News, advice and features on baby names from the Guardian and the Observer
June 2024
Datablog
Baby names: Oliver and Isla are the most popular in Australia but what do the long-term trends reveal?
Noah, Henry and Leo are among the runners-up for boys’ names for 2023 with Amelia and Charlotte popular among girls
May 2024
Olivia and Noah still most popular baby names in England and Wales
Little change at top between 2021 and 2022 but European names such as Nova beginning to gain favour
March 2024
Banksy, Alloy and Jihad among Scottish baby names as Luca and Isla top list
Record year for unique monikers in Scotland in 2023, official statistics reveal
February 2024
Baby name battles and betrayals – I bring you harrowing tales from the frontline
Lucinda Price
Isla, Amelia, Oliver and Noah … your time is now. Why are we all so unoriginal?
January 2024
Can’t imagine calling your baby Sharon, Gary or Wayne? Just wait – even Nigel’s time will come
Coco Khan
There’s a perfect baby name out there. Could an expert help me find it?
December 2023
Worried about naming your baby? Don’t be
Zoe Williams
Whether you settle on Mathilda, Deke or Ebenezer, it’s bound to be exactly the right name. My own son is living proof, writes Zoe Williams
October 2023
Wacky world of baby names: guess how much mine cost?
Some parents are paying up to $30,000 for a ‘doula’ to create a bespoke moniker for their offspring
September 2023
Australian journalist calls her baby ‘Methamphetamine Rules’ as a test of naming regulations
When ABC journalist Kirsten Drysdale gave birth to her third child, she decided to put the Births Deaths and Marriages register to the test
June 2023
My old-fashioned name won’t win a popularity contest – but I’ve learned to love it anyway
Yvonne C Lam
Charlotte and Oliver top the Australian lists again but gender-neutral baby names rise in popularity
January 2023
Pass notes
Would you call your child Maverick or Thor? The improbable rise of baby name maximalism
Parents are increasingly naming their children after the lead characters in popular films and TV shows such as Top Gun, Wednesday, Killing Eve and … Dahmer
October 2022
Noah and Olivia are most popular baby names in England and Wales
Popular culture continues to influence baby name choices, from musicians to stars of hit TV shows
November 2021
Guests at a Kerala wedding included Marx and Lenin. Guess the groom’s name?
Newlywed Engels was also joined by Ho Chi Minh at southern India ceremony highlighting popularity of communist names
October 2021
Digested week
Digested week: I’m collecting records again and sharing the joy with my son
John Crace
Mask refuseniks raise spectre of Christmas lockdown, but there’s pleasure in rediscovering rock LPs with Robbie
