NSW’s top baby names revealed
Jessica Sarkissian knows a lot of Jessicas. This is no surprise: the name was the most popular name for girls born in NSW every year from 1984 until its birth year in 2000.
“My sisters begged my mom to call me Jessica,” she said.
The new mum from Bonnyrigg is likely to have some advice for her four-month-old baby Noah. Its name, which means “rest” in Hebrew, was the state’s most popular name for the second year in a row last year.
“We’ll be Miss and Mr. Popular,” she laughed.
Rupen and Jessica Sarkissian, Armenian Christians, chose Noah because of its powerful biblical meaning. “That’s how we want him to live life: a strong leader, forward-looking, faith first,” Jessica said.
Charlotte is the top girls’ name for 2025 on the NSW Births, Deaths and Marriages shortlist; For the second year in a row, it consolidated its status after a brief fall to fifth in 2023.
Dee Why’s Ally and Luke Wallace, who welcomed baby Charlotte on October 7, decided on the name immediately after learning they were having a daughter.
“When we found out we were pregnant, I looked at the list of the top 100 baby names and saw that it was one of the best — but I thought it was popular for a reason,” Ally said.
“We thought it would always stay in style and be timeless.”
Ally, who is also Alexandra, said she also liked the fact that Charlotte had many nicknames, including Lottie and Charlie.
“When he grows up, he can choose the one he likes,” he said.
Olivia Squires and partner Jordan D’Arcy Gay of Bargo took some time to decide on their son’s name, but Squires said Noah was “the only one who stuck with them.”
“We didn’t really have a reason, we just really liked it,” he said.
Noah Stephen was born on September 30, after Squires’ father.
Halfway through the 2020s, data from the past six years suggests Charlotte and Noah could be the dominant names of this decade.
Despite only topping the list three times, Noah extended his lead last year, with almost 100 more children named Noah than second-placed Oliver, the clear favorite for boys born in the 2010s.
Charlotte was already the most popular girl name of the 2010s, narrowly beating out Olivia.
While Jessica led the 1980s and 1990s for girls, historical data from NSW Births, Deaths and Marriages shows that the name of the most boys in the 1980s was Matthew, topping the list seven times in the decade.
Joshua was the most popular boys’ name in the 1990s and was the most popular choice every year between 1993 and 2002. In 2003, Jack took over the top of the list for that decade, while Emily was the most popular name among girls born in the 2000s.
Michael and Michelle were two of the most popular names in NSW during the 1970s; David and Karen, however, dominated the 1960s.
But while some leading names have staying power (Michael has been in the top 100 every year since the lists began in 1952, and the latest data shows 96 were born in 2024), others have all but vanished years after reaching the top.
Although Karen was the 12th most popular name just a decade ago, it had fallen out of the top 100 in 1987.
When it comes to the most popular baby names of 2025, parents’ top picks have remained relatively stable over the past few years.
For men, Oliver and Theodore were once again the second and third most popular candidates after occupying the same positions in 2024.
While Levi and Jack returned to the top 10, Charlie and Lucas fell behind. Elijah rose to seventh place after breaking into the top 10 again last year.
Amelia was once again the second most popular name among girls, while Isla came in third. Lily and Sienna re-entered the top 10, replacing Harper and Evelyn.
Hazel is a name that has become newly popular among girls, and after its rapid rise over the last decade, it is ranked ninth: in 2014, when the name first entered the Births, Deaths and Marriages top 100 list, Hazel’s number was only 75, compared to 248 last year.
Customer Services Minister Jihad Dib congratulated all families having babies in 2025, saying the list of top names was “always fascinating”.
“This list reflects both timeless favorites like Noah and Charlotte and emerging trends with names like Hazel and Elijah,” he said.
Parents in NSW have 60 days to register their baby’s birth, so the top 10 list is subject to change. In 2022, Oliver was announced as the top baby name, but when the list was finalized, Noah beat him by two entries.
The top 100 baby names of 2025 will be announced later this year.
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