Adventurous Charlie Flood was given one of the most popular names in Australia. Photo: Oliver Jacques.
Oliver is the most popular baby’s name in Australia for the 10th year in a row, according to data collated by McCrindle Research.
The Baby Names Australia Report 2023 has revealed 2276 newborns were named Oliver during the past calendar year. Charlotte was the most popular girl’s name with 1384.
The name Oliver, which is derived from the Latin word olivarius, meaning olive tree planter, was popular in medieval England, but slid into obscurity for most of the 20th century. [Author note: I was the only Oliver in my all-boys school of 1500 students in the early 1990s].
But its popularity has surged since 2000 – it was the only name in the country to have more than 2000 occurrences in 2022.
Other vintage names making a comeback include Vincent, Lennox, Connor, Nora, Margot and Adeline, all rising up the rankings for 2022.
Overall, the 10 most popular boy’s names in order were: Oliver, Noah, Leo, William, Henry, Jack, Theodore, Hudson, Charlie and Luca; while for girls they were: Charlotte, Amelia, Isla, Olivia, Mia, Ava, Matilda, Ella, Grace and Willow.
The name ”Charlie” is derived from a German word meaning ”free man”. Photo: Oliver Jacques.
The report notes that as Australia becomes more multicultural, names such as Muhammad, Xavier, Zara, Kia and Mila have climbed into the top 100.
The researchers also observed a rise in the popularity of gender-neutral names such as Charlie, Riley, Jordan, Jesse, Casey, Morgan, Jamie and Taylor.
Griffith’s Charlie Flood was one of 1230 boys to be given that first name in 2022. It’s a word of German origin that means ”free man”. At Griffith City Library’s Rhyme Time, mum Sophie explained why she gave her firstborn the hugely popular name, which has been in the top 10 for the past few years.
“It was a bit of a random story, it wasn’t a name my husband was keen on, but when our baby was born he just wasn’t any of the names on our list, he didn’t suit those names,” she said.
“After he was born, the name Charlie just came to me. I said it and we both said, ‘Yeah, he looks like a Charlie’.
“He’s very busy and adventurous. If we’d called him Hugh [a name on our original list], that seems a bit calmer.
“When he was born, everyone referenced that viral video Charlie bit my finger from a few years ago. That was a running joke for a while.”
Profile of Griffith’s Charlie Flood:
Age: Fourteen months.
Relationship status: Single.
Born: Griffith Base Hospital.
Siblings: None, first child.
Takes after: Mum in terms of looks, Dad in terms of personality.
Best thing about him: He’s very adventurous, very much like his Dad, he doesn’t sleep much.
Worst habit: Climbing. He climbed a ladder that was at my parents’ place, he climbed all the way to the top. You have to always be around him. If you try and stop him he doesn’t like it.
Favourite food: Bananas.
Favourite TV show: He doesn’t watch much TV, he’s more into being outside.
Predicted future career: Engineer. He’s a real thinker, he looks at things and concentrates on how they work.
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