The most popular boys and girls names in south Essex have been revealed.

The Office for National Statistics has put together data on all the babies born in 2020 and what their names were.

Oliver remained the most popular name for boys in England and Wales for the eighth year in a row in 2020, while Olivia topped the girls’ list for the fifth year in succession, the data shows.

Parents aged 35 and over continued to choose more traditional names, while younger parents opted for more modern and shortened names, the ONS said.

In total, 4,225 baby boys were named Oliver in 2020, down from 4,932 the previous year, while a total of 3,640 newborn girls were named Olivia, down from 4,082.

The name of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s son, Archie, moved up the boys’ list from 19th to ninth, with 2,944 babies named Archie in 2020, up from 2,544 in 2019, and the first time Archie has made the top 10.

It is the first time Charlie has not been in the top 10 since 2005, slipping to 12th place with a total of 2,810 babies named Charlie in 2020, down from 3,355 in 2019.

Since 2010, Ivy has risen 221 places to become the sixth most popular name for girls in England and Wales in 2020.

Arthur and Noah have seen an increase in popularity over the last two decades, both rising more than 200 places in the ranks to the boys’ top five in 2019 and 2017 respectively.

What were the most popular names in south Essex?

Unsurprisingly, the top names nationally were also the top names in our region.

Four out of five of our areas all had the same boys name that came out on top, while the favourite girls’ names were all in the nation’s top 10 favourites.

These were the most popular girl names in each part of south Essex and how many babies were given the name:

Southend

Ivy and Willow came out joint top with 12 each.

Basildon

Following the national trend, Olivia was the most popular with 19.

Castle Point

Olivia was once again the winner here, with a total of 10.

Rochford

The country’s 7th favourite girls name, Lily, was the favourite in Rochford. There were 10 Lilys born in 2020.

Thurrock

Amelia was the top pick in Thurrock with 16.

The most popular boy names in each area were:

Southend

The future king,s name, George, came top with 18.

Basildon

George was also the favourite in Basildon, with 22 parents giving the name to their newborn sons.

Castle Point

The nation’s favourite boys name, Oliver, was the favourite here, with 12.

Rochford

It was George that won again in Rochford, with a total of 13.

Thurrock

George once again came out on top, with 17

'Mother's age has impact on names'

Sian Bradford, of the ONS, said: “Oliver and Olivia held on to the top spots as the most popular boys’ and girls’ names in 2020 but some interesting changes took place beneath them.

“We continue to see the age of mothers having an impact on the choice of baby name.

“Archie jumped into the top 10 boys’ names for the first time, driven by younger mothers as well as the obvious royal link, while on the girls’ side, Ivy rose to sixth place.

“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.”