According to research by The Children’s Mutual, leading Child Trust Fund (CTF) provider, Jack and Olivia have maintained their position as the most popular baby names in the UK for a second year.

Jack leads the pack at the head of the Top 10 boys’ names, which have remained the same for the past two years. However, a review of almost 150,000 new CTF account holder names revealed that the girls’ names are more imaginative, varied and less traditional than the boys’ names.

With newcomers Amelia and Evie entering the list this year, the Top 10 girls’ names has had new entrants for the last three years despite Olivia clinching the top spot for the last two. Ava, Freya and Isabelle have entered the Top 20 for the first time. However in contrast, there have been falls for Grace, Lucy, Katie and Megan during 2009.

Within the top boys’ names there are some signs of influence from celebrity names, with Lewis racing into the Top 20 and both princes’ names, William and Harry, staying in the Top 10. Harry Potter also appears to have had some influence, with Harry and leading actor Daniel Radcliffe’s first name both having moved up the chart.

Tony Anderson, Marketing Director at The Children’s Mutual, said: “We’ve had lots of new children on our books in the past 12 months, with almost 150,000 new accounts opened, and it’s always interesting to see how the trends in babies names change each year. We realise that choosing a name can be daunting for parents as they want to give their child the best start in life.

“As well as the choice of name, parents should also be considering their child’s future and how they plan to save for important milestones such as university or a first car. If parents top up their child’s CTF monthly by £24 – the average amount saved by customers – these 2009 babies could receive a lump sum of over £9,750 when they reach 18.”

Child Trust Funds are designed to provide a tax efficient, long term savings vehicle for all eligible children. Each eligible child (born on or after 1 September 2002) receives a £250 (£500 for low income families) Child Trust Fund voucher from the Government when their parents register for Child Benefit. The Government will make a second contribution of £250 (£500 for low income families) when the child reaches seven and potentially a third in the child’s teenage years.

Via EPR Network
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