Oh baby! Top Peterborough children’s names of the past year

The most popular name for baby girls registered in Peterborough in 2013 was Sophie, used 60 times, followed by Amelia and Isabelle, according to research by the city’s register office. For the boys, and for the sixth year in a row, it was Mohammed, used 88 times, followed by Oliver in second and Charlie in third.

Sophie climbed from fourth place to take the top spot in 2013. The favourite name in 2012, Amelia, dropped a place to second. Isabelle remains third for the third year in a row and Emily climbed three places to fourth. New entries to the top 20 were Ellie, Scarlett, Daisy, Megan and Millie.

Perhaps surprisingly, George, ranked 16 in 2012 and the name chosen by the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge for their son born in July, drops out of the top 20. New additions to the 2013 list were Archie, Noah, Edward, Lucas and Leo.

The full top 20 names, including variant spellings, are:
Boys – 1 Mohammed, 2 Oliver, 3 Charlie, 4 Jack, 5 Jacob, 6 Archie, 7 Harry/Oscar/Thomas, 10 Riley, 11 Noah, 12 James, 13 Alfie, 14 Ethan/William, 16 Adam/Edward, 18 Daniel, 19 Lucas, 20 Leo.
Girls – 1 Sophie, 2 Amelia, 3 Isabelle, 4 Emily, 5 Lily, 6 Isla, 7 Grace, 8 Ruby, 9 Ellie, 10 Poppy, 11 Ella/Scarlett, 13 Olivia/ Jessica, 15 Maisie, 16 Chloe/Daisy/Megan/Milly, 20 Ava.

Rosalind Yardy, Superintendent Registrar for Peterborough City Council, said: ‘It is perhaps surprising that the choice of name by the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge for their son has dropped out of the top 20. However, in recent years, we have seen a tendency for celebrity culture to have more of an influence than royalty.

‘With Peterborough’s strong Muslim heritage, it seems that parents invariably choose Mohammed as a first name for boys. Sophie has always been a strong name for girls so it’s no surprise to see it rise to the top spot.’