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

Erm, I've won an award (again, again)!

Anyone who knows me even slightly will know that I feel all a bit embarrassed when it comes to blowing my own trumpet. It's just not me: I'm far more likely to actively run myself down than beef myself up!

So this is all a bit unsettling for me to write - but I've, well, you know, won another award (or, if I was saying this in person to you it would come out as "yeahIwonnotherawardanywaycupoftea?")

So, this latest one (flicks hair in arrogant fashion), is all about me this time (actually if I'm honest, pulls hair down over face): I've been named as the 'Best Online Handmade Gift Shop Owner (UK)' in the 2021 Influential Businesswoman Awards. 

The awards are organised by Acquisition International Magazine, a trade magazine with global coverage. They say, "Acquisition International prides itself on the validity of its awards and winners. The awards are given solely on merit and are awarded to commend those most deserving for their ingenuity and hard work, distinguishing them from their competitors and proving them worthy of recognition."

The organisers went on to say, "The Influential Businesswoman Awards sole objective is to encourage and support women as they further participate in entrepreneurial endeavours as it is our belief that their participation is vital in ensuring a balanced and forward-thinking economy."

I mean, I've had worse Tuesdays! (No seriously, I know I'm playing this down, but I am SERIOUSLY so happy about this - and I've been receiving some absolutely lovely messages and DM's via social media this morning too). A glass of bubbly over dinner tonight it is then: whoop whoop!!

Sarah x

PhotoFairytales has won an award (again)!

 I mean, I think this image says it all really:

Yep, I've only gone and won 'Best International Bespoke Handmade Gifts Retailer 2021' - a bit of a mouthful, but absolutely brilliant none the less!

SME News are a UK trade magazine supporting small and medium sized enterprises. They run various annual awards every year, including their flagship programme UK Enterprise Awards. The Enterprise Awards programme is there to recognise the work done by small and medium businesses, particularly during the difficulties COVID-19 presented over the past year. This year’s winners include UK businesses that range from micro companies with a focus on creating wonderful products, to medium sized businesses with an aim to provide a diverse and inclusive workplace.

Discussing the success of these deserving winners, Awards Coordinator Emma Pridmore praised the programme’s winners: “Congratulations to all the businesses recognised in this year’s awards. It’s always exciting to reach out to people with the good news, and I wish you all the best for the future.”

To say I'm over the moon with this fantastic news is putting it mildly - but I just wanted to say that I honestly wouldn't be here doing this thing that I love, if it weren't for you. I sent a very quick message to all the members of my VIP club about the news yesterday, and it was just so lovely to get loads of emails back congratulating me - I mean, truly lovely - I've not stopped smiling!

So thank you, dear reader - you're what it's all about!

Sarah x

Inflated Exam Results? I think not!

It’s been a big week for our teenagers this week: first A level results on Tuesday, then GCSE results today. No doubt there’s been cheers and tears in lots of households! Thankfully there were cheers here at PhotoFairytales HQ when my daughter received her results on Tuesday - she’s all set now to start her degree in the autumn and everything is good. 

BUT… to let you into a little bit of behind-the-scenes life here, I’m afraid amongst all the cheers there’s been a lot of ranting (and if I’m being perfectly honest, swearing too) - all aimed at the news reports.

As soon as I turned on the breakfast news on Tuesday morning I was instantly hit with news about ‘inflated’ grades, and it was exactly the same again this morning - before our kids had even received their results! Just so that we’re clear here, these are NOT inflated grades. Just because results have been better over the last couple of years doesn’t mean that these students have had it easy or been handed nice, fluffy grades decided on a whim by their teacher to make everyone feel better. I think anyone who thinks for a minute that these teenagers have had it easy, or been handed something on a plate they don’t deserve, is probably not living through this level of the education system first hand.

Let’s look at the challenges they’ve faced: lockdowns (probably tougher on teenagers than just about any age group), some of them have been ill themselves, struggling with anxiety, depression or stress, concerns about schools closing and/or opening, having to wear masks all day long, many have had to deal with family members becoming ill or dying, in many cases poor internet connections, arguments with parents working from home and other siblings over who gets to use the laptop (assuming they have one), trying to find somewhere comfortable and quiet to work (I bet not many had access to a nice ergonomic office chair and desk), patchy support from schools and colleges (because, sorry to say this, but not all teachers and establishments have been ‘absolutely fantastic’ - some were distinctly flaky!). 

Yes, there’s been some schools that have really managed to step up, being there at the end of the phone or internet to give feedback, support and proper teaching in a regulated and timely fashion. Others haven’t. Some teachers went out of their way to make sure their pupils were OK. Others didn’t. So no, not all teachers and schools have been fantastic. Not that I don’t understand (at least in the first lockdown, not so much after that when they’ve had time to adjust), not many of us can adapt to this kind of event without having a wobble! It was expected, however, that the kids knuckled down and worked just as hard as ever: keeping their work to the same standard (if not improving), handing their work in on time and properly completed, etc. That’s a lot to ask from anybody, but for many teens that’s been incredibly tough. And yet they still put in some incredible work for their teachers, the school heads, and the examining board (because it’s not their teachers that have been handing out straight A’s to their favourite pupils - this has been checked and rechecked before the grades were awarded!) - work that got them some brilliant grades. 

We should be celebrating the fact that grades have been great this year, not denigrating it as if its all been a bit too easy and grades have been handed out like sweets.

The newspaper headlines our students really deserve!

The media have also been saying ‘students have been assessed by teachers on the work that they completed’ - which is true, but many would think that means students have had their daily work ticked by Sir or Ms, that’s become their end of year result, and that they’ve only had to learn half the curriculum anyway (so this years cohort is only half educated, so even less deserving of their grades)! This is not the case. 

I can only speak for our own situation and those I’ve witnessed from friends and family, but it hasn’t just been daily work that’s been assessed - this years’ students may not have sat exams in the traditional sense (ie, in a big hall with desks spread apart), but they HAVE been given near constant assessments over the last months, completing exam papers on a weekly basis under exam conditions (so not sitting at home, with their text books open in front of them and given all the time in the world). That’s like sitting exams not just for a couple of weeks, but for months. That’s tough! While these assessments were happening, teachers were still often trying to cram in the entire curriculum - my daughter studied all her modules, just as she would have done in a normal year. Unfortunately, a lot of that was incredibly rushed. That added a huge amount of pressure: not only was she learning new things but she was constantly having to revise and be assessed for the slightly less-new things. It was relentless.

If your child has received good grades, don’t let them for one single minute think that those grades have been ‘inflated’. 

The work they’ve done has been tougher than any other year (in a normal exam year, students are given timeframes, revision lessons, study timetables, mock runs - and more, all to get them prepared… this year hasn’t had that). The grade they’ve received should reflect that gargantuan effort that they’ve put in. They should be proud - inflated, in fact! (Although don’t get me wrong, I think the grade gap between private and state schools is shocking, and that should definitely be addressed!!)

Have you been going through results days in your home this week? Tell me what you've made of it all, I'd love to hear from you!

Sarah :)

BRAND NEW: Personalised Newspapers

I'm so excited by my new range that's just landed this week - these brand new Personalised Newspaper Prints look fantastic in real life, and they are a really unique gift idea too.

Personalised Newspapers, from PhotoFairytales

This new range of designs is really special - personalised from top to bottom: not only in the main article and headlines, but the 'publication' date, the banner and the footer ads. You can even swap the photo for your own picture too!

Not only that, but if you want to slightly tweak the existing storylines - or even completely re-write it with your own wording - that can be done for you too.

The Newspapers are printed on high quality 100% recycled textured paper - in a lovely off-white shade. Because they're A3 size they'll easily fit into any standard A3 size frame too (or a larger frame with a mount that has an A3 sized opening). 

They're really smartly presented with a backing board and sealed in a clear presentation sleeve, so even if you're giving the print as a gift unframed it will still look fabulous!

I've got a range of designs available (and I'm sure there'll be more coming over the next few months too), so if you're looking for a special and original gift for friends or loved ones head over to the site now and take a look! Click here to see the full range of Personalised Newspapers

Sarah :)