The most popular baby names in England and Wales were Oliver and Olivia for the second year running, the Office for National Statistics said.

Olivia, Amelia, Isla, Ava and Emily were the top five names for girls in 2017 with Sarah falling out of the top 100 since records began in 1904.

But Edith has returned to popularity after 84 years out in the cold, after formerly being popular at the turn of the 20th Century.

Oliver, Harry, George, Noah and Jack were the most popular names for boys and in the capital Muhammad was the go to boy's name. Muhammad also topped the ranks in Yorkshire, the West Midlands and the Humber.

Interestingly, there were three variations of Muhammad in the top 100. If combined, Muhammad, Muhammed and Mohamed would pip Oliver to the post as the overall most popular boys' name.

The most popular baby names in England and Wales were Oliver and Olivia in 2017

Olly (Oliver) Murs and Prince Harry may have something to do with most popular boys' names while actress Olivia Coleman and little Royal Mia Tindall may have influenced baby naming

Spelling variations stop Muhammad topping the list of most popular boys names The release of the latest official data on baby names is likely to raise the subject of the popularity of the name Muhammad once more. The latest data shows that Muhammad was the 12th most popular name given to baby boys in 2015. It also shows that Mohammed and Mohammad were in the top 100 as well – standing at 29 and 68 respectively, while Muhammed was just outside the top 100, at 121. Combining spelling variations changes the name at the top In the past it has been reported that Muhammad is the most popular name for baby boys – however this is often because people have combined the various spellings of Muhammad. But combining spellings of one particular name distorts the list – for example combining Sophie, Sophia and Sofia on the 2015 girls list would knock Amelia off the top spot. The name Mohammed ranked at 91 in 1924 The appearance of Mohammed in the top 100 is not such a new phenomenon – the first time this name entered the top 100 was in 1924 when it ranked as the 91st most popular name for baby boys. This was not a blip as the name has featured in the top 100 most popular names for baby boys every ten years from 1924 to 1994 and every year since 1996. Different spellings have joined it in the top 100 in more recent years, but three spellings of the name were also in the top 100 in 1954. While there is no definitive answer for why variations of Mohammed has become so popular, reasons may include The increasing size of the Muslim community in England and Wales

The dominance of the name in the Muslim community combined with increased diversity in names for baby boys

The possible increased dominance of the name in the Muslim community

The possible effect of popular sporting figures with the names Muhammad and Mohamed. Muhammad Ali and Mohamed (Mo) Farah may have played a role in increasing the popularity of the name. Advertisement

Harry, Oliver and Jack are showing no signs of slowing in popularity, with all three names having also been in the top five ten years ago.

Nick Stripe, of the Office for National Statistics, said: 'Although Oliver and Olivia remained the most popular baby names in 2017, some fascinating changes took place beneath them.

'Leo entered the boys' top 10 for the first time, whilst Hunter rocketed into the top 100, also for the first time, reaching number 78.

'Sarah, the most popular name for baby girls throughout much of the 1970s and 1980s, dropped out of the top 100 for the first time since our records began in 1904. Brand new entries into the top 100 for girls include the names Aurora and Hallie.'

Thomas has been toppled in the top ten, falling out for the first time in 35 years.

Most of the top 10 baby names of 2007 have declined in popularity, with the names Thomas, Daniel, Ruby, Grace, Jessica and Chloe all given to at least 50% fewer babies in 2017 than they were 10 years previously.

Despite the top of the lists remaining steady, there are eight new names appearing in the top 100 baby names lists: two for boys, and six for girls.

The data shows the six new female entries were Aurora, Orla, Edith, Bonnie, Lyla and Hallie, replacing Lexi, Zoe, Maddison, Sarah, Felicity and Lydia.

Those in the north east may have been inspired by the latest Royal to tie the not with Harry the most popular boy's name in the region in 2017.

The top 10 boys' names are: Oliver, Harry, George, Noah, Jack, Jacob, Leo, Oscar, Charlie and Muhammad, with Leo entering the top 10 for the first time.

