Harry beats George in name stakes for Medway parents
Published: 00:00, 19 December 2013
Updated: 13:19, 19 December 2013
The birth of Prince George on July 22 failed to make a big impression on the top three when it came to the choice of first names for babies born in Medway this year.
Mums and dads have put Jack back at the top of the list, with George, the name of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge’s firstborn, lying in a modest seventh place.
There were 34 babies called George registered in Medway this year.
But the popularity of one royal name still remains high: Harry was last year’s number one and came a close second to Jack in 2013.
Another explanation is that the One Direction frontman, Harry Styles, rather than Prince Harry, was uppermost in parents’ minds.
Parents of little girls made Poppy the number one, with 40 babies named after the flower in 2013. It was the first time Poppy had made the top 10.
It could be that model Poppy Delevingne has had an influence as the blonde socialite is rarely out of the news, or perhaps East-Enders’ Poppy Meadow, played by Rachel Bright, has brought the name to the forefront.
Other newcomers to this year’s top 10 included Evie in fifth place for the girls and Sienna as the ninth most popular name for girls.
Medway Council compiled the list and compared the names registered 100 years previously, in 1913.
There were no girls’ names from a century ago that made the list again, but George and James have stood the test of time for the boys, featuring in both lists.
Cllr Howard Doe said: "It is always great fun to see which names were the most popular over the past 12 months."
The list of top names is compiled by Medway Council’s Register Office, based in Rochester, which has been registering births, deaths and marriages in Medway since 1837.
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