The baby names predicted to be big in 2021 - including Connell, Maeve and Diana

7 January 2021, 11:02 | Updated: 7 January 2021, 11:05

Find out the baby names expected to soar in popularity this year... Picture: BBC/Getty/Netflix

Lockdown TV might have a huge influence on baby names this year...

Many of us spent a great deal of last year watching all the incredible shows released on TV and Netflix - and our favourite characters may just have an influence on babies born this year.

New research from name tag label manufacturer My Nametags has looked at the monikers predicted to be big in 2021, and they included TV-inspired names like Connell, Maeve and Anya.

Connell - played by Paul Mescal - was the lead character in the BBC's adaptation of Normal People, who became an internet sensation. The chain he wore in the show even had its own Instagram page, boasting 200,000 followers.

Connell is the lead character in BBC's Normal People. Picture: BBC

Maeve , played by Emma Mackey, is the lead character in Netflix's Sex Education, while Anya is the name of the actress from The Queen's Gambit - Anya Taylor Joy.

Diana, inspired by Princess Diana, portrayed by Emma Corrin on series four of The Crown, is also set to soar in popularity.

Other names inspired by key figures last year that could be big this year include Tom (after Captain Tom Moore), Marcus (after Marcus Rashford MBE), and David (after Sir David Attenborough).

Commenting on the findings, Lars B. Andersen, Managing Director at My Nametags, said: “Names are at the heart of what we do, and we are always curious to identify new trends in popular names and what is driving them. We have put together our list of 2021 name predictions based on the names that we saw rising in popularity throughout 2020 and we hope it will act as inspiration for those naming their children in the year ahead.”