Victoria’s 2011 Most Popular Baby Names
Victorians continue to favour old-fashioned classic names for their newborns, as Mia and Jack rated the most popular names in 2011.
Acting Attorney-General, Andrew McIntosh announced Mia, Ruby, Olivia, Chloe and Charlotte as the most popular girls' names during the past year.
The boys' names of the year were Jack, William, Oliver, Ethan and Noah.
"Mia leapt ahead two spots to oust Ruby from last year's top spot with 428 newborn girls given the name, while Ruby finished a close second with 406," Mr McIntosh said.
"Jack maintained last year's number one position with 470 babies given the name in 2011."
There was not much change in the popularity of girls' names with the same names filling the top five, but in different positions. Ethan and Noah crept into the top five boys' names, bumping Thomas and Joshua down a few spots.
Jacob and Riley dropped out of the boys' top 20, making way for Harry and Oscar. Georgia and Scarlett entered the girls' top 20 at the expense of Jessica and Emma.
Mr McIntosh said some Victorians found inspiration from movie, music, and fashion icons in their search for names with Scarlett (#19), Zara (#21), Audrey (#42) and Sofia (#85) among the most popular baby girl names and Levi (#31), Angus (#41), Elijah (#60) and Ashton (#78) among the boys.
"For those who prefer not to share their name with the masses, the choices sitting at the bottom of the popularity list include Axle, Chance, Tori and Jenny," Mr McIntosh said.
"Interestingly, the name Jennifer held number one and two spots on the popularity list in the 1950s and 1960s so it has clearly fallen out of favour come 2011 with only 36 girls given the name.
"Others may prefer to revamp a popular classic through creative variations in spelling, such as these names registered in 2011: Jaxon, Jazmyn, and Rylee."
Mr McIntosh emphasised the importance of registering a child's birth with the Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages.
"Registering a birth is the first step in creating a child's identity. Once a birth is registered, parents can apply for a birth certificate, which is usually required when the time comes for signing up for school, Medicare, government benefits, a passport and eventually, a drivers' licence."
The Popular Names Database is available on the Births, Deaths and Marriages website.