Aussie top baby names list shows shift to gender neutral

Perth parents like their baby names short and sweet, a new report into Australian baby names has revealed on Tuesday.

Each year, the McCrindle Baby Names Australia Report publishes the top names given to babies around the country and analyses them to reveal naming trends.

In WA, the report revealed only four of the top baby names had more than two syllables, with Oliver and Isla coming in on top.

Biblical names for boys also proved popular with Noah, Thomas, Levi and James ranking.

For girls names with ‘L’ and ‘A’ sounds were picked most often and most of the girls’ names finished with a vowel.

WA had the most top ten debutants for 2022 with Lily, Ivy, and Mila (girls), Theodore, Henry, Levi and Luca (boys) new to the list.

Australia-wide, classic names proved the most popular for baby boys and girls born in generation Alpha.

Other trends include: Gender neutral names, pop culture-influenced names like Archie and Ariana, girls’ names with ‘ie’ and ‘y’ sounds and vintage names like Vincent and Nora are making a comeback.

Oliver continues a decade-long reign at the top coming in as the most popular boys’ name in Australia for 2022, while Charlotte has reclaimed the top spot and the most popular girls’ name for 2022.

Across the top 100 for both boys and girls, gender-neutral names are becoming increasingly popular, with names like Charlie, Riley, Jordan, Jesse, Casey, Morgan, Jamie, and Taylor spread throughout the list.

This reflects a cultural shift in Millennial parents, breaking down traditional gender norms often found in the naming process.

Girl names are still very rooted in nature-inspired names, such as Willow (#10), Ivy (#13), Daisy (#27), Poppy (#40), and Eden (#75).

Parents are also more open to a more unique spelling of traditional names, as they hope to have their girls stand out with:

• Sofia / Sophia
• Amelia / Emilia
• Holly / Hallie

Pop culture names have inspired parents to name their children after popular actors and characters with names like Leo (Leonardo DiCaprio #3), Lily (Harry Potter’s mum #11), Harry (Harry Potter, Harry Styles #18), Audrey (Audrey Hepburn #29), and Mason (Kourtney Kardashian’s son #31) all featuring high in the list.

International names on the list reflect Australia’s multicultural society with the Hawaiian Kai (#28), Arabic Muhammad (#59) and Irish Finn (#38) featured on the boys’ list.