Edinburgh's top 10 most popular baby names revealed

Jack came out as Edinburgh’s most popular boys’ name for 2016, with 37 babies born over the past 11 months.

It meant the Capital fell in line with the rest of the nation, which saw Jack hold on to its number one ranking for a ninth consecutive year.

Meanwhile, when it came to the Capital’s girls, Isla and Sophie were joint first, with both names each bestowed upon 41 babies.

The year’s most popular names were announced yesterday by National Records of Scotland, which registered 24,489 girls and 26,408 boys in Scotland over the course of 2016.

Of these, 4743 children were given first forenames that were unique to them.

Edinburgh’s second most popular boys’ name was tied between Alexander and James, both with 34 babies, followed by Archie and Thomas, which were tied with 31.

Olivia was came just short of the city’s top spot with 37 babies, coming just above Emily with 35 babies and Charlotte with 30.

And in the year Edinburgh was visited by Hollywood hunk Leonardo DiCaprio, the A-lister may be pleased to hear Leo also made it into the Capital’s top ten, with 28 babies given the name.

Fiona Hyslop, Cabinet Secretary for Culture, Europe and External Affairs, said: “It’s always fascinating and fun to see the names Scotland’s parents are giving to their newborns.

“Choosing a name for your child is such a huge decision. It’s their introduction to the world and usually stays with them for the rest of their lives.

“The trend for unique names remains far higher than it has been in previous decades, indicating that today’s parents are putting a lot of thought into choosing names for their babies. “I note that so far, ‘Fiona’ does not appear in this year’s top 100, so it may appeal to parents who are expecting a girl next year and looking for a rarer name.”

Jack proved similarly popular across the Lothians, taking first place in Midlothian with 14 babies, while tying with Harris for the top spot in East Lothian with 11 babies each.

Some 15 babies in East Lothian were named Sophie, making it the area’s most popular girls’ name, while in Midlothian the equivalent title went to Emily with 12.

This was also the most popular choice in West Lothian with 19 new babies given the name.

However, the local authority was more split when it came to the boys, with a three-way tie for most popular name being shared by Alexander, Finlay and Oliver.

Each was given to 17 babies in 2016.

While the Capital opted for the more traditional, the list also showed some more unusual choices to be growing in popularity.

Jaxon was listed in the top ten boys’ names for Falkirk, Clackmannanshire and Stirling, while six babies in Argyll and Bute were named Murray – perhaps inspired by a certain sports star?

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