OLIVER has once again proven to be Victoria’s most popular boys name chosen by parents last year, while Charlotte has clinched the top spot for girls.

Attorney, General Jaclyn Symes has announced the Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages Victoria list of top 100 popular baby names for 2021, with Charlotte and Oliver contending over Olivia and Noah.

In a move unsurprising to parents of any Olivers around the state, the reigning name since 2013 has now topped the list for boys eight years running, beating out Noah, Jack and Charlie.

Over the course of Oliver’s eight-year reign, 4197 babies have received the popular name.

Olivia and Charlotte have been locked in a tussle, battling it out for the coveted number one spot on the girls list for almost a decade, whilst Charlotte took the crown, nudging ahead of Olivia, Isla, Amelia and Mia.

While Oliver has had an impressive streak at the top, the name still hasn’t reached the peaks of the name John, which is the longest running top baby name for boys for its 23-year streak from 1929 to 1951.

The longest running girls name was the royal name Margaret for 24 years from 1929 to 1952.

Names with a royal flavour like Charlotte, Archie, Henry and William continue to prove to growing in popularity and becoming a staple in the library of baby books. 

Matilda Venning (front page), nine months, is amongst the 284 babies in the state to have the classic Australian name of Matilda, which has cracked the top 10 for the past two years.

Her parents, Todd and Laura Venning, said they chose the name when they met her in the hospital and it “felt right,” only realising a family connection afterwards.

Mrs and Mr Venning didn’t know the sex of the baby until birth, so they had “many names in mind,” they said, but ultimately liked how classic and Australian Matilda was.

Names such as Grace, Amelia, Jack and Charlie dominate the pointy end of the list, with Willow and Hazel for girls and Leo and Theodore gaining the most rise in the past decade.

In 2021, 76,410 births were registered in Victoria – up from 74,620 in 2020 – including 551 Olivers and 410 Charlottes.

For those interested in coffee-related baby names, BrewSmartly.com has listed the most popular names for 2021 with Santos as the top pick, which has Spanish origins meaning ‘saint’ (and is an Arabian coffee bean) placing 437th in the world and 2044 babies named “Coffee” born.

Parents have 60 days to register their baby’s name and can do so easily online and for free with the Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages.