Favourite Baby Names

Wyatt has been hot, which is to say cool, for several years now. With its easy Wyatt Earpish cowboy charm, it's relaxed but still highly respectable.

On the rise as an independent name: Zander and Xander are both widely used can increasingly be found as characters in movies and on TV.

This phonetic version is occasionally used and removes any confusion about whether the X is fully pronounced or not.

Zoe is one of those surprising names that has been on the Top 1000 nearly every year since 1880, but it's only since the turn of this century that it's ranked in the Top 100.

Zoelie, also spelled Zoélie, looks like a modern elaboration of Zoe but may have deeper roots. It is thought to be a form of Zoelle, a feminization of Zoel, the French version of the saintly name Zoellus. His name seems to be a form of Zoilos... which itself comes from the same root as Zoe, meaning "life"! Whether it's ancient or modern, Zoelie is a pretty name that might appeal as an unusual alternative to Sylvie and Coralie.

Readers who remember J. D. Salinger's Franny and Zooey have probably forgotten that the character was male (nee Zachary). Nowadays the somewhat loopy spin on Zoe is associated with actress Zooey Deschanel.