The name Meghan set to hit the top 20 in the UK this year

She’s already created a shopping frenzy with pieces she wears selling out in hours, but now it seems Meghan Markle is also having an impact on baby names. 

According to Mother & Baby’s predictions for 2018’s most popular baby names, Meghan will enter the top 20 this year thanks to huge interest in the upcoming royal wedding and fascination with the glamorous new member of the Windsor family. 

Originally a Welsh name meaning ‘pearl’, 658 babies were called Megan in 2016 according to official Office for National Statistics figures, placing it at number 83. 

However, the Meghan spelling was a total outsider at number 881 with just 42 babies being given the name in 2016. 

While Mother & Baby estimates that the current favourites for girls and boy – Olivia and Oliver – will continue to be popular, it also predicts some more unusual new additions to the top 20. 

For girls, the parenting site tips Aurora, Nora and Luna to soar in popularity, while Lloyd, Finn and Atticus are predicted to enter the top 20 for boys. 

Anyone who is consdering Meghan for a girl might want to bear in mind, however, that it’s not actually the star’s real name. 

Rachel is in fact the name Prince Harry’s girlfriend was given by her parents and the more commonly known Meghan is actually her middle name, which she switched to in her teens. 

Oliver and Olivia topped the charts of baby in 2016 according to the ONS, while Jaxon, Muhammad, Charlotte and Willow also surged in popularity.

Oliver was the most popular boy’s name for the fourth year in a row – although if all variations of Muhammad are grouped together that is more common.

Amelia lost the top spot for girls born in England and Wales after holding the number one ranking for five years.

Charlotte moved up 13 places to number 12 – probably reflecting the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge’s choice for their daughter in 2015.