The top 10 girls' names are: Olivia, Amelia, Isla, Ava, Emily, Isabella, Mia, Poppy, Ella and Lily.

Parents are still making plans for Nigel, with 11 baby boys given the name in 2017.

The name was thought to be almost extinct after fewer than three babies were named Nigel in 2016 but it has had somewhat of a resurgence.

It is the first time Hunter has been in the top 100 names for boys. Ralph was a popular wartime name last in the top 100 way back in 1944.

The name Harper has leaped 10 places in the girls' rankings, possibly owing its newfound popularity to David and Victoria Beckham's daughter.

David Beckham pictured with Harper, 7, who may have inspired rise in numbers of the name

Despite Lily still placing in the top ten for girls, three fewer baby girls were given the name in the most recent stats, possibly owing to the antics of Lily Allen in the media.

The singer recently published a book, 'My Thoughts Exactly even slamming her own father and admitting to having slept with female prostitutes following the breakdown of her marriage to Sam Cooper and said that she was feeling 'lost and lonely'.

The drop in the name Lily for girls may be partly due to the antics of singer Lily Allen

The name Luna for girls made an impressive leap, penetrating the top 100 for the first time with 30 babies given the name last year.

Luna's rise may owe itself to Chrissy Teigen and John Legend giving their name to the child. The couple are extremely popular, with E! News saying that the 'power couple' are taking over Hollywood.

ROYAL BABY NAMES STILL POPULAR - BUT MEGHAN YET TO CLIMB RANKINGS Royal names feature near the top of the list of most popular baby names in England and Wales, but Meghan is yet to show a climb to the top, according to data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS). Oliver and Olivia may have topped the baby names charts for the second year running, but George and Charlotte are consistently popular baby names, taking 3rd and 12th place on their respective lists. George has seen a slight increase in popularity over the last decade, climbing nine spots up the rankings since 2007. The Royals do seem to have an effect on baby names, as the birth of Princess Charlotte in 2015 demonstrated. Meghan is yet to show a climb to the top, according to data from the ONS Charlotte holds steady near the top of the list and sits in 12th place with 2,384 births in 2017 - the same position as 10 years ago. However, the name was dropping down the list before the birth of the Princess, reaching a low of 25th place in 2015 - before being propelled back up the rankings in the years since. As the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge's third child, Prince Louis, arrived in April 2018, will it have the same impact on naming trends? Louis was the 82nd most popular boys' name of 2017 with 819 babies born, a drop of 11 places on the previous year and down 22 positions on 10 years ago. Could it start climbing again in the years to come? Meghan Markle was known to be in a relationship with Prince Harry throughout 2017, before announcing their engagement in November of that year. However, despite her prominence, Meghan was the 797th most popular girls name in 2017, with 49 baby Meghans born. However, the more popular British spelling of Megan also dropped down the list and barely made it into the top 100. The name dropped 17 places to become the 100th most popular girls' name of 2017. The name has suffered a steep decline in popularity over the last decade, dropping 83 places in the rankings since 2007. Elizabeth McLaren at the ONS said: 'The name Louis has been declining in popularity so it will be interesting to see if the naming of the latest Royal baby will reverse this trend next year. 'Meghan and Megan have also become less popular as baby names in recent times, but again, the addition of a new Royal with this name might reverse this trend. 'Royal names are often traditional names which do seem to go in cycles of popularity, although Elizabeth has consistently been in the top 100 since records began.' Advertisement

The name Luna had a rise of 30 in 2017, probably owing to the popularity of Chrissy Teigan and John Legend who named their first child Luna (pictured right)

The ONS figures reveal that 85 babies born last year were called Bear, including Cheryl Cole and Liam Payne's son who was born in March. Liam said they chose the name because of the noises he made as a new-born.

He told James Corden on The Late Late Show: 'When he was born, one of the midwives said it, he had this thing where if they don't have a good cry they get fluid in the lungs which is quite serious.

'He was going like, 'Grrr, grrr,' when he was sleeping. So I had specