These are the top trending girl and boy baby names for 2021 - from Lyra to Felix

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have named their new arrival after some very prominent members of the royal family.

Lilibet Diana Mountbatten-Windsor was welcomed to the world on Sunday (6 June), and many were curious to know what significance the name holds.

Lilibet is a direct reference to the Queen’s nickname within the family, which she was given by King George V when she was only a toddler and unable to pronounce “Elizabeth” correctly.

And Harry and Meghan’s daughter’s middle name honours Harry’s late mother, the Princess of Wales.

While the royal couple have said their new baby will be known as “Lili” for short, some were quick to point out that her first name is rather unusual.

This actually follows the 2021 trend for giving baby girls and boys more unique and uncommon names.

So, what are the top trending baby names for this year?

Top trending UK baby names in 2021

Parenting site Bounty has predicted the baby names which could become common in the playground in a few years’ time.

It has put together a list of the names which may be heading towards “on trend” status during 2021, by studying the names chosen by Bounty app users and members.

Bounty assessed over 600,000 girl and boy names, revealing the highest-climbers over the last 12 months to predict which ones could take off and become popular in future.

The lists include a variety of names, from those which could be viewed as unusual to some which are already becoming slightly more common.

There is also a rise in once-considered old fashioned names, especially for boys, as well as surnames that can be used as first names.

Ranked in order of highest climber on the Bounty Top 100 names, these are the 2021 top trending names for girls:

1. Lyra 
2. Mabel 
3. Arabella 
4. Myla 
5. Iris 
6. Ada 
7. Bonnie 
8. Clara 
9. Lara 
10. Delilah 
11. Ayla
12. Luna 
13. Nancy 
14. Halle 
15. Felicity 
16. Esmae 

The popularity of the number one name “Lyra” rocketed after the birth of singer Ed Sheeran’s daughter, Lyra Antarctica Seaborn Sheeran in September 2020, Bounty said.

The unusual name has the potential to become as commonly used as Harper - the name given to Victoria and David Beckham’s daughter - which is now the UK’s 22nd most popular girls’ name, the site predicts.

There is also still a fixation with girls’ names ending in “A” in the UK.

Meanwhile, these are the boys’ names which are growing in popularity on the Bounty Top 100 names list:

1. Felix 
2. Vinnie 
3. Milo 
4. Austin 
5. Hudson 
6. Grayson 
7. Roman
8. Myles 
9. Finn 
10. Albert 
11. Jesse 
12. Chester
13. Theodore
14. Ezra
15. Stanley
16. Jude
17. Oakley

The fame of singer George Ezra is influencing a “steady growth” in babies called Ezra, Bounty said, as it is now the 55th most popular boys’ name in the UK.

Boy names that missed out on the Top 100 this year, but could become popular in 2022, include Elias, Otis, Beau, Bertie, Rex and River.