Scotland’s most popular baby names of 2020 have been revealed – and there’s a new top game for girls.
Isla was the most popular name given to girls in Scotland in 2020, the NRS (National Records of Scotland) revealed, taking over from 2019’s most popular girls’ name, Olivia.
However, there’s no change in the most popular boys’ name, which is still Jack. Oliver – currently the most popular boys’ name in England and Wales – is only fifth most popular in Scotland.
Olivia, now the second most popular girls’ name in Scotland, is currently most popular of all in England and Wales.
Overall, there’s plenty of overlap between the most popular baby names in Scotland and the most popular in England and Wales. Ava, Freya, Ella, Leo and Noah are among the names that make the top ten in both regions.
The most popular girls’ names in Scotland in 2020:
1. Isla
2. Olivia
3. Emily
4. Freya
5. Ava
6. Sophie
7. Ella
8. Grace
9. Amelia
10. Lily
The most popular boys’ names in Scotland in 2020:
1. Jack
2. Noah
3. James
4. Leo
5. Oliver
6. Harris
7. Rory
8. Alexander
9. Finlay
10. Archie
Julie Ramsay of the NRS said the results also show that “different generations of parents have different preferences for naming their babies”. In fact, millennial parents are making rather different naming choices to parents from Gen Z.
“Isla, the most popular name for girls in 2020, was the most popular name with mothers aged 35 and over, but it only ranked 7th with mothers aged under 25. However, Olivia, the most popular girls name of 2019, was ranked 1st by younger mothers and 6th by older mothers,” Ramsay said.
“Jack, the most popular name for boys in 2020, was the 2nd most popular name with mothers aged 35 and above, and only 17th with mothers aged under 25,” Ramsay continued. “James was the most popular name for boys with older mothers while Noah was ranked 1st for younger mothers.”
Ramsay also noted that the name Billie has grown in popularity by 79% over the past two years, presumably due to the high profile of singer Billie Eilish.
Similarly, the name Tommy has been steadily growing in popularity, perhaps thanks in part to Cillian Murphy’s character from Peaky Blinders, Tommy Shelby.
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