Top 10 most popular baby names in Britain

During pregnancy the most talked about thing is what sex your child is going to be and what you are going to call it. This is one of the most important decisions parents have to make when having a child as the baby will be called the chosen name for the rest of lives.

This is a list of the most popular baby names from 2007-2008. They are listed in popularity from top to bottom and there is also the explanation of what the baby name means.

The list of the most popular baby names in Britain and Wales through time shows how popular babies names evolve over time, with traditional names staying on top while more modern names are struggling to come through. The situation in the UK is very different from the States, where more unique, unusual and modern names can be found in the top 10. Let's see if in 2008 the times will come for modern names to become popular in the UK as well, or if parents will continue to prefer more classic names.

Top ten most popular Girls & Boys baby names of 2007

Top 10 boy baby names 2007

1. Jack

2. Thomas

3. Oliver

4. Joshua

5. Harry

6. Charlie

7. Daniel

8. William

9. James

10. Alfie

Top 10 girl baby names 2007

1. Grace

2. Ruby

3. Olivia

4. Emily

5. Jessica

6. Sophia

7. Chloe

8. Lily

9. Ella

10. Amelia

These are a list of the top 10 girl and boy baby names for 2007. This information has been taken from the national statistics website and the records are valid.

Below you will find the meanings of each name listed above and a detailed description of where the name has originated from ad any other information that i could find. I hope you find this article helpful, and it possibly helps you to chose the correct baby name for your newly born child, and good luck with the rest of your pregnancy / motherhood.

The top 10 most popular Boys baby names of 2007 meanings.

JACK

Derived from Jackin (earlier Jankin), a medieval diminutive of JOHN. It has long been regarded as an independent name. During the middle Ages it was very common, and it became a slang word meaning "man". It was frequently used in fairy tales and nursery rhymes, such as 'Jack and the Beanstalk', 'Little Jack Horner', and 'Jack Sprat'. American writers Jack London (1876-1916) and Jack Kerouac (1922-1969) were two famous bearers of this name.

THOMAS

Greek form of the Aramaic name Te'oma which meant "twin". In the New Testament this was the name of the apostle who initially doubted the resurrected Jesus. According to tradition he was martyred in India. Due to his renown, the name came into general use in the Christian world.

In England the name was introduced by the Normans and became very popular due to Saint Thomas Becket, a 12th-century Archbishop of Canterbury and martyr. Another notable saint by this name was the 13th-century Italian philosopher and theologian Thomas Aquinas, who is regarded as a Doctor of the Church. Other famous bearers include philosopher Thomas Hobbes (1588-1679), American president Thomas Jefferson (1743-1826), novelist Thomas Hardy (1840-1928), and inventor Thomas Edison (1847-1931).

OLIVER

Norman French form of a Germanic name, possibly the name Alfihar meaning "elf army". The spelling was altered by association with Latin oliva "olive tree". In the middle Ages the name became well-known in Western Europe because of the French epic 'La Chanson de Roland', in which Olivier was a friend and advisor of the hero Roland.

In England Oliver was a common medieval name; however it became rare after the 17th century because of the military commander Oliver Cromwell, who ruled the country following the civil war. The name was revived in the 19th century, perhaps in part due to the title character in Charles Dickens' novel 'Oliver Twist' (1838), which was about a poor orphan living on the streets of London.

JOSHUA

From the Hebrew name יְהוֹשֻׁעַ (Yehoshu'a) meaning "YAHWEH is salvation". Joshua was one of the twelve spies sent into Canaan by Moses in the Old Testament. After Moses died Joshua succeeded him as leader of the Israelites. As an English name, Joshua has been in use since the Protestant Reformation.

The name Jesus comes from a Greek translation of the Aramaic short form יֵשׁוּעַ (Yeshu'a), which was the real name of Jesus.

HARRY

Medieval English form of HENRY. In modern times it is used as a diminutive of both Henry and HAROLD. A famous bearer was American president Harry S. Truman (1884-1972). It is also the name of the boy wizard in J. K. Rowling's 'Harry Potter' series of books, first released in 1997.

CHARLIE

This is a diminutive or feminine form of CHARLES. A famous bearer is Charlie Brown, the main character in the comic strip 'Peanuts' by Charles Schulz.

DANIEL

From the Hebrew name דָנִיֵּאל (Daniyyel) meaning "God is my judge". Daniel was a Hebrew prophet whose story is told in the Book of Daniel in the Old Testament. He lived during the Jewish captivity in Babylon, where he served in the court of the king, rising to prominence by interpreting the king's dreams. The book also presents Daniel's four visions of the end of the world.

Due to the popularity of the biblical character, the name came into use in England during the middle Ages. Though it became rare by the 15th century, it was revived after the Protestant Reformation. Famous bearers of this name include English author Daniel Defoe (1660-1731), Swiss mathematician Daniel Bernoulli (1700-1782), and American frontiersman Daniel Boone (1734-1820).

WILLIAM

From the Germanic name Wilhelm, which was composed of the elements will "will, desire" and helm "helmet, protection". Saint William of Gellone was an 8th-century cousin of Charlemagne who became a monk. The name was common among the Normans, and it became extremely popular in England after William the Conqueror was recognized as the first Norman king of England. It was later borne by three other English kings, as well as rulers of Scotland, Sicily (of Norman origin), the Netherlands and Prussia.

Other famous bearers include William Wallace, a 13th-century Scottish hero, and William Tell, a legendary 14th-century Swiss hero. In the literary world it was borne by dramatist William Shakespeare (1564-1616), poet William Blake (1757-1827), poet William Wordsworth (1770-1850), dramatist William Butler Yeats (1865-1939), author William Faulkner (1897-1962), and author William S. Burroughs (1914-1997)

JAMES

English form of the Late Latin name Iacomus which was derived from Ιακωβος (Iakobos), the New Testament Greek form of the Hebrew name יַעֲקֹב (Ya'aqov) (see JACOB). This was the name of two apostles in the New Testament. The first was Saint James the Greater, the Apostle John's brother, who was beheaded under Herod Agrippa in the Book of Acts. The second was James the Lesser, son of Alphaeus. Another James (known as James the Just) is also mentioned in the Bible as being the brother of Jesus.

Since the 13th century this form of the name has been used in England, though it became more common in Scotland, where it was borne by several kings. In the 16th century the Scottish king James VI inherited the English throne, becoming the first ruler of all Britain, and the name grew much more popular. Famous bearers include the explorer Captain James Cook (1728-1779), the inventor of the steam engine James Watt (1736-1819), and the novelist and poet James Joyce (1882-1941). This name has also been borne by six American presidents. A notable fictional bearer is the British spy James Bond, created by author Ian Fleming.

ALFIE

Diminutive of ALFRED

The top 10 most popular Girls baby names of 2007 meanings.

GRACE

From the English word grace, this ultimately derives from Latin gratia. This was one of the virtue names created in the 17th century by the Puritans. The actress Grace Kelly (1929-1982) was a famous bearer.

RUBY

Simply means "ruby" from the name of the precious stone (which ultimately derives from Latin ruber "red"), which is the birthstone of July. It came into use as a given name in the 19th century.

OLIVIA

This name was first used in this spelling by William Shakespeare for a character in his comedy 'Twelfth Night' (1602). Shakespeare may have based it on the name OLIVER or the Latin word oliva meaning "olive". In the play Olivia is a noblewoman who is wooed by Duke Orsino but instead falls in love with his messenger Cesario.

The name has been used in the English-speaking world since the 18th century, though it did not become overly popular until the last half of the 20th century. Its rise in popularity in America was precipitated by a character on the 1970s television series 'The Walton’s'.

EMILY

English feminine form of Aemilius (see EMIL). In the English-speaking world it was not common until after the German House of Hanover came to the British throne in the 18th century; the princess Amelia Sophia (1711-1786) was commonly known as Emily in English, even though Amelia is an unrelated name.

Famous bearers include the British author Emily Bronte (1818-1848), who wrote 'Wuthering Heights', and the American poet Emily Dickinson (1830-1886).

JESSICA

This name was first used in this form by Shakespeare in his play 'The Merchant of Venice' (1596), where it belongs to the daughter of Shylock. Shakespeare probably based it on the biblical name ISCAH which would have been spelled Jesca in his time. It was not commonly used as a given name until the middle of the 20th century.

SOPHIA

Means "wisdom" in Greek. This was the name of an early, probably mythical, saint who died of grief after her three daughters were martyred. Legends about her probably arose as a result of a medieval misunderstanding of the phrase Hagia Sophia "Holy Wisdom", which was the name of a large basilica in Constantinople.

This name was common among continental European royalty during the middle Ages, and it was popularized in Britain by the German House of Hanover when they inherited the British throne in the 18th century. It was the name of characters in the novels 'Tom Jones' (1749) by Henry Fielding and 'The Vicar of Wakefield' (1766) by Oliver Goldsmith.

CHLOE

Means "green shoot" in Greek. This was an epithet of the Greek goddess Demeter. The name is also mentioned by Paul in one of his epistles in the New Testament. As an English name, Chloe has been in use since the Protestant Reformation.

LILY

From the name of the flower, a symbol of purity. The word is ultimately derived from Latin lilium.

ELLA

Norman form of the Germanic name Alia, which was a short form of names containing the Germanic element ali meaning "other". It was introduced to England by the Normans and used until the 14th century, and it was later revived in the 19th century. A famous bearer was the American singer Ella Fitzgerald (1917-1996).

AMELIA

Variant of AMALIA, though it is sometimes confused with EMILIA, which has a different origin. The name became popular in England after the German House of Hanover came to the British throne in the 18th century - it was borne by daughters of George II and George III. Another famous bearer was Amelia Earhart (1897-1937), the first woman to make a solo flight over the Atlantic Ocean.