Chardonnay joins a vintage list of names for children

Having set new standards in small-screen kitsch, the television drama Footballers' Wives is taking its toll on children. The character Chardonnay Lane, a glamour model who had a "fairytale" wedding and self-combusting breasts, may have inspired one of the fastest-growing girl's names.

Having set new standards in small-screen kitsch, the television drama Footballers' Wives is taking its toll on children. The character Chardonnay Lane, a glamour model who had a "fairytale" wedding and self-combusting breasts, may have inspired one of the fastest-growing girl's names.

Chardonnay was unheard of as a first name before the "sex and champagne" series, says the Office for National Statistics, which compiles the annual list of children's names from baby registrations.

Sixty-five girls have been registered as Chardonay or Chardonnay in 12 months.

The findings show the impact popular culture has on choosing baby names. The number of girls called Aaliyah rose by 300 to 468, ranked 92, largely in tribute to the R&B singer killed in a plane crash last August. The Colombian pop singer Shakira inspired an eightfold increase in her name and the Oscar-nominated French film Amelie resulted in a twelvefold increase in that name.

For the sixth year, Jack and Chloe were the most popular names. New entries in the boys' top 50 were Harvey (at 46), Charles (47) and Alfie (49). In the girls' top 50, the new entries were Isabelle (47) and Maisie (48).