The top 100 baby boy and baby girl names for 2022 have now been announced, and it's fascinating to see how parents have been influenced when making that all-important decision. The list, compiled by BabyCentre, shows how new mums and dads have drawn inspiration from women's football stars and 90s icons, as well as the hit summertime dating show, Love Island.
Indeed, Love Island contestants from various seasons have made their mark on the chart. One of the top climbers was Luca (Bish) - the namesake of Brighton fishmonger turned 2022 runner-up.
Luca jumped a whopping 21 places this year, landing in the top ten. Toby (Aromolaran), who competed in the show back in 2021 soared 20 places, while his ex-girlfriend Chloe (Burrows) also hopped up the ranks by one place.
The winning couple of the 2021 season, Millie (Court) and Liam (Reardon), rose by 14 and 10 spots respectively while fellow 2021 islander Teddy (Soares) jumped up an extraordinary 18 places.
Name registrations were made for the first time this year for Maura (Higgins), who was a popular runner-up on the show back in 2019. Ovie (Soko), who competed in the same season, was also registered for the first time.
Islander turned mental health ambassador Dr Alex (George) climbed seven places in the charts to number 66 while Zara (Mcdermott) broke into the top 20 at number 16, having risen by eight places. Season three islander Theo (Campbell) also saw a three-place jump to third place in the charts.
Interestingly, the name Maya jumped up 10 places - enjoying ninth place position - after it was announced TV presenter Maya Jama would be taking over from Laura Whitmore as the 2023 host.
Sarah Redshaw, UK Managing Editor for BabyCentre, said: " Love Islander names are definitely parents' type on paper. And BabyCentre parents haven’t been putting all their eggs in the 2022 Love Island basket either.
"It's possible that the islanders' continued fame on social media and more reality TV is causing this surge. We now want to keep a watch on the names of 2022 winners Ekin-Su and Davide to see if they become more popular as they go on to bigger things."
As an Italian variation of the Latin name Lucas, Luca means 'bringer of light'. It would make for a beautiful choice for parents looking for a special meaning when naming their new bundle of joy.
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