Oliver and Charlotte have continued to dominate the lists of most popular names for baby boys and girls, despite shifting preferences towards gender-neutrality and shorter names by millennial parents.
There were 2,276 babies who were named Oliver in 2022, making it Australia’s most popular boys’ name for the 10th year in a row, according to new data by McCrindle Research, while Charlotte (1,394) has reclaimed the crown as the most popular girls’ name, after Isla claimed the top spot in 2021.
Twelve names join the top 100 list for the first time. For the boys: Remy, Roman, Alfie, Reuben, Koa, Louie and Tommy. And for girls: Eliana, Thea, Margot, Maisie and Gracie.
For both boys and girls, gender-neutral names have become more popular, with names like Charlie, Riley, Jordan, Jesse, Casey, Morgan, Jamie and Taylor moving up the top 100 list.
“This reflects a cultural shift in millennial parents, breaking down traditional gender norms often found in the naming process,” the report states.
Theodore makes its debut in the top 10 boys’ names for the first time – it has been climbing the ranks for almost 10 years, after appearing in the top 100 in 2014. It has pushed Lucas and Thomas out of the top 10 for the first time in a decade.
Joining Oliver and Theodore in the top 10 are Noah, Leo, William, Henry, Jack, Hudson, Charlie and Luca.
Charlotte, Olivia and Mia continue a 12-year streak in the top 10. There was tighter competition over the top three spots, with only 50 points or fewer between each other. Joining them are Amelia, Isla, Ava, Matilda, Ella, Grace and Willow.
Traditional English names feature heavily in the top 100 list for baby boys – including James, Harry and George – as well as the Old Testament names Levi, Elijah, Isaac and Samuel.
A Guardian Australia analysis of trends in Australian baby names saw a similar pattern – a resurgence in names from the early 1900s, including Josephine, Evelyn and George.
Boy names also tend to be shorter than girls – where 30 of the top 100 girls names have three or more syllables, 86 of the top 100 boys names are made up of just one or two syllables.
Data points to popular-culture references influencing popularity in names – such as the Succession character Connor Roy pushing the name Connor to spot 93 for boys, and the Australian actor Margot Robbie putting the name Margot at 94 for girls.
Out of the top 200, 89 are traced to coming from a non-English background, “ultimately reflecting Australia’s increasingly culturally diverse population”, the report writes.
• This article was amended on 15 June 2023. A previous version described the Old Testament names Levi, Elijah, Isaac and Samuel as “traditionally Christian”.
