Amelia and Luca revealed as most popular baby names in Bedford in 2023

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The most popular names for babies born in Bedford last year have now been released.

Amelia was the most popular for the girls in 2023, with 16 babies given that name – in 2022, Sofia was the most popular name, which was chosen for 14 babies.

Across England and Wales, Olivia, Amelia and Isla held the top three spots for baby girl names for the second year in a row, with Olivia the top-ranking name since 2016.

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Meanwhile, Luca was the most popular for boys in Bedford, with the name given to 16 babies – this replaced Muhammad in 2022, which was chosen for 25 newborns.

Amelia and Luca were the most popular baby names in Bedford in 2023 (Picture: Pixabay)Amelia and Luca were the most popular baby names in Bedford in 2023 (Picture: Pixabay)
Amelia and Luca were the most popular baby names in Bedford in 2023 (Picture: Pixabay)

The rankings were created using the exact spellings of names given on birth certificates, meaning similar names with different spellings were counted separately.

Three variations of Muhammad made the list of the top 100 baby boys’ names in England and Wales.

Muhammad ranked first with 4,661 boys being given the name, while Mohammed came in 28th with 1,601 and Mohammad came 68th with 835.

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The data, published by the Office for National Statistics, also shows Muhammad was the most popular boys’ name in four out of nine regions in England and 63rd most popular in Wales.

New entries into the top 100 baby names include Hazel, Lilah, Autumn, Nevaeh and Raya for girls and Jax, Enzo and Bodhi for boys.

For baby girls, seasonal names were more popular, with Autumn and Summer increasing in popularity, particularly during their respective seasons; both names are in the top 100.

In contrast, in December the names Holly, Robyn and Joseph were more popular.

Pop culture also appeared to play a role in baby names.

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Following the summer blockbuster film Barbie, starring Margot Robbie, there were an additional 215 baby girls called Margot compared with 2022. The name ranked 44th out of the 100 most popular baby girl names.

There was also an increase in pop music artists’ names in 2023, including Billie, Lana, Miley, and Rihanna for girls, and Kendrick and Elton for boys.

However royal names were less popular in 2023.

George ranked fourth, with 3,494 babies being given the name, down from third with 3,699 a year earlier.

Charlotte ranked 23rd for girls with 1,373, up three places from 2022 – despite being given to fewer newborns.

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