12 replies to this topic

[Rosie&Scott]

The UK Office of National Statistics has released 2008's most popular names list.

Boys
1 Jack
2 Oliver
3 Thomas
4 Harry
5 Joshua
6 Alfie
7 Charlie
8 Daniel
9 James
10 William

Girls
1 Olivia
2 Ruby
3 Emily
4 Grace
5 Jessica
6 Chloe
7 Sophie
8 Lily
9 Amelia
10 Evie

In the boys top 100, Frederick, Dominic and Andrew were replaced by Blake, Ewan and Zak.
In the girls top 100, Rose, Victoria, Rachel, Shannon and Madeleine were replaced by Florence, Emilia, Lexi, Maryam and Esme.

What do you think of the names?

Considering the rise in modern/trendy names the most popular are very traditional! They're very nice names, and in a way it's sad that many of these children with beautiful names will end up known as Jack C or Olivia S.

Source

[alyssa897]

1 Jack ~ nice name, but I would never use it as there is a close family friend named Jack and that would be awkward...
2 Oliver ~ very nice!
3 Thomas ~ not my style...but unfortunately I have to deal with it!
4 Harry ~ I love because of Harry Potter, but I could/would never actually use it
5 Joshua ~ extremely popular here in the US...but I think it's a nice name nontheless
6 Alfie ~ I don't like
7 Charlie ~ this is more of a nickname to me, it's okay
8 Daniel ~ not my style at all, but it's grown on me
9 James ~ LOVE! I plan on using this for a middle name
10 William ~ okay, I love Will or Liam

Girls
1 Olivia ~ soooo popular here...I like it, but I know many Olivia's, I also love Alivia
2 Ruby ~ I like it, though I would never use it...but it definitely surprises me that it's number two! It's not very common here
3 Emily ~ I think it's okay, but it's incredibly popular even for my taste, I prefer Emma or Emmy by themselves or as a nickname to Emmaline
4 Grace ~ love! I think it's a classic, very elegant and pretty, I would use it as a middle name
5 Jessica ~ this is so dated to me! No offense to any Jessica's out there, but it is in my opinion. I love variations though...Jessa, Jessalyn, Jesse, etc.
6 Chloe ~ pretty...I knew it was popular, but I didn't know it was top ten!
7 Sophie ~ not my style, I never saw the appeal of Sophie/Sophia
8 Lily ~ Love! Gorgeous and very pretty. I would use it as a middle name, but I love it for either. I don't like Lillian at all, or Lily spelled Lilly or Lillie
9 Amelia ~ pretty, but I would never use it. I love Mia as a nickname, it makes me think of The Princess Diaries books
10 Evie ~ pretty, but it seems like a nickname to me

~alyssa

[Evy]

10 Evie- Someone needs to tell Zayda and Evy!

bummer i like having a unique name.

hmm, but name is spelt Evy, not Evie. so it doesn't count!

i love all the names on the list except Alfie and Ruby.

[Erin (was NameFreak) :-)]

Wow, this is very different from the American ssa most popular name list......At least the boys anyway......

Boys
1 Jack-OK....
2 Oliver-Love it
3 Thomas-Nice
4 Harry-Coolness!
5 Joshua-Always liked it
6 Alfie-Urgh
7 Charlie-I like it!
8 Daniel-Cool
9 James-One of my fave boy names
10 William-Good name

Girls
1 Olivia-Adorable!
2 Ruby-Ok...
3 Emily-Cute
4 Grace-Pretty
5 Jessica-Love it
6 Chloe-Eh.....It's okayish
7 Sophie-Adorable!!
8 Lily-Beautiful, one of my faves
9 Amelia-Pretty and traditional
10 Evie-Cute, but better as a nickname for Evelyn or Evangeline or something of the sort.

[~Nadezhda]

Considering the rise in modern/trendy names the most popular are very traditional! They're very nice names, and in a way it's sad that many of these children with beautiful names will end up known as Jack C or Olivia S.

