Jessica Sarkissian knows a lot of other Jessicas. It is not surprising: the name was the most popular for girls born in NSW every year from 1984 until her year of birth, 2000.
“My older sisters begged my mum to call me Jessica,” she said.
The new mother from Bonnyrigg will probably have some advice for her four-month-old, Noah. His name, which means “rest” in Hebrew, was the state’s most popular for the second year in a row last year.
“We will be Mrs and Mr Popular,” she laughed.
Rupen and Jessica Sarkissian, who are Armenian Christians, chose Noah for its strong biblical meaning. “We want him to live life that way: a strong leader, head forward, faith first,” Jessica said.
Charlotte was 2025’s top girls’ name on NSW Births, Deaths and Marriages’ preliminary list, also for the second year in a row, cementing its status after a brief slip to fifth in 2023.
Dee Why’s Ally and Luke Wallace, who welcomed baby Charlotte on October 7, landed on the name soon after finding out they were having a girl.
“When we found out we were pregnant I looked at all the top 100 baby names lists and I could see it was one of the top ones – but I figured it was popular for a reason,” Ally said.
“We thought it was always going to stay in fashion, and it would be quite timeless.”
An Alexandra herself, Ally said she also liked that Charlotte lent itself to several nicknames, including Lottie and Charlie.
“When she is older, she can pick one that she likes,” she said.
Olivia Squires and partner Jordan D’Arcy Gay, from Bargo, took a while to decide on their son’s name, but Squires said Noah was “just the one that stuck” with them.
“We didn’t really have a reason, we just really liked it,” she said.
Noah Stephen, after Squires’ father, was born on September 30.
With the 2020s halfway through, data from the past six years suggests Charlotte and Noah could become the dominant names of the decade.
Although it has topped the list only three times, Noah extended its lead last year, with almost 100 more children named Noah than second-placed Oliver, which was the clear favourite for boys born in the 2010s.
Charlotte was already the most popular girls’ name of the 2010s, narrowly beating Olivia.
While Jessica ruled the 1980s and 1990s for girls, historical data from NSW Births, Deaths and Marriages shows the top 1980s boys’ name was Matthew, ranked first seven times in the decade.
Joshua was the top 1990s boys’ name, the most popular choice every year between 1993 and 2002. In 2003, Jack took over to dominate the list throughout that decade, while Emily was most popular for 2000s-born girls.
Michael and Michelle were the two most popular names throughout the 1970s in NSW, while David and Karen dominated the 1960s.
But while some top names have staying power – Michael has ranked in the top 100 every year since the lists began in 1952, with most recent data showing 96 were born in 2024 – others become virtually extinct within years of hitting their heights.
Karen had fallen out of the top 100 by 1987, despite being the 12th most popular name only a decade earlier.
As for 2025’s most popular baby names, the top choices for parents have remained relatively stable over the past few years.
For boys, Oliver and Theodore are once again the second and third-most popular picks, after occupying those same positions in 2024.
Levi and Jack have both returned to the top 10, while Charlie and Lucas have slipped out. Elijah rose to seventh place, after re-entering the top 10 last year.
Amelia was once again the second-most popular name for girls, with Isla taking out third place. Lily and Sienna have re-entered the top 10, replacing Harper and Evelyn.
Hazel is a newly popular name for girls, ranking ninth following a rapid rise over the past decade: only 75 Hazels were born in 2014, when the name first entered Births, Deaths and Marriages’ top 100 lists, compared with 248 last year.
Customer Service Minister Jihad Dib congratulated all families who welcomed a baby in 2025, calling the list of top names “always fascinating”.
“This list reflects both timeless favourites like Noah and Charlotte and emerging trends in names such as Hazel and Elijah,” he said.
Parents in NSW have 60 days to register their baby’s birth, so the top 10 lists are subject to change. In 2022, Oliver was announced as the top baby name, only for Noah to beat it by two registrations when the list was finalised.
The top 100 baby names for 2025 will be released later this year.
Start the day with a summary of the day’s most important and interesting stories, analysis and insights. Sign up for our Morning Edition newsletter.
