THE most popular baby names in the Braintree district have been revealed.

Fourteen newborns were called Amelia or Isla, making the names joint top of the list for girls in 2020.

And for boys, Arthur was the favourite, with 18 babies in the area given the name last year.

Naming trends have stayed relatively unchanged for boys in Braintree, with this year's favourite the same as in 2019, while the top girls' name then was Ava.

Oliver and Olivia were the favourite names nationally last year.

Oliver, George and Arthur took the top three places for boys in England and Wales, while Olivia, Amelia and Isla were most picked for girls.

Oliver has held onto the top spot for boys for the past eight years, while Olivia has been at the girls' number one spot nationally for five years in a row.

Office for National Statistics figures show Ivy and Rosie entered the top ten girls' names for the first time last year, replacing Grace and Freya.

And a potential royal influence saw Archie approach the top of the charts, becoming the ninth most popular name and shunting Charlie out of the top ten for the first time since 2005.

Popular culture continues to provide inspiration for baby names, whether it’s characters in our favourite show or trending celebrities - Office for National Statistics

For mothers under 25, the top boys' names were Noah, Archie and Leo, while for those aged 35 and above, they were Oliver, George and Jack.

Younger mothers chose Amelia, Ava and Olivia as their favourite girls' names, but Charlotte replaced Ava in the top three for parents over-35.

ONS spokesman Sian Bradford said: “Popular culture continues to provide inspiration for baby names, whether it’s characters in our favourite show or trending celebrities.

"Maeve and Otis, characters from the popular programme Sex Education, have seen a surge in popularity in 2020 while the name Margot has been rapidly climbing since actress Margot Robbie appeared in the popular film The Wolf of Wall Street."

Top ten girls' names in England and Wales

Olivia (3,640 babies)

Amelia (3,319)

Isla (2,749)

Ava (2,679)

Mia (2,303)

Ivy (2,166)

Lily (2,150)

Isabella (2,052)

Rosie (2,035)

Sophia (2,028)

Top ten boys' names

Oliver (4,225)

George (4,100)

Arthur (4,052)

Noah (4,042)

Muhammed (3,710)

Leo (3,314)

Oscar (3,268)

Harry (3,209)

Archie (2,944)

Jack (2,900)