Illawarra parents moved away from the top names of the past decade when naming their babies last year, making Jack and Isla the region's most popular choices.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Across the state, Oliver and Charlotte topped the list of baby names for the sixth time since 2010 - but in the Illawarra last year these names both ranked fifth.
For boys, Jack, Leo, Noah and William were all more popular than the state favourite, while for girls, Charlotte was pipped by Isla, Mia, Evie and Amelia.
Luca, Harrison, Liam, Levi and Alexander round out the Illawarra boys' top 10, while Ava, Ella, Lily, Matilda and Lucy rank 6-10 for girls.
Shellharbour mum Tamara Smedley was surprised to hear that her youngest son Jack, four months, had the region's most popular boy's name.
"I'm a bit shocked, because we have so many friends with babies called Oliver - but no other Jacks, and people have actually said to us that it sounds like an old name," she said.
While Jack's middle name, Reid, has sentimental meaning as the last name of his great-grandmother, his first name comes from the animated baby superhero Jack-Jack Parr.
"It was actually my three-year-old son Sonny who chose the name," she said.
"My partner and I were at different scales - he wanted an original name and I wanted something a bit alternate, but our son at that time was watching The Incredibles and he liked the name Jack.
"In our household, Jack is actually called Jack-Jack, and he's known at school by Jack-Jack."
Jack was ranked fourth in the state's most popular names list, while Isla ranked fifth.
NSW top girls names 2019 (number of babies)
- CHARLOTTE (449)
- OLIVIA (428)
- MIA (418)
- AMELIA (415)
- ISLA (360)
- AVA (349)
- CHLOE (310)
- GRACE (292)
- SOPHIA (284)
- ELLA (281)
NSW top boys names 2019 (number of babies)
- OLIVER 568
- NOAH 512
- WILLIAM 466
- JACK 419
- LEO 397
- LUCAS 379
- HENRY 345
- THOMAS 343
- JAMES 322
- ETHAN 317
Be the first to get breaking Illawarra news by subscribing to our newsletters below ...
Kate McIlwain
For more than a decade, I've helped the Illawarra Mercury set the news agenda across the region. Currently I'm the paper's health reporter - covering the stories of Illawarra workers and residents in the wake of a global pandemic and at a time where our health systems are stretched to the limit.
For more than a decade, I've helped the Illawarra Mercury set the news agenda across the region. Currently I'm the paper's health reporter - covering the stories of Illawarra workers and residents in the wake of a global pandemic and at a time where our health systems are stretched to the limit.
