Boy, Banksy, Costly and Jihad among unique names given to babies last year

There are are greater variety of names being given to babies than previous generations, records show. Credit: PA

Banksy, Daemon and Jihad were among the more unusual names given to babies in Scotland last year, data shows.

A record high number of names were only to given to one child in 2023, according to the National Records of Scotland (NRS).

The non-ministerial department says a greater variety of names were also given out, compared to previous generations.

Boy, Demigod, Howl and Shady were included in the 2,362 unique names chosen for boys.

Among the 2,983 unique names given to girls in were Alloy, Costly, Pasty, Wynter-J, La and Na.

The name Cillian has surged in popularity since Cillian Murphy's performance in Oppenheimer. Credit: PA

Luca became the most popular baby boy name in Scotland for the first time, pushing Noah into second place. Isla is back in the top spot for girls, for the first time since 2020, with 274 newborns given the name, overtaking Olivia. NRS statistician Phillipa Haxton said: “There are more names in use today than there were in previous generations. “The number of different names for boys reached a new all-time high in 2023, as did the number of unique names given to only one child in the year. “The same pattern was observed for girls’ names, and the variety of names given to girls is still greater than for boys.” Luca climbed four places to take the top spot, with 344 boys given the name.

Banksy was among one of the unique names given to babies in Scotland. Credit: @Banksy/Instagram

Leo remains third, while Jack has dropped out of the top three names for boys for the first time since 1996, falling to fourth place, and Harris is fifth. For girls, Freya is still the third most common name, followed by Emily and Amelia. The NRS suggests the Pixar film Luca could be behind the name’s rise as it was the 43rd most popular boys’ name in Scotland prior to the film’s release in 2021.Blockbuster hits are thought to be behind the rise in a few different names, with Cillian up 24 places to 99 after Cillian Murphy starred in Oppenheimer.

Margot has risen 57 places to 106th following Margot Robbie’s lead role in Barbie.

New entrants in the top 100 names include Oakley, which rose 64 places to 87th, and Mabel, which jumped 102 places to joint 93rd.

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