Blackpool chooses Charlie as top baby name

And now it has at least 16 more – after Charlie was revealed as the town’s joint most popular name given to baby boys last year, alongside Noah and Oliver.

The most popular name for girls was Amelia, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS). In Fylde, the top names of 2017 were Henry and Ava, while in Wyre they were George and Ava.

Nationally, Oliver and Olivia were the most popular baby names in England and Wales for the second year running. But despite the top of the lists staying steady, there were eight new names in the top 100: two for boys and six for girls.

The six new female entries were Aurora, Orla, Edith, Bonnie, Lyla, and Hallie, replacing Lexi, Zoe, Maddison, Sarah, Felicity, and Lydia. Hunter and Ralph replaced Aaron and Jasper in the top 100 for boys.

Nick Stripe, from the ONS, said: “Although Oliver and Olivia remained the most popular baby names in 2017, some fascinating changes took place beneath them.

“Leo entered the boys’ top 10 for the first time, while Hunter rocketed into the top 100, also for the first time, reaching number 78.

“Sarah, the most popular name for baby girls throughout much of the ‘70s and ‘80s, dropped out of the top 100 for the first time since our records began in 1904.”