Australia's Top Baby Names of 2022

Updated Tue Jun 13 2023

The most popular names in Australia for 2022 have just been released — with a photo finish for the Number 1 girl name!

Every year, each Aussie state and territory releases its baby name data separately, then the analysts at McCrindle put it together to create a national Top 100 report.

Top 10 Names in Australia

Charlotte reclaimed the number one spot, after Isla took it in 2021. The top three girl names were all very close in numbers: Charlotte was given to just 20 more baby girls than second-place Amelia, which was given to just 19 more baby girls than Isla. The Top 10 Australian girl names remain the same as in 2021, though in a different order.

For boys, Aussie parents still love Oliver: it has been Number 1 since 2013. Two new boy names entered the Top 10: Hudson and Luca replace Thomas and Lucas.

Australia shares half its Top 10 names with the US. Those not in the US Top 10 are Isla, Matilda, Ella, Grace, and Willow for girls; and Leo, Jack, Hudson, Charlie, and Luca for boys.

Moving Up, Moving Down

The Top 100 list has remained fairly stable: only six girl names and seven boy names have changed.

For girls, Eliana, Thea, Margot, Maisie, Gracie, and Lilly entered the Top 100, replacing Riley, Eliza, Anna, Lyla, Indiana, and Zoey. On the boys' side, Remy, Roman, Alfie, Reuben, Koa, Louie, and Tommy entered, and Owen, Matthew, Caleb, Miles, Ryder, Nicholas, and Luke made their exit. Several of these entries and exits that have hovered up and down around Number 100 for the last few years.

Within the Top 100, the fastest-rising girl names of the year were Maeve, Rosie, Remi, and Hazel. The fastest-rising boy names were Theo, Leon, Hamish, and Darcy. Those last two are distinctively Aussie names that have been popular for decades, and are apparently still going strong.

The names that dropped the most places were a mixture of well-worn classics, and modern trends that have run their course. For girls, they were Hannah, Frankie, Isabelle, Millie, and Phoebe. The fastest-falling boy names were Jaxon, Joshua, Spencer, and Carter.

Top Trends for Australian Baby Names

Vowel Endings

16 of the Top 20 girl names end in a vowel sound, while boy names ending in o such as Leo, Hugo, and Luca are among the fastest-rising names of the last decade. Other vowel-ending boy names on an uptick include Koa, Kai, Ezra, and Arlo.

Nicknames

No one does nicknames like the Aussies, so it’s no surprise there are plenty on the charts. Some are international favorites, like Ellie and Max, but others are especially popular in Australia, like Billie and Sonny. Nicknames popular in Britain, such as Alfie, Louie, and Tommy, are moving up on the Australian charts too.

Royalty

The British royal family has a special place in many Australians’ hearts, and the most recent royal baby names, including George, Charlotte, Louis, and Archie, are all high on the list.

His'N'Hers Names

Charlie is the only name that appears in the Top 100 for both sexes, but there are several other soundalike pairs — Remy and Remi, Billy and Billie — as well as close matches such as Theo and Thea, Ari and Aria.

Australia vs USA

Australia and the States share just over half the names in their Top 100 lists: 57 girl names and 51 boy names appear on both.

Many popular Aussie names that are not in the US Top 100 have a “British” feel — such as Imogen and Harry — reflecting the close cultural links between the two countries. There are also names with a uniquely Antipodean flavor: nowhere else are names like Matilda, Billie, Lachlan and Darcy (for boys) so popular.

Australian parents are ahead of the trends with some names — like Remi and Bodhi, which have not yet reached the US Top 100. Others, such as Mackenzie and Spencer, are still popular in Australia but have fallen out of the Top 100 in the States.

These are all the names in the Top 100 in Australia, but not the US:

About the Author

Clare Green

Clare Green has been writing for Nameberry since 2015, covering everything from names peaking right now to feminist baby names, and keeping up-to-date with international baby name rankings. Her work has featured in publications such as The Independent and HuffPost. Clare has a background in linguistics and librarianship, and recently completed an MA dissertation researching names in multilingual families. She lives in England with her husband and son. You can reach her at clare@nameberry.com

View all of Clare Green's articles