Poldark pushes Aidan up list of leading baby names

WHEN Poldark took over the nation’s TV screens this year, it seems many mothers-to-be were taking note.

For Aidan – first name of the BBC drama’s leading actor – has shot up the list of leading baby names. Poldark’s popularity has seen star Aidan Turner’s name hit number 26 on the boys’ list, jumping 26 places.

And it was not the only showbiz-connected name often picked by parents, according to more than 50,000 submissions to website BabyCentre. Eric, the name of Simon Cowell’s son, also rose, along with Aria, a version of Game of Thrones character Arya.

Other names, however, have not fared so well. Elsa, the name of the heroine in Disney’s Frozen, dropped out of the top 100.

Muhammad stays top of the charts – the BabyCentre survey counts all spellings of the name as one – while other Arabic names in the top 100 include Omar and Ali.

BabyCentre’s Sasha Miller said: ‘Girls’ names are becoming increasingly concen- trated on variations of a very small number of firm favourites. The girls’ top ten now boasts Sophie in addition to Sophia, Isabella and Ella along with Isabelle, and both Emily and Amelia.’