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The Highest-Climbing Baby Names 2014 Revealed

From old-fashioned choices such as Evelyn and bizarre celebrity ones like Reign (ahem, Kourtney Kardashian), it’s been a year chock-a-block with weird and wonderful baby names. So which ones have leapt up the ranks and grown in popularity?

With approximately 370,000 babies born in the UK this year, it’s safe to say there’s been a whole wealth of baby names.

And while fairly ‘normal’ choices such as Amelia, Emily and Jack have topped the most popular lists this year, there are some more unusual options becoming trendier – as new stats have revealed. 

The Highest-Climbing Baby Names Of 2014 Include Some, Um, Odd Choices [Rex]
The Highest-Climbing Baby Names Of 2014 Include Some, Um, Odd Choices [Rex]



The highest-climbing names, compiled by Bounty Parenting Club’s annual report of names, include some blasts from the past as well as a number of celeb-inspired picks.

The name of David and Victoria Beckham’s youngest child, Harper, tops the girl’s list. While the name of former Westlife singer, Kian, is the highest-climbing boys name.

But it’s not all celebrity-inspired. The girl’s top 10 list also includes plenty of old-fashioned choices, such as Thea, Darcie and Elsie – the latter a slight variation of Frozen’s heroine Elsa.

Doris, Edna and Hilda are also shown to be making a comeback – all of which date back to the Second World War.

Harper Beckham (Seen With Brother Brooklyn) Is The Highest-Climbing Baby Girl's Name [Rex]
Harper Beckham (Seen With Brother Brooklyn) Is The Highest-Climbing Baby Girl's Name [Rex]



The highest-climbing boys top 10 includes old-school name Elijah and French choices Louie and Sebastian.

Two Made In Chelsea names have also become more popular for boys this year – Ollie (as in Locke) and Hugo (Taylor).

And let’s not leave out the more off-the-wall names given to some British babies this year.

Believe it or not, there were some children in 2014 named Royal, Thor, King and even Dyson (as in the vacuum cleaner brand). Your own name probably doesn’t seem so awful now, does it?

Ollie (As In Locke) Is Another Baby Name Growing In Popularity [Rex]
Ollie (As In Locke) Is Another Baby Name Growing In Popularity [Rex]



“Only a handful of parents named their girls Edna, Hilda and Doris, but this could well be the start of something,” Lisa Penney, a Bounty spokeswoman, says.

“The trend for old-fashioned names continues to grow for girls and boys. Even Simon Cowell took the plunge this year naming his baby son Eric after his own father.

“Celebrities like the Beckhams are renowned for choosing unusal names for their offspring and today’s parents are quick to follow a trend in a bid to make sure their choice of baby names stands out from the crowd.”

Lisa adds that baby name trends quickly change and names that were previously unheard of, and seemed odd, are now completely normal.

“Just a couple of years ago Ava and Isla were relatively unheard of as a baby name,” says Lisa. “Yet now they regularly feature in the top 10.

“Likewise for boys, a decade ago the names Jacob and Noah were rarely considered and now they are in the top 10 as parents look beyond previously traditional biblical names like Matthew, Luke and Adam.”


The Highest-Climbing Boys Names Of 2014
1.    Kian
2.    Teddy
3.    Elijah
4.    Hugo
5.    Ollie
6.    Louie
7.    Freddie
8.    Sebastian
9.    Ronnie
10.  Seth

The Highest-Climbing Girls Names Of 2014
1.    Harper
2.    Thea
3.    Darcie
4.    Lottie
5.    Elsie
6.    Orla
7.    Ivy
8.    Eliza
9.    Heidi
10.  Evelyn

[Celebrity Baby Names: The Most Unique Choices Of 2014]

[Most Popular Baby Names 2014: The UK’s Top Choices Revealed]

What name did you give your child? Let us know in the comments.