WA’s most popular baby name has a Dickensian twist

Primary schools will be awash with Olivers over the next few years after the name topped the most-popular list for babies in Western Australia for the sixth time in seven years.

According to results from the Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages, Oliver has been the most popular name for new parents since 2013, except for 2019, where it came second after Jack.

Oliver remains one of the most popular boys names in WA.

Isla took the top spot, switching with 2019′s No.1, Olivia, on the girls’ list.

While Christian names such as Matthew and Peter no longer feature in the top 10, other familiar biblical names continue to appear in the list including Noah, which kept its second-place ranking, and Elijah, which jumped nine spots to ninth on the list.

Matilda and Isabella made their first appearance in the top 10 after placing at 17 and 21 respectively in 2019.

Dropping out of the top 10 were Harper (15th in 2019) and Lucy (20) for girls, and Mason
(14) for boys.

Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages acting manager of registration services and policy Cherena Thompson said boys’ names had been more consistent over the years, while girls’ names changed around a bit.

“Aside from the enduring popularity of Oliver for boys, Jack has been a consistent top-three finisher since 1998,” she said.

“I think parents tend to be a bit more adventurous when they’re naming girls.

“There are often variances to spellings of names from parents who want to be creative. For instance, Jaxon rated higher than Jackson in the boys’ list.

“There is also a lot of diversity in the names that are registered in WA by migrant families that is not necessarily reflected in the top 50 lists.”

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