularity of this name, the shortened nickname Ollie has now entered the top 100 in its own right, debuting at #84.

The top 10 baby boy names include the same names as last year, though rankings have shifted. Henry has climbed to #3 from #5 last year. Leo, William, Jack and Luca have moved down the ranks, making way for Theodore and Hudson. Noah (#2) and Charlie (#9) remain unchanged in position.  

 The top baby girl name was contested between Isla and Charlotte for a number of years, but Isla is back at #1 with 1,249 occurrences. Isla has been particularly popular among parents of Generation Alpha, as Isla was in position #34 in 2010 at the conception of Generation Alpha and made her way to the top ten by 2016. Ever since, she has consistently been hovering at the top. Harper makes another entrance into the top ten, having featured in 2017, 2018 and 2019, while Hazel makes her debut to the top ten after residing in the top 100 since 2014 (debuting at #88). Lily has been a popular girls name for the last decade, happily for me. Willow, Ella and Grace moved out of top ten positions for these entrants.

Ten names have entered the top 100 baby names in 2023, highlighting shifting naming trends among new parents. While this year there are less entrants into the top 100 baby name list compared to earlier entrants, these new names reflect how naming inspiration can change in just one year. See Miles who makes the strongest male entrance at 48, plus Owen and August. For girls, note the new appearance of Lottie, Cleo and Riley. Fewer baby boys will be named Connor, Charles and Remy, and fewer girls will be named Eden, Claire and Gracie.

Thank you to Baby names for boys and girls, Australia Report 2024 by: McCrindle Research NSW  

Baby naming ceremony in front of the whole family

If I was naming a newborn now, which names would stand out? Most simple Biblical or Russian names would be lovely for a son eg Reuben, Noah, Jacob, Leo or Sasha. For a daughter, I would like to choose a gentle name from nature, probably ending in a vowel eg Lily, Laurel, Grace or Cleo. However, I know that choosing a popular generational name is often the same name chosen by everybody else. When I started high school in 1960, there were 8 Helens in my year!