Image copyright Getty Images Dua Lipa and Star Wars’ Kylo Ren were among the biggest influences on parents’ choices for their baby names, according to the latest data.
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) said babies called Dua doubled in 2019 compared with 2017, when the singer had her first UK number one.
Kylo’s popularity has risen since the new Star Wars films started in 2015.
But Oliver and Olivia are still number one in England and Wales, with more than 8,000 babies named in 2019.
The ONS said 126 babies were called Dua in 2019, compared with 63 in 2017, suggesting that like her first UK number one single the singer has set New Rules for naming inspiration.
The name Kylo appears to have increased in popularity since the first appearance of Kylo Ren in 2015. Since then, the number of boys named Kylo has risen from 10 to 67 in 2019.
Meanwhile Alexa has fallen since the introduction of Amazon’s Echo, down from 332 in 2016 to just 39 in 2019.
Although they were the most popular names, Olivia and Oliver are declining. There were 4,082 Olivia’s last year, compared with 4,598 the year before.
Oliver, which has been the number one boys’ name since 2013, fell from 5,390 to 4,392.
David Corps, from the ONS, said: “Oliver and Olivia continued their reign as the top boys’ and girls’ names in 2019, but analysis shows choices in baby names can differ depending on the mother’s age.
“We found younger mothers opted for more modern girls’ names like Harper, which has seen a rise since the Beckhams named their daughter so in 2011, and shortened boys’ names like Freddie. In contrast, older mothers chose more traditional names such as Jack and Charlotte.”
The ONS only provides figures when there were at least three babies given the same spelling of a name. It does not reveal names taken by only one or two babies, in order to protect their privacy.
Figures for Scotland have already been published, with Jack and Olivia being the most popular.
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