I wholeheartedly agree.
I like having a unique name, but unfortunately, some of my favorite girls names seem to be very popular!
I guess my daughters won't be so lucky unless I change my mind lol


I love almost all of the boys names. Thomas, William and Daniel are the top three-- they have that timeless, elegant feeling, which I think is gorgeous.
James is also beautiful, and I thought it had lost its popularity as a first name. Jack is similar, but less attractive in my opinion, although it's still a nice name.
I'm not too sure of Oliver and Charlie which seem just a little bit nickname-ish, and not ideal to pass the test of time.
I prefer Henry to Harry, and I'm assuming the latter has gained popularity because of Harry Potter. Just a thought.
I've never loved Joshua, but it definitely doesn't classify as an ugly name, at least in my opinion.
Alfie, on the other hand, seems both a nickname for a longer name (such as Alfred) and too old-sounding.



As for the girls names, Grace is my favorite name ever. Despite being so popular, love it, and I think it's such a delicate, feminine name- plus, as some of you know, it has a special meaning to be because it would honor my mother in a way. So if I ever have a daughter, I think she will be named Grace.
I also love Emily and Sophie-- I usually prefer Sofie (or Sofia), though, as it seems more elegant.

Ruby and Chloe are, in my opinion, very similar in style, and they are fun and vibrant, especially Ruby.

Lily is not bad, but rather bland in my honest opinion. Never been a huge fan. Same goes for Olivia, which is nice but nothing more. Plus, it reminds me of popeye's girlfriend-- I prefer Olive.

I prefer Amelie to Amelia, which is a little old, at least here in Italy. The only Amelia's I've met are more than 50!

I love Evie, but as a nickname for something like Eve, Evelyn, or Evangeline.
If it has to be a stand alone name, then I think Evy is better.

[Rosie&Scott]

Wow, no one seems to be a fan of Alfie! As you can see it's very popular over here and on Scott and I's list of favourite boys' names. I see that it may seem like an old name but there are so many little Alfies running around here that it's more a name for toddlers.


1 Jack - Timeless but is a little bland now in my opinion
2 Oliver - Love this one, Ollie is a cute nn
3 Thomas - I adore Thomas but I don't like the nns
4 Harry - Handsome name but Harry Potter springs to mind
5 Joshua - One of my favourites
6 Alfie - I love this one!
7 Charlie - It's okay
8 Daniel - Not to my tastes
9 James - Great name!
10 William - I have a love-hate relationship with this name

1 Olivia - I love this name; Livs, Livvy and Livia are cute too
2 Ruby - I know a few Rubys and I still like it but it's very popular
3 Emily - Beautiful, I love Emmy as a nn
4 Grace - Pure and gorgeous
5 Jessica - Not such a fan
6 Chloe - Very pretty
7 Sophie - Gorgeous name!
8 Lily - Probably my favourite flower name
9 Amelia - Lovely name but I prefer Amelie
10 Evie - I have grown to love this name especially the spelling Evy.

Rosie

[Rosie&Scott]

The American top 10s for comparison

1 – Jacob Emma
2 – Michael Isabella
3 – Ethan Emily
4 – Joshua Madison
5 – Daniel Ava
6 – Alexander Olivia
7 – Anthony Sophia
8 – William Abigail
9 – Christopher Elizabeth
10 – Matthew Chloe

[Erin (was NameFreak) :-)]

1 – Jacob-Popular but adorable. Emma-Also cute but too popular
2 – Michael-Timeless Isabella-Pretty, but I like Isobel better.
3 – Ethan-Handsome, I love it Emily-I like it, but prefer Emmeline
4 – Joshua-I like it Madison-Really pretty name
5 – Daniel-Handsome Ava-Gorgeous name, but too common for my taste. I like Aza.
6 – Alexander-I love this name! Olivia-Adorable.
7 – Anthony-I like it. Sophia-Really cute!
8 – William-Good name. Abigail-I used to not like it and now I love it! I love the nickname Abby/Abbey/Abbie
9 – Christopher-One of my fave boys' names! Elizabeth-I love it! It's my middle name, too (I wish it were my first.....)
10 – Matthew-A handsome name Chloe-Eh....

[Remy Hadley]

Boys
1 Jack ~ very cute
2 Oliver ~ cute
3 Thomas ~ lol I'm biased (my nephew), very handsome!
4 Harry ~ not my fav, but okay
5 Joshua ~ also biased (my brother) but its really nice!
6 Alfie ~ there's a song from Lily Allen that kinda makes me inch away from that name. . . (bad song)
7 Charlie ~ cute! I love Charlie on a boy instead of a girl!
8 Daniel ~ nice
9 James ~ very handsome!
10 William ~ Love it!!!

Girls
1 Olivia ~ also a fav of mine
2 Ruby ~ okay
3 Emily ~ sweet
4 Grace ~ okay
5 Jessica ~not my taste
6 Chloe ~ don't like it
7 Sophie ~ cute
8 Lily ~ sweet, but also makes me think of the singer. . .
9 Amelia ~ okay
10 Evie ~ pretty (not close to as pretty as EvYYYYYY though )

Yeah, they're all nice in general, but its so sad that those names become so popular! I've been crossing my fingers that the name si love will not be as popular when I'm older!!!

~Had

[Permanent Rose]

Boys
1 Jack---I quite like this one. Its also the name of my cute lab partner in chem
2 Oliver---Wow, I'm surprised this one is on the top ten. It must be more popular in the UK than here because I don't think I know an Oliver. I like the name though
3 Thomas---I adore this name. Such a classic
4 Harry--Gosh, is it terrible to say that Harry Potter is the first thing that comes to mind
5 Joshua---I adore this name (:
6 Alfie---not a fan
7 Charlie---I prefer Charles
8 Daniel--nice, but not my fav
9 James---nice, but not my fav
10 William---I really like this one. Will is a cute nn

Girls
1 Olivia--I love this name, but I'm sad its becoming so popular
2 Ruby---There's something I don't really like about this one
3 Emily---too popular for my taste
4 Grace---I adore this name. Its not used enough as a first name
5 Jessica---way too popular in my generation. I have three Jessica's in just my art class
6 Chloe--I love this name. Very cute
7 Sophie---I love this one as well
8 Lily---I adore this one
9 Amelia---not a fan. It seems to dated to me for some reason
10 Evie---Very cute. I like it

[~Nadezhda]

I hadn't noticed the US list had been posted! Here's my opinion:

Of course, for the names that are on both lists, my previous comments apply!
Jacob- I like it, but it's become a little bit bland.
Michael - I'm not a fan of it. I can't really explain why, it's just bland.
Ethan - It's not my favorite, but I like it. Short and strong!
Alexander- This happens to be one of my favorite names- so handsome! The only problem is, I don't care for the nickname Alex, which is why I'd only use it as a middle name.
Anthony- So dated.
Christopher - Like Michael. I like it, but it's nothing special in my opinion.
Matthew - Hmm. On one hand, I think it's a strong name with awesome nickname potential (it's not often you find a full name whose nicknames you also like- Matt is not so bad!). On the other hand, though, I feel it's a bit boring. Just a bit.



Emma- Hmm. It's a pretty name, no doubt, but definitely too popular.
Isabella- Overall it's pretty, but I personally prefer the variations Isobel Isabelle.
Madison- Not a fan. I feel it's too trendy and bland at the same time.
Ava- I used to love it, but now I don't know. I prefer Eva for sure. (pronounced EH-va, not EE-ve)
Abigail- I actually love this. I don't know if I'd ever use it, since Abby doesn't really tickle my fancy, but the full name is beautiful and strong IMO.
Elizabeth- Timeless and gorgeous. Also, its nicknames are not so bad, even though I prefer the full name.


Overall, I prefer the British names for both boys and girls, with the exceptions of Alexander,Abigail and Elizabeth which I love.

(: