To compliment our post on the top 20 most popular names for girls, today we're publishing the top 20 boys names.  In first place is 'Jack' which leads with an enormous margin compared to the next most popular boys name, or indeed the most popular girls name. There is a lot of overlap with our last survey in 2009 although Riley and Andrew have dropped out of the top 20. Without further ado, here are the most popular names, as registered children in ToucanLearn:-

1. Jack
2. Charlie
3. Harry
4. James
5. Oliver
6. Ben
7. Alex
8. George
9. Sam
10. Alfie
11. Jacob
12. Thomas
13. Max
14. William
15. Joshua
16. Ethan
17. Dylan
18. Daniel
19. Joe
20. Noah

You can find our recent list of the most popular girls names here.

It's been a long time since we looked at the most popular children's names in ToucanLearn, but now with over 15,000 children registered, we have a great sample to look at! The last time we published this survey was in 2009 when Madison was clear winner...now the name Madison has clearly fallen out of favour. Other names that no longer make the cut are Katie and Isabella. Ella stays in and is joined by Ellie.

Here are the top 20 most popular girls names registered in ToucanLearn:-

1. Emily
2. Sophie
3. Ava
4. Lily
5. Grace
6. Ella
7. Hannah
8. Charlotte
9. Chloe
10. Mia
11. Olivia
12. Jessica
13. Ellie
14. Ruby
15. Evie
16. Amelia
17. Holly
18. Lucy
19. Megan
20. Emma

You can view our most popular boys names here.

Picking a name for your new baby is not easy; do you canvass grandparents and friends with your ideas?  Do you keep it simple, short and easy for the baby to say when they are older or do you go for something elaborate?  Do you go for conventional or really way-out names?  It seems that a surprisingly large number of parents - over half! - actually regret the name they originally giver their baby.

Some say it doesn’t reflect the baby’s true personality or that they felt pressured to give a name so didn’t take enough time. Some say that they didn’t like the name in the first place and just over 25% say the name became too popular so went off it when they heard lots of other babies being called the same thing.

Research has been done by Northwestern University in Illinois to look into the impact that names have on babies and children.  That there is an impact, he says, is testament to the number of baby name books that are on the market... parents clearly feel its a big and serious job. to name their child appropriately.

In 2011 approximately 58,000 people changed their own name according to the UK Deed Poll Service.  This is some 4,000 more than the previous year. However, ten years ago this number was nearer 5,000 people changing their name each year!

One of the daunting things of becoming a parent for the first time is that you have to choose a name for your new baby.  You may or may not know whether you're going to have a boy or a girl, either way, it seems funny thinking of a name for a little baby that you've never met!  Of course, the reality is that as soon as you have your baby and you start calling him or her by their name, their name just sticks and seems totally natural. Bear this in mind and it relieves the pressure of choosing the 'right' name!  Very rarely can you look at a baby and think 'she's Daisy', or 'he's Jack'.  You will start referring to your baby by whatever name you choose, and very soon, your baby will seem to fit the name perfectly and you will never even wonder whether you chose the 'right' name or not!