Most popular baby names of the year
FOR the second consecutive year, biblical favourite Joshua has topped the list of the most popular Jewish-Australian baby names.
AJN STAFF
FOR the second consecutive year, biblical favourite Joshua has topped the list of the most popular Jewish-Australian baby names.
According to birth announcements placed in both the Sydney and Melbourne editions of The Australian Jewish News, Joshua was the boys’ name of the year, appearing 10 times in Melbourne and nine in Sydney.
Zoe was the clear favourite nationally for girls, appearing 12 times in total.
It was also the standout in Sydney, with seven announcements, while in Melbourne, Abigail or varieties Avigal, Avigail, Avigayil and Abby edged out the national favourite by one announcement.
Biblical boys’ monikers were the rage in 2009, rounding out the most popular top five names in both states. Those featuring prominently were Ethan, Asher, Benjamin, Raphael, Jacob or Jake, Noah and Zac.
Non-biblical names that polled well were Cooper, Oliver, Hugo, Archie and Luca or Luka.
While the male offspring born in Hollywood in 2009 included Otis, Beckett, Bandit and Kaydnz, those in the community who opted for celebrity-inspired names played it straighter, with Orlando, Jagger, Dexter, and even Wilke -— the middle name of Sarah Jessica Parker and Matthew Broderick’s son.
As for the girls, there was a strong variance between the states. Sienna, Mia, Sophie and Noa rounded out the top five in Sydney, while in Melbourne, Lilly, Talia and Tali, Olivia and Jasmine polled well.
Harlow, Evita, Isla, Suri and Carmen were the famous inspirations, while the less common names included Baci, Blanche and Cleo.
According to website babycentre.com.au, the most popular names for 2009 Australia-wide were Isabella for girls and Jack for boys, both appearing in The AJN a few times in both states. Nationally, Zoe was ranked 15th and Joshua came in fifth.
Most popular names in 2009
Melbourne
Girls
1. Abigail (Avigail, Avigal, Avigayil, Abby)
2. Zoe
3. Lilly
4. Talia
5. Olivia, Jasmine and Tali
Boys
1. Joshua
2. Asher and Benjamin
3. Ethan
4. Jacob (or Jake)
5. Luca (or Luka), Jordan, Joel and Toby
Sydney
Girls
1. Zoe
2. Sienna
3. Mia
4. Sophie
5. Noa
Boys
1. Joshua
2. Raphael
3. Benjamin
4. Noah
5. Ethan
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