Tradition is in fashion for Kiwi parents-to-be

News release
Date: 7 August 2006

Tradition is in fashion for Kiwi parents-to-be

New Zealand parents-to-be are traditionalists when it comes to planning names for their offspring according to the results of a new survey

The online survey, conducted by New Zealand maternity fashion company EGG, asked parents-to-be to disclose the name they planned to call their new arrival.

The results show that the most popular girl’s name is Ella while Jack is by far the most popular boy’s name.

Following closely behind Ella is Isabella, Charlotte, Emily and Olivia. The most popular names for boys after Jack are Oliver, Riley, Ethan and Thomas.

New Zealand statistics show a steady rise in popularity for these names since 1999.

Baby names compiled from birth registration forms received by the Department of Internal Affairs show that Ella has shifted from twelfth place to third from 1999 – 2003 and Jack from fifth place to second.

Charlotte Devereux, director and designer at EGG, is pleased to see traditional names in favour and believes that it harks back to a more romantic age.

“We may dress our children differently from previous generations and transport them in 4WD buggies nowadays, but when it comes to naming them, tradition wins the day,” she says.

While the majority of parents-to-be are sticking with traditional names, some of the more unusual names that made the list include Cail, Navara, Tarkyn and Tanielle.

A total of 689 responses were recorded in the survey, which was live on EGG’s Web site for all of July 2006. The survey was carried out to mark the start of online selling on EGG’s web site.

ENDS

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