An enduring favourite has reclaimed the number one spot on the list of the Illawarra's top baby names, joined by another perennially popular moniker - although a more surprising entry has also shot to the top.
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Data from the NSW Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages shows Amelia and Oliver were the favourite names for parents of new babies in 2020 in both the Illawarra and NSW.
In the Illawarra, 30 babies were named Oliver last year, while 19 girls were named Amelia or Willow.
Oliver was number five on the region's 2019 list, but it was also the most popular boy's name in 2018.
Meanwhile, Amelia jumped from fourth position in 2019 up to equal first, and was also among the top 10 girls names for the Illawarra in 2018 and 2017.
But Willow skyrocketed from number 27 in 2019 to reach the top.
Tammy van Duuren and Jack Forsyth have both a girl named Amelia, who is two and a half, and an 11-week-old boy, Oliver.
Ms van Duuren said they did not find out Oliver's gender before his birth, but she had the same pregnancy she'd had with Amelia, so they were convinced their baby would be a girl, too.
She said she craved olives throughout her pregnancy - even though she did not like them - so she and Mr Forsyth picked out the name Olivia.
But that was easy to adapt to Oliver when their little boy arrived.
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"It just perfectly suits him," Ms van Duuren said.
Oliver was a "cheeky little boy", she said, and even though he had a bit of a rough start to life - he spent two weeks in the neonatal intensive care unit - he was still happy and smiling.
"It's the perfect happy little name for him," Ms van Duuren said.
She said Amelia was the only name she and her partner could agree on when their daughter was born.
She loved the nickname Millie too, she said, and it went well with Ollie.
Angela and Ben Heemskerk also chose the name Oliver for their little boy, who turned one last month.
The name was one they both liked, and it had been on the list of potential names for Oliver's older brother, three-year-old Cooper - another popular name in the Illawarra last year.
"There are no family ties or anything, we just loved the name and the meaning of it," Mrs Heemskerk said.
She said they liked the association with peace because of the olive branch, and the Norse meaning for the name, which was 'affectionate'.
Other top names in the Illawarra last year were Charlotte, Mia, Ivy, Evie, Olivia, Grace, Harper, Hazel and Isla, for girls; and Noah, Jack, Levi, Cooper, Liam, Samuel, Charlie, Leo and William, for boys.
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Natalie Croxon
Reporter at the Illawarra Mercury, mostly covering social affairs. Previously of the Bendigo Advertiser, Northern Daily Leader and Quirindi Advocate. Our Watch award winner.
Reporter at the Illawarra Mercury, mostly covering social affairs. Previously of the Bendigo Advertiser, Northern Daily Leader and Quirindi Advocate. Our Watch award winner.
