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Government NSW

Oliver and Isla officially NSW’s favourite baby names of 2023

The Department of Customer Service 3 mins read

It’s official! NSW has a new baby name queen with Isla officially proclaimed the state’s favourite after claiming top spot for the first time ever, while Oliver has reclaimed the boy’s throne in a fight to the finish line.

Oliver’s dominance has seen it NSW’s favourite name for the ninth time in ten years but having lost top spot to Noah last year, Oliver has regained its crown by just 18 more registered births.

For the girls it was an even tighter race with the top two girl’s names, Isla and Amelia, separated by only four registered births, having previously been tied when the preliminary top 10 was released in January.

But Isla has reigned supreme, moving up from third spot in 2022 to claim NSW’s premier position for the first time, ending the dominance of Charlotte, Olivia and Amelia which have been the only names to hold number one since Chloe in 2011.

Ten new names entered the top 100 for the girls with Amara, Maisie, Margot, Lucia, Lottie, Cleo, Kaia, Callie, Kiara and Zahra all joining the list, while the boys saw just eight new names with Miles, Isaiah, Darcy, Tommy, Spencer, Parker, Mateo and Marcus.

Debutants, Cleo and Amara, proved to be this year’s fastest climbers, up 61 and 54 spots respectively from 2022, smashing their way into the top 100 at 87th and 68th while Delilah also rose in popularity, climbing 35 spots from 90th to claim 55th spot in 2023.

Last year’s champion, Charlotte, fell four positions to fifth while Bella and Addison had the biggest drop overall, falling from positions 69th and 71st to 96th and 97th respectively, clinging on to their top 100 status.

Names that slipped out in 2023 include Riley, Gabriella, Harlow, Claire, Anastasia, Leah, Charlie, Elodie, Jasmine and Quinn. Meanwhile for the boys, Miles was the biggest climber, moving up 39 places to 62nd while Koa rose 30 spots from 95th to 65th.

On the descent, however, Ali fell 34 places from 66th to 100th while Logan was down 28 spots to 89th.

Boy’s names falling out of favour and out of the top 100 in 2023 include Christian, Nicholas, Hamish, Vincent, Connor, Ashton, Dylan and Julian.

As of 30 April 2024, there have been 85,819 registered births for babies born in NSW in the 2023 calendar year.

All births in NSW must be registered with the NSW Registry of Births Deaths and Marriages within 60 days of the child being born and can be done for free on the Service NSW website or by calling 13 77 88.

Only after registering the birth of the baby is the child given a legal identity, allowing it to access government services like education and Centrelink. For more information on registering your baby, please visit: https://www.nsw.gov.au/family-and-relationships/births/register-your-baby.

For the complete list of the top 100 baby names of 2023, please visit: https://www.nsw.gov.au/family-and-relationships/births/popular-baby-names#popular-names.

Quotes to be attributed to Registrar of Births, Deaths and Marriages Theresa Fairman:

“No matter their name, I congratulate all families who welcomed a newborn in 2023, each child is precious.”

“Whether you choose an old classic or a new trend setter, registering a name is easy and must be done within 60 days of the child being born.”

“Finding the right name to give to your baby can challenging but we hope our list of popular names helps you find the one that's just right for you.” 

“After registration parents can check out the growing range of commemorative birth certificates which can be purchased at any time, for people of any age born or adopted in NSW.”


Contact details:

MEDIA: [email protected] | 0438 108 797

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