The most popular baby names of 2021 – and the list looks a lot like 2020s

A major Australian hospital has revealed ‘Isla’ and ‘Oliver’ were the two most popular baby names of 2021.

According to the record keepers at WA’s St John of God both names managed to cling on to the stop spot – after rising to the position in 2020.

The hospital looked at data from over 10,000 births across NSW, Victoria and Western Australia to make a list of ten boys and girls names deemed most loved.

This is the second year running both names have taken out the top spot – but other names have definitely made huge jumps towards the top of the list.

Oscar appears to be the second favourite boys name of the last year – up four places on 2020.

While Archie came in at number five – after missing out on the top ten the year before.

Luca also appeared for the first time alongside the three ‘equal-tenth’ place holders, Max, Thomas and George. 

There appeared to be less movement in the girls’ list with Isla clinging to first place, Olivia still sitting in second and Charlotte backing up yet another year in third.

The fourth name on the list, Amelia, is new however as are Willow, in sixth, Sophie in seventh and Evelyn in tenth.

The most popular names in 2021 may have stayed stable – but it also appeared to be a year which saw the emergence of lots of ‘edgy’ baby names too. 

Names like Atlas, Bexley, Bowie, and Maverick grew in popularity, with people more open to uni-sex names and ‘taking risks’. 

Parenting group Mum Central has compiled a list of 21 unique monikers that ‘ooze with edginess’.

Top choices for boys included Atlas, Steele, Maverick, Bowie and Ramsey, while for girls: Elodie, Pandora, Ottoline, Zia and Grecia.

Animals like Fox and Bear have had a major influence on baby names over the years – and so it’s no surprise Cub was featured on the list.

Mythological characters are one of the top trends predicted for 2021, with Persephone (pronounced: per-seph-o-nee) and Pandora mentioned on the list.

For parents who like ‘out there’ names should consider Ottoline, a girl’s moniker of French origin meaning ‘prospers in battle’.

Another edgy baby name that screams ‘cool’ is Steele. According to Datayze, just one out of every 17,610 baby boys born in 2020 are named Steele.

While calendar-inspired names like May, April and June have been taking off this year, another moniker to consider is Jora, which means ‘autumn rain’.

To stand out from three to four letter baby girl names like Ava, Isla and Mia, parents should consider Zia which means ‘light, splendor or radiant’.

Inspired by the late music idol David Bowie, Bowie is also another top pick for boys while Terra, which is the Roman earth goddess, is perfect for a baby girl born in one of the earth zodiacs – Virgo, Taurus or Capricorn.

Other edgy baby names to consider include Irie, Eilidh (pronounced: Ay-lee), Aerin, Orrin, Pau and Talon.