Dua Lipa and Star Wars influence baby name choices, data shows
Dua Lipa and Star Wars have led to sharp rises in associated baby names, new data has found.
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) said that since Dua Lipa achieved her first UK number one single the number of babies with the name Dua had doubled.
From 2017 the number of girls named Dua rose from 63 to 126 in 2019 – the highest number since annual records began in 1996, the ONS added.
We’ve seen a drop in the number of girls named Alexa from 332 in 2016 to just 39 in 2019, possibly as a result of the launch of Amazon’s smart assistant technology in 2016 https://t.co/goppHOQE5Jpic.twitter.com/I6N8oECUk1
— Office for National Statistics (ONS) (@ONS) August 26, 2020
It also found that in the boys’ list the name Kylo appears to have increased in popularity since the release of the new Star Wars sequel trilogy, where Kylo Ren was a leading character.
The new data, published on Wednesday, found the number of babies named Kylo had risen to 67 in 2019 up from 10 when the films were first released in 2015.
The ONS said the name Taron has also increased in popularity with 48 boys born in 2019 being given this name, the highest number since records began.
This might have been influenced by the actor Taron Egerton who starred in the 2019 award-winning Elton John biopic Rocketman, the ONS added.
But since the Amazon Alexa became available in the UK in 2016 the girls’ name Alexa has decreased in popularity – falling from 332 girls named Alexa that year to 39 in 2019.
