By Melissa Grant
What do John, Peter, Margaret and Jennifer have in common?
Believe it or not, they are actually among the most popular baby names registered in Victoria since 1929.
Although the names haven’t been popular since the 60s, they dominated the charts before then.
John was Victoria’s favourite name for baby boys in the 1930s and 1940s and the second most popular in the 1950s, while Peter was also high up the chart in those decades.
Margaret was the most popular girls name in the 1930s and 1940s, while Jennifer was on top in the 1950s before dropping to number 2 in the 1960s.
In the 1970s, Victoria’s favourite baby names were Michelle and David.
During the 1980s, the names Sarah and Daniel dominated the charts.
Jessica and Matthew were the top picks in the 1990s.
In the 2000s, Olivia and Jack – which remain extremely popular – were the most popular baby names.
Charlotte has been the number one choice for baby girl names since 2010. For boys, Oliver has been the top pick since the start of the decade.
Victoria’s top baby names since 1929
Boys:
1. John (67374 babies registered with that name)
2. Peter (59836)
3. David (58625)
4. Michael (58192)
5. Robert (49315)
6. James (43252)
7. Andrew (40648)
8. Matthew (36399)
9. William (36170)
10. Christopher (35159)
11. Daniel (35123)
12. Paul (34155)
13. Mark (32305)
14. Anthony (27737)
15. Thomas (27446)
16. Benjamin (23993)
17. Stephen (23794)
18. Ian (22788)
19. Joshua (22080)
20. Nicholas (21055)
