London - Once upon a time, we took inspiration for our children’s names from literature, religion or family custom. These days, it seems we are just as likely to look to cartoon characters.
Nemo, Buzz-Bee and Tinkerbell are among the less traditional names given to babies born in 2012 – taken from Disney film Finding Nemo, TV series The Hive and another Disney movie, Peter Pan, respectively.
Other unusual choices registered this year include Storm, River, Blade, Zico and Diesel, who could be on a classroom register with Sailor, Wade, Zed and Hendrix in a few years.
And they might end up sharing a playground with Bliss, Star, Pyper, Kizzie and Buttercup, which have also all been recorded on birth certificates over the past 12 months.
However, traditionalists need not fear, as the most popular names given to newborns sound a great deal more familiar.
Harry came top for boys, with Jack second and Charlie in third place. Amelia has become the most popular girls’ name, pushing Olivia into second place and with Emily in third.
A spokesman for parenting website Bounty.com, which has compiled the list of names given to the 430,000 babies born in the UK this year, said: “Parents are being creative and wanting their children to stand out from the crowd with unusual names.
“Some parents choose unusual names because they don’t want their child to share the same name as others at school. It’s certainly a growing trend.” - Daily Mail