Captain Sir Tom Moore predicted to inspire baby names in 2021

Captain Tom raised more than £32 million for the NHS by completing 100 laps of his garden to celebrate his 100th birthday and has already had a noticeable impact on parents’ choice of baby name. The name ’Tom’ shot up the ranks to appear just outside the top 100 in 2020, according to BabyCentre data.

‘Marcus’ is also set to feature within the top five names for males born in 2021, after Manchester United striker turned Government lobbyist, Marcus Rashford MBE.

Marcus Rashford successfully lobbied a Government U-turn on its position over free school meals during the holidays throughout the pandemic, capturing the hearts of the nation.

According to the list released by British name label manufacturer My Nametags (https://www.mynametags.com), 2020’s biggest trending TV shows are anticipated to have a substantial influence on baby names this year.

Just pipping ‘Tom’ and ‘Marcus’ to the top spot in boy names is ‘Connell’, after the TV adaptation of the best-selling book Normal People and the popularity of lead character Connell Waldron.

For baby girls, ‘Billie’ is predicted to become a popular moniker inspired by the American five-time Grammy award-winning singer, Billie Eilish.

‘Maeve’, inspired by the fearless lead character in the highly-praised Netflix comedy-drama Sex Education, is predicted to be popular amongst those looking for more unusual names.

Similarly, ‘Anya’ is set to jump in popularity, after the actress, Anya Taylor-Joy, who played the title role of Emma Woodhouse in the latest film adaptation of Jane Austen’s Emma.

Commenting on the findings, Lars B. Andersen, managing director at My Nametags, said: “Names are at the heart of what we do, and we are always curious to identify new trends in popular names and what is driving them. We have put together our list of 2021 name predictions based on the names that we saw rising in popularity throughout 2020 and we hope it will act as inspiration for those naming their children in the year ahead.”

Top male baby names:

Connell – Lead character in the BBC smash-hit, Normal People

Tom – Trailblazing charity fundraiser, Captain Sir Tom Moore

Marcus – Premier League footballer turned Government lobbyist, Marcus Rashford MBE

Lewis – World record-breaking Formula 1 driver

David – The nation’s favourite broadcaster, Sir David Attenborough

Top female baby names:

Billie – Five-time Grammy award-winning artist, Billie Eilish

Maeve – Lead character in the Netflix original series, Sex Education

Anya – Star of Emma and The Queen’s Gambit

Diana – The late Princess of Wales and a main character in series four of the Netflix hit, The Crown

Jodie – Lead actor in TV smash-hit, Killing Eve