Canberrans opted for tradition when choosing the name of their babies in 2020, with the top two having royal connections and others from the past regaining favour.
Popular Charlotte, favoured by the Cambridges for their daughter, and Henry, long the name of kings and the official moniker of Prince Harry, have topped the Access Canberra list for the most popular girl and boy baby names in the ACT for 2020.
After making several appearances in the Top 10 since 2014, Henry has been crowned the top boy baby name in the ACT for the first time since digital records started being kept in 1991.
And in a year of firsts for the boys’ list, George, another kingly name, Harvey and Theodore all appeared in the Top 10 for the first time.
Noah, from the Biblical story of the ark, was again the second most popular boy’s name.
Charlotte has been a mainstay in the Top 10 girls’ names list each year for the last decade, including taking the number one spot in 2012, 2015 and 2017.
Amelia, Matilda, Grace, Zoe, Olivia and Isla also return after making the 2019 list.
As of 7 December 2020, 2431 individual baby names have been registered across 5865 registrations. This compares with 2553 individual baby names across 6325 baby birth registrations in 2019.
If you are looking for ideas on what to call (or not to call) your baby, see ACT’s 2020 most popular baby names below. You can also check out the top 10 baby names for each year since 1991 at www.act.gov.au/topbabynames.
2020 Top 10 Girls’ Names
- Charlotte
- Amelia
- Matilda
- Isla
- Emily
- Chloe and Evelyn
- –
- Zoe
- Eleanor, Grace and Olivia
- –
2020 Top Ten Boys Names
- Henry
- Noah
- William
- Leo
- Charlie and Oliver
- –
- Theodore
- George and Jack
- –
- Alexander, Harvey, James and Thomas
Registering your child’s birth ensures you will be able to obtain a birth certificate which is needed for many purposes such as enrolling your child in school, obtaining a driver’s licence, and for various employment, and Government benefits and entitlements.
You can easily register your child’s birth online at www.act.gov.au/birthregistration.
Should you require a paper-based form to register the birth, contact Access Canberra on 13 22 81.