THE most popular baby names of 2020 have been revealed by the Office for National Statistics.

According to the data, Noah was the most popular boys’ name in Wales last year with Olivia being the top choice for girls.

Oliver and Olivia were the top choice across the UK for the fifth year in a row.

The top choices were different to the national trend in west Wales however, with Jac being the top boys’ name in Ceredigion and Mia the favourite girls’ name.

Alys was the top choice for girls born in Gwynedd, with Elis being the top boys’ name in the county.

Oliver and Ava were the top choices in Powys, with Carmarthenshire parents choosing Mali, Olivia and Archie as their favourite baby names.

There was a three-way tie for the top girls’ name in Pembrokeshire, between Amelia, Bonnie and Millie, with Harry being the most popular boys’ name in the county.

Despite Oliver being the top boys’ name for England and Wales, regionally it was only top in the North East.

Muhammad was top in four regions of England and Arthur in three regions.

In Wales, Noah was the top boys’ name but only the fourth most popular name in England and Wales combined.

In 2020, 24.5 per cent of local authorities had at least one top boys’ name that was not in the top 10 for England and Wales.

The lowest ranking top name for a local authority was Jac, who ranked 420th for England and Wales but was the top name for Ceredigion.

Siân Bradford, Vital Statistics Outputs Branch, Office for National Statistics, said: “Oliver and Olivia held onto 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.”

Despite being the most popular boys’ names in Wales, no babies were called Noah in Ceredigion, there were however three baby Olivias born in the county.

In total, 253 girls and 246 boys were born in Ceredigion in 2020.

Gwynedd saw 541 boys and 485 girls born, with Powys seeing 528 boys and 494 girls born.

A total of 539 boys and 486 girls were born in Pembrokeshire, and Carmarthenshire recording 799 girls and 861 boys.

Top baby names in our local area

Girls

• Ceredigion – Mia (6)

• Gwynedd – Alys (9)

• Pembrokeshire – Amelia, Bonnie, Millie (7)

• Carmarthenshire – Mali,

Olivia (12)

• Powys – Ava (12)

Boys

• Ceredigion – Jac (11)

• Gwynedd – Elis (18)

• Pembrokeshire – Harry (11)

• Carmarthenshire – Archie (18)

• Powys – Oliver (12)

Most popular names for newborns in Wales

Girls

1. Olivia (218)

2. Amelia (158)

3. Isla (130)

4. Rosie (127)

5. Ava (117)

5. Lily (117)

7. Mia (115)

8. Ella (114)

8. Willow (114)

10. Freya (113)

Total number of girls born in 2020

13,952

Boys

1. Noah (227)

2. Oliver (207)

3. Leo (197)

4. Theo (190)

5. Finley (175)

6. Arthur (173)

7. George (167)

8. Archie (153)

8. Oscar (153)

10. Charlie (143)

Total number of boys born in 2020

14,686