Harry, Henry, Freddie, Olivia and Isla were the most popular baby names in South Norfolk and Breckland last year, new figures have revealed.

Fourteen baby girls were named Isla in South Norfolk, while Harry and Henry were the joint most popular names for boys, with 14 each, data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) shows.

William, Arthur, Thomas, Jacob and Jack also proved popular for boys among the 645 babies born in South Norfolk last year. While other favoured girl names included Isabella, Mia, Olivia, Florence, Willow, Esme, Ella, Evlyn and Amelia.

Meanwhile among the 669 babies born in Breckland the most popular boys name was Freddie, with 16, while Olivia remained the most popular for girls with 17.

Others favoured for Breckland boys included Oliver, Oscar, Jack, Harry Charlie and George; while Grace, Mia, Isla, Amelia, Poppy, Ruby and Daisy were popular for girls.

Nationally, Oliver has been the most popular name for boys for six years, while Olivia has held the title for girls for three years.

Arthur and Ada both made their first appearance in the top 10 for the first time in a century this year, with experts believing parents took - in part - inspiration from characters in the popular BBC television drama Peaky Blinders.

Diss Mercury: Oliver and Olivia have become the most popular baby names in Norfolk. Picture: PA PhotoOliver and Olivia have become the most popular baby names in Norfolk. Picture: PA Photo (Image: Archant)

Oliver remained the most popular name for boys in England and Wales for the sixth year in a row, while Olivia remained the most popular name for girls for the third year in a row.

This was reflected in Norfolk with Oliver and Olivia the most popular baby names. Sixty-seven babies were named Olivia around the county in 2018, while 75 new Olivers were born.

For girls, the other most popular names around Norfolk were Isla, with 55 babies given the name, Amelia and Grace, 48, Willow, 45, Ava, 41, Mia, 40, and Phoebe and Evelyn, 38.

And for boys, Jack also proved popular, with 74 new babies being given the name, along with Harry and Arthur, 69, Freddie, 67, Henry, 68, George, 63, and William, 62.

Meanwhile, there were no new Bobbys, Carters, Jesses or Kais born around Norfolk in 2018, and no Abigails, Arabellas or Lunas.

Around England and Wales, Grayson, Rowan and Tobias entered the top 100 boys names list for the first time, while Delilah, Ayla and Margot made their first appearance for girls.

Mothers aged 35 and over tended to prefer more "traditional" names, compared with mothers aged under-25 who were more likely to choose more "non-traditional", shortened or hyphenated names, the figures found.