Oliver has been revealed as the most popular name for baby boys across three states — and it’s a name Victoria just can’t seem to shake.
Oliver took the number one spot in Victoria, Western Australia, and Tasmania in 2023, according to the states’ Births, Deaths, and Marriages registries, and has been among the top five in each state over the past five years — but has featured as the top boy name in Victoria for ten years running.
After Oliver comes Noah, Henry, Leo and Charlie in that state, whereas Tasmania’s top five 2023 baby boy name list goes Oliver, Charlie, Theodore, Noah and Arlo.
The top five baby boy names in Western Australia are Oliver, Noah, Leo, Henry and Jack, in that order.
When it comes to baby girls, all three states share some overlap in the 2023 top names – albeit in different orders, just like the boys.
For baby girl names in Victoria, Amelia topped the charts followed by Charlotte, Olivia, Mia and Isla.
In Western Australia, those rankings are almost completely reversed: with Isla up top, followed by Olivia, Mia, Charlotte and Amelia.
Baby girls in Tasmania have a top five list of names that includes Hazel, Elsie, Charlotte, Willow and Ruby.
South Australia, Queensland, and NSW are yet to publish their lists for 2023.
What’s in a name?
While parents may choose a name that is symbolic, traditional or just plain quirky, there may be a science behind the choices selected.
found that people with softer-sounding names like Anne or Owen were expected to be more agreeable, emotional and hardworking; people with harder-sounding names like Kate or Kirk were expected to be more outgoing.
Five-year trends show little changes
When it comes to baby names, it appears Australians are dedicated to a few choice contenders.
In 2019, parents in Victoria chose these top five baby girl names: Olivia, Mia, Charlotte, Amelia, and Isla – all of which are featured as top names from last year.
The top boy names from that year show a little bit more diversity with Oliver, Jack, Noah, William, and Thomas.
Baby girls in Tasmania had a top five of Willow, Charlotte, Ava, Amelia, and Evie in 2019 – with Charlotte and Willow overlapping with 2023 trends.
Parents of baby boys in Tasmania chose Oliver, George, Charlie, Leo, and Henry that year. Oliver and Charlie featured in the top five in 2023.
In Western Australia, Olivia, Isla, Charlotte, Ava, and Amelia were the top five baby girl names in 2019, with four of them again featuring in 2023.
When it came to baby boys, Oliver, Noah, Henry, and Jack were among the top five in both 2019 and 2023.