Which girls' names are the movers and shakers of 2012? And which names are falling out of favour? Our top 40 names for girls tells you which are the Australian parents' favourites. (We have the scoop on the
top 40 boys' names for 2012 too!)
Our list can provide inspiration, or the chance to check that the name you've chosen isn't everyone else's favourite too.
Advertisement | page continues below
To capture true popularity, our exclusive baby names list combines names that sound the same but have multiple spellings. For example
Lily has five,
Emily has four, and
Isabelle has a huge six possible spellings (Isabelle, Isabel, Izabel, Isabell, Izabelle, Isobel).
Top 40 names for girls
- Amelia
- Lily
- Isabella
- Emily
- Chloe
- Charlotte
- Zoe
- Isabelle
- Olivia
- Sophie
- Madison
- Ruby
- Ella
- Sienna
- Isla
- Scarlett
- Sophia
- Mia
- Grace
- Ava
- Emma
- Matilda
- Lucy
- Hannah
- Zara
- Abby
- Jasmine
- Mackenzie
- Hayley
- Mila
- Annabelle
- Chelsea
- Abigail
- Addison
- Eva
- Evie
- Savannah
- Layla
- Molly
- Sarah
Trends for girls
The big change on this year's girls list is the popularity of Amelia which jumped into the number one spot from 12th position last year. The name has been hugely popular in the UK for some time and is also number one there in 2012.
You may be forgiven for thinking you're seeing double in the girls' names list this year. Many of the popular names appear in more than one variation. Isabelle and Isabella are in the top 10, Sophia and Sophie are both in the top 20 and Eva and Evie both appear in the top 40 list.
While the top 40 has a good smattering of the traditional favourite names such as Olivia, Emma and Charlotte, a number of modern names are making strong appearances this year. Madison, Addison, Zara, Hayley, Abby and Mackenzie are all represented in the top 40.
Names on the rise and the fall
There aren't many changes to the top 20 places on the girls' names list this year but plenty of change in position. Isabella rocketing up 10 places to regain its top three position this year and joined by Isabelle in 8th position, up five places.
Zoe is up seven places from 15th position to seventh and Madison is on the rise from 18th to 11th spot. New entrants to the top 20 this year include Isla in 15th place and Scarlett in 16th. Hannah drops out of the 20 but stays popular in 24th spot and Charlie drops out of the top 40 completely along with a drop in the popularity of the name for boys too.
Ruby's reign at the top has declined with the name slipping from third position to 12th. Lucy, Mia and Ava also lost popularity with Ava barely scraping in to 20th position.
Advertisement | page continues below
