This was originally posted on April 2, 2013
With a quarter of the year already been and gone we can take a quick peek at the names which might be hitting the charts towards the end of the 2013. There are some surprises in the top 40s for both boys and girls, and some of the old favourites have remained in their perennial positions. Although remember, we’re only three months into the year, there is plenty of time for change!
Girls, Girls, Girls
Unsurprisingly we see the evergreen names fall into our top 40, and who is to argue any reason why they should not be there, parents love them and they will be around for generations to come. Consequently names such as Olivia, Charlotte, Jessica, Chloe and Sophie have all hit the top 40 so far this year. That being said there are some more interesting entries into the top 40, and perhaps it signals a change in attitudes.
Names such as Beatrice, Evelyn, Florence and Scarlett have all made it into the top 40 in the first three months of 2013, and it is these ‘grandparent’ names that are making a strong comeback in the early part of the year. These kinds of names fluctuate with the times, and there is no doubt that in another 10 to 15 years they will be out of fashion yet again – but if you want your baby to have a trendsetting name it looks like ‘old fashioned’ is the way to go.
Boys Will Be Boys
As with the girls we see the favourites returning to the top of the charts with names such as James, Oliver, Alfie and Harry all remaining in the top 40. Likewise the traditional royal names, such as William and Charlie (Charles) which are always a strong favourite amongst parents-to-be.
Surprisingly there has also been an increase in what could be termed ‘posh’ names hitting the boys charts, with baby names such as Sebastian, Toby and Jasper reaching the top 40 – this could be signalling a change in peoples opinions over these names, that perhaps at one time were the sole choice of the upper classes. The stigma attached to these names seems to have disappeared, and they may stay in our 2013 chart for the rest of the year.
