The most popular baby name for boys and girls in every Newcastle area

Newly released data shows the most popular names that mums and dads across Newcastle were choosing for their little ones in 2020.

The Office for National Statistics figures published earlier this month revealed the top 100 boys and girls names over the year, as well as the most frequent choices for each region.

Nationally, it was traditional names Oliver and Olivia that remained the most popular.

Oliver has been England and Wales' favourite boy's name since 2013 and 4,225 new children were given the name in 2020.

For girls, Olivia has been the most popular option since 2016 and 3,640 new girls were given the name last year.

Here are the most popular boys and girls names in Newcastle-upon-Tyne, Gateshead, North Tyneside and South Tyneside.

Newcastle-upon-Tyne

In Newcastle-upon-Tyne, the most popular boy's name was Oliver, being chosen 26 times.

For girls it was Amelia, being picked 20 times.

Gateshead

In Gateshead, the most popular boy's names were Jack and Theo, being chosen 17 times each.

For girls it was Isla and Olivia, being picked 17 times each.

North Tyneside

In North Tyneside, the most popular boy's names were Leo and Oliver, being chosen 22 times each.

For girls it was Charlotte and Evie, being picked 17 times each.

South Tyneside

In South Tyneside, the most popular boy's names were Harry, Oliver and Thomas being chosen 17 times each.

For girls it was Ava, being picked 13 times.

Most of 2020 was, of course, spent in lockdown and that seems to have had an effect on the picking of names too.

More so than ever, parents were influenced by names from TV shows.

Statistician Siân Bradford from the ONS said: “Oliver and Olivia held onto the top spots as the most popular boys’ and girls’ names in 2020 but some interesting changes took place beneath them.

“We continue to see the age of mothers having an impact on the choice of baby name. Archie jumped into the top 10 boys’ names for the first time, driven by younger mothers as well as the obvious Royal link. While on the girls’ side Ivy rose to sixth place.

“Popular culture continues to provide inspiration for baby names, whether it’s characters in our favourite show or trending celebrities. Maeve and Otis, characters from the popular programme ‘Sex Education’, have seen a surge in popularity in 2020.

“While the name Margot has been rapidly climbing since actress Margot Robbie appeared in the popular film ‘The Wolf of Wall Street’.”