The top UK baby names for 2021 - revealed!

Every year the Office for National Statistics releases lists of the most popular baby names in England and Wales for the past year. The latest information was released this week - and it would seem a certain royal baby has had a big influence on new parents!

The list toppers: To kick things off, Oliver and Olivia have remained the most popular names for baby girls and boys. Oliver first made the top spot back in 2009, fell to 2nd place in 2011 and 2012, then rose back to the number 1 spot in 2013 and has remained there ever since. Whilst Olivia first reached number one in 2008, fell back to 2nd place between 2011-15, then rose back to the number 1 spot in 2016 where it remains still.

Risers and fallers: Grace and Freya have been knocked out of the top 10 spot, taken over by Ivy and Rosie. Similarly, Archie has taken over from Charlie in the top 10 for boys, appearing in the top 10 for the first time (most likely due to the arrive of Harry & Meghan's baby born in 2019). Ivy has risen in popularity a huge 221 places in the last 10 years, becoming the 6th most popular name for baby girls. Similarly, Arthur and Noah have increased in popularity over the last 20 years, both rising over 200 places. This is the first time in 15 years that Charlie hasn't been in the top 10. The largest movers however were Milo, Otis and Maeve - all 3 names have been rapidly gaining popularity amongst new parents although they still haven't reached the top 10.

The influence of age: It seems that older mums are choosing traditional and longer names for both boys or girls, whilst younger mums are doing the complete opposite and opting for shortened versions of traditional names, such as Tommy rather than Thomas. For mums over 35, the top 10 names are Amelia, Ava, Charlotte, Isla, Emily, Ava, Florence, Sophie, Sophia and Mia for girls, and Oliver, George, Jack, Muhammad, Noah, Thomas, Alexander, Arthur, Leo and William for boys. Whereas mothers under 25 are choosing shorter and abbreviated names - Noah, Archie, Leo, Arthur, Theo, Tommy, Freddie, Oliver, Oscar and Finley for boys, and Amelia, Ava, Olivia, Ivy, Isla, Isabella, Mia, Willow, Harper and Elsie for girls.

The top 10 boys' names are:

Oliver (no change from 2019)

George (no change from 2019)

Arthur (up 1 place from 2019)

Noah (down 1 place from 2019)

Muhammad (up 2 places from 2019)

Leo (no change from 2019)

Oscar (up 3 places from 2019)

Harry (down 3 places from 2019)

Archie (up 10 places from 2019)

Jack (down 2 places from 2019)

The top 10 girls' names are:

Olivia (no change from 2019)

Amelia (no change from 2019)

Isla (no change from 2019)

Ava (no change from 2019)

Mia (no change from 2019)

Ivy (up 6 places from 2019)

Lily (up 2 places from 2019)

Isabella (down 2 places from 2019)

Rosie (up 5 places from 2019)

Sophia (down 3 places from 2019)

And the names at the bottom of the top 100? Aisha for the girls, and Myles for the boys.

But of course, all of this doesn't mean a thing - whichever name you choose for your baby (assuming you don't choose something like 'Ikea' or 'Trixie-Biscuit') will be perfect. Although, as the parent of a teenager, I can pretty much guarantee that whatever you do choose they'll moan about it at some point!!

Sarah x

Brand New: Personalised Door Hangers

Time for some spring newbies!... This is a project I’ve been working on for weeks now, an idea I’ve had in my head that I simply had to put into action: introducing my new personalised wooden door hangers! 

I wanted to introduce a line that was practical and would prove to be a really useful gift idea for people. I’ve created 9 different designs for the range, with something for all ages - from baby’s nursery to mum’s home office. 

The hangers are really robust, made from natural birch wood. Although they’re strong, they’re also really light so if you want to take it with you on your travels it will slide easily into your work bag. Each door hanger features the natural wood grain, so every one is unique. They’ve been very carefully sanded for a really smooth to the touch finish too. 

Each design is available in simple, classic black - I wanted to create something that would fit into any surrounding, with a modern smart feel.

Each door hanger is handmade to order, and comes with free UK delivery (of course)! Visit the website by clicking here to view all nine designs.

Hope you like them, 

Sarah x

Personalised Adoption Gift ideas

Over the years, I’ve been lucky enough to work on some lovely gift ideas for families that have adopted, or are going through the process of adopting, a child. One of the most popular gifts over the years has been the personalised board books which work really well as an introduction welcome book for the child or baby.

I wanted to increase the range of personalised adoption gift ideas to offer more choice, and so I’ve introduced a whole new range of gorgeous gifts to celebrate this exciting moment in your family’s life.

