Traditional names make comeback Down Under

London, July 12 (ANI): Parents in New South Wales (NSW) are opting for old and conservative names for their babies, with William and Isabella leading the chart.

A list of the most popular names for the past 12 months, compiled by the NSW Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages, have revealed that parents are becoming more traditional in their choices.

Isabella topped the girls' list for the second consecutive year, followed by Olivia, Chloe and Charlotte.

William was the number one boys' name with Jack, Thomas and Cooper close behind.

Dannii Minogue was following the same trend when she named her new son Ethan last week, which came in at number nine.

"It's sort of like the old has become new again; the Kylies and Katrinas of the '90s seem old, but the really old names such as Ethan, Lachlan and William have seen a resurgence over the past decade and become trendy again," the Daily Telegraph quoted Social researcher Mark McCrindle as saying.

"The names of the '90s that could be girls or boys, like Peta or Ashley with different spellings, have definitely gone," he added.

Instead, McCrindle said, the trend was for gender-specific names, especially those of a certain vintage such as Ruby, the newest entry to the girls' top 10, and Lily, creeping up at number 11.

"The girls' names are very feminine with a soft ending, whether a vowel or a 'y', where almost all of the top boys' names have a hard end, a consonant, like 'Jack'," added McCrindle.

He linked parents' return to the naming patterns of bygone eras to a swing back towards a rather more conservative style of parenting.

"Names are a classic sign of trends," he added. (ANI)