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It's bye-bye Chris, hello Caleb as old favourites pushed off top names list

Ruby is the top name for baby girls in Wales, most probably influenced by Charlotte Church's daughter

Adam Sherwin
Friday 29 July 2011 00:00 BST
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The hit song "Sex on Fire" seems to have been a memorable soundtrack for many amorous couples after the name Caleb entered the list of most popular boys' names for the first time.

The sudden arrival of the Hebrew name for "God's servant" appears to be a tribute to Caleb Followill, singer with the US band Kings of Leon, whose 2008 hit has become one of the festival season's most popular anthems.

There is little change at the top of the most popular baby names in England and Wales, where Oliver and Olivia remained first choice, according to the Office for National Statistics. The influence of celebrities over the naming of new-borns remains. Jenson is also among the six new entries in the top 100. The timing suggests that British racing driver Jenson Button's 2009 World Championship victory was on the minds of some parents.

Dexter is also a new arrival, possibly inspired by Dexter Morgan, the police forensics man with a sideline in serial killing from the eponymous US television drama series. The other new male entries are Oliver-derivative Ollie, Bobby and Kayden, a name previously associated with US porn actresses but now found among that key cultural barometer: The X Factor contestants and their relatives.

The rush of new entries has pushed popular names from years past out of the top 100, including Christopher, the most popular boys' name as recently as 1984. Simon, Jonathan, Paul and Steven have also dropped out.

New entries in the top 100 most popular girls' names were Annabelle, Eliza, Laila, Aisha, Maryam and Maisy.

Jack held on to second place in the boys' category after slipping from the top spot last year following a 14-year reign. Harry and Alfie held on to third and fourth places respectively in the boys' rankings and Charlie climbed came in at five.

Sophie jumped three places up the rankings, making it the second most popular name for girls. Amelia also made it into the top five. Despite Ruby's fall to seventh in the national rankings, it was the top name for baby girls in Wales, possibly because it is the name of Charlotte Church's three-year-old daughter.

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