Personalised Adoption Gift Ideas from PhotoFairytales.co.uk

Whether you’re adopting a child into your own family, you want to say ‘thank you’ to someone who has helped you on your adopting journey, or you want to give a thoughtful memento to friends or family who have recently adopted, I think you’ll discover some truly thoughtful and special keepsakes to mark the moment.

From personalised art prints and family trees, to handmade books, wooden gifts and plaques - I hope you’ll enjoy my range of adoption gift ideas and discover a special gift to mark this exciting time.

Sarah :)

New Gift Range: New Baby Birth Prints

One of the latest additions to the PhotoFairytales range of gifts are my new personalised Birth Prints...

Available in a choice of different colours, they're a lovely contemporary style print that I think will look gorgeous in the new nursery.

The perfect gift when a new baby arrives, and a really unique present for a christening or naming ceremony too.

Each print features the child's name and date of birth, along with lots of other information such as time, weight, etc. There's even a space for you to add your own lovely message for the recipient that they'll be able to read and treasure when they're older.

Priced at £16.50, including free 1st class delivery. Find them on the website as part of the 'Gifts for Baby' range here.

Hope you like!
Sarah x

Barking Mad Baby Names

When our lovely daughter Amy was still “the Bump” we became obsessed with names - right down to scouring the credits at the end of every programme and film (“Audrey Thexton - that’s a bit different, would that work? Maybe not…”). 

It was such a responsibility to plump for the right one: we couldn’t choose something too cutesy because she might became Prime Minister one day (Angel Thexton, Prime Minister). It couldn’t be anything that would date (think ‘Ethel’, or ‘Mavis’). We weren’t the kind of people to do a Beckham or a Bowie (ie, calling her something utterly mad like ‘Trixie-Biscuit’). It couldn’t start with a “th” or a “ph” because with a surname like Thexton that would make everyone sound like they had a lisp (try saying Thelma Thexton and you’ll see what I mean!).

And then there was the other problem, the one that nobody likes to mention… the really, really popular names. The ones that are so popular that if you shout them out loud in the park the chances are 5 toddlers, a cat and 4 dogs will all look up at you. You know the ones I mean I’m sure… So what if we got a bit ironic and went in the opposite direction, and called her “Scamp”? Or “Patch” (bit too eczema-y?) Or what about “Lassie”?? No, perhaps not.

The problem is, everyone is giving their pets human names - even we’ve named our dog Freddy. And there’s a cute Jack Russell dog right here in Belton called Alan. The other day we walking Freddy when we met Pete, the greyhound. A friend of mine once had a Labrador called Dave…

Don’t get me wrong, when it comes to Freddy we are all completely guilty of giving him human characteristics to match his human name. It isn’t just the Paris Hiltons of this world that are guilty of turning pets into baby substitutes (even when you actually do have a real, human baby!). I guess it’s just the inevitable side effect of the human need to nurture - especially anything that has big innocent eyes!

So how did we end up with the name “Amy”? A nice lady working in Boots struck up a conversation over my bump, and mentioned it was one of her favourites. Amy…. Amy Thexton…. I like it... I like it a lot…. middle name Rose…. and Amy means ‘beloved’ which is lovely… yes, perfect!

So how did you come up with a name for your child? Did you research the meaning of the name? Did you find it all as tricky as we did?! Leave a comment and let me know, I’d love to hear about your experience too!

Sarah x

More new designs...!

I'm on a design roll at the moment, so there are yet another two new designs that have just been added to the "Meaning of Name" print collection!

Both are available in options for boy or girls, and come with a choice of frame finishes.

At just £17.50 including UK P&P, these are a perfect christening gift or present for new parents. They will look lovely in the new nursery!

View the whole range here: http://photofairytales.co.uk/meaningofname.html

Hope you like them -would love to hear what you think, so do feel free to leave a comment.

Sarah x

Loads of discounts on Baby items!

I'm a member of a great networking site for women who run their own businesses (www.mumsclub.co.uk). Since joining, I've made some great contacts and got to know loads of lovely ladies who, like me, run their own business: some online, some on the high street. The members represent a huge range: from the one-woman business, to the multi-staffed long established company.

Earlier this year myself and a small group of other members got together and produced a little leaflet offering discounts and special offer codes. It was such a success, that we decided to do it again - but this time even bigger! We have produced a glossy brochure which is going to be distributed up and down the country this Autumn at major Mother, Baby & Toddler events.

The brochure is packed with a big range of discounts on items that every new mum or mum-to-be could possibly want: from pushchairs to nappies, from gifts to nursery furniture, from christening gowns and keepsakes to maternity bras!

Even if you're not going to be attending any of the Baby Events later this year, you can still get a look at the brochure (and of course use the discounts too!). Just click on the image above or here for more details. And if you know anyone with a new baby (or one on the way), do let them know about this great book of money off deals.

Best wishes, Sarah