Sofia and Kingston top the most popular city-inspired baby name lists

28 July 2020, 16:12

Around the world-inspired names are often very popular. Picture: Getty

People take inspiration from a number of places for their children's names but cities are on the rise...

Many parents have already decided on their baby's name before they're even born but for some others, they require some inspiration.

From fashion and beauty-related monikers to royal-themed names, there's a huge amount of inspiration out there, with some proving so unique they've been banned in certain countries.

Choosing a baby name is such a big deal. Picture: Getty

However, one category that has proven popular - especially in the celebrity world - is city-inspired names.

From Kim and Kanye's daughter Chicago to David and Victoria Beckham's son Brooklyn and even Michael Jackson's daughter Paris, they've always been popular inspirations for names.

A new study has now revealed exactly which cities have proven most popular for British parents.

The research, conducted by GiftsOnline4U revealed that out of all the people who were named after a city, and that for girls, it was Sofia, Victoria, Paris and Santiago that came out on top.

Where would you take inspo for your baby names? Picture: Getty

As well as city names, the study looked closely at people name after capital cities - a whopping 46,000 people - with Vienna, Havana and Lima topping that list.

However, out of the world's 195 capital cities, only 19 were used as baby names in their research.

Meanwhile for boys, Kingston, Riyadh and Amman are becoming more widely chosen.

A number of capitals are also being used as gender neutral monikers for babies, with Cairo, Rome and London being the most popular.

London saw a spike in popularity in 2012-2013, coinciding with the 2012 London Olympics.

In those two years, the name London was used a total of 59 times, with 41 of those being given to baby girls.

Asgar Dungarwalla from GiftsOnile4U said: “Our research shows that when it comes to capital cities, there are almost 46,000 people named after them.

“Naming your baby after a city has its advantages.

"Not only does it give them a unique and interesting name, but you can also use it for nostalgic reasons or even to mark a place that is special to you.”