Most popular baby names of the past year revealed

Olivia has replaced Amelia as the most popular name given to baby girls in England and Wales in 2016, official statistics show.

Oliver, the top name for baby boys, remained in the number one spot for the fourth year in a row, data released by the Office for National Statistics revealed.

Olivia dethroned Amelia, which occupied the top position for five years.

Muhammad replaced William in the top 10 names for boys last year, while Poppy dropped out of the top 10 for girls, making way for Lily.

Olivia regained its status as the most popular name for girls, having been the top baby name between 2008 and 2010.

The name came out top in Wales, and five out of nine regions across England.

Meanwhile, Oliver was the most popular baby name for boys in six regions in England, as well as in Wales.

Four new entries, Felicity, Iris, Luna and Lydia, entered the top 100 for girls’ names last year, replacing Bethany, Hollie, Katie and Lacey.

Albie, Arlo, Ezra, Finn, Jasper and Jesse entered the top 100 names for baby boys in 2016, replacing Callum, Connor, Jamie, Kian, Seth and Sonny which were in the top 100 in 2015.

Perhaps in a nod to celebrity trends, Harper, in the 2016 top 100, saw the biggest surge in popularity over the previous 10 years.

Harper Beckham, daughter to David and Victoria Beckham, was born in 2011.

Meanwhile Jaxon, in the top 100 for boys, had risen the most among baby boys over the previous decade.

Nick Stripe, a statistician at the ONS, said: “With over 696,000 babies born in England and Wales in 2016, and nearly 64,000 different names chosen for them, it’s interesting how relatively stable the top 10 names have been over recent years.”