Top tots in 2011
The Holly and the Ivy … no, we’re not about to launch into a rendition of one of our Christian friends’ favourite songs of the season. What we’re actually doing is looking at the most popular baby names in the Jewish community over the past 12 months. And as carol singers take to the streets this week, we can reveal that at least one Holly and one Ivy joined our flock in 2011.
Before you start decking the halls though, those weren’t the names that captured most Jewish parents’ imaginations this year. That honour, among mums and dads of newborn boys, went to Benjamin, with no fewer than 10 tots in Sydney and Melbourne receiving that moniker or something related to it, e.g. Benji and Binyamin.
As far as the fairer sex is concerned, the winner for the second year in a row was Zoe, with six birth announcements in The AJN bearing that name.
Stepping away from the top spot, there were some interesting differences between the states, revealing how tastes vary in New South Wales and Victoria.
Noah proved immensely popular in Melbourne, with eight baby boys climbing aboard that ark, while it didn’t even make the top five in Sydney, where Ethan was a frontrunner. On the female front, national winner Zoe came first in Victoria, but again it didn’t even crack the top five in NSW, where Taylor or Tayla topped the list.
Outside of the traditional and biblical box, there were some interesting entries. Perhaps inspired by Star Wars and Gladiator, Anikin and Maximus made appearances for the boys, alongside an Ozzie and an Addison. And for the girls, a couple of Amelies gave the list a French flavour, while Willow and Coco also brought something a little different to the party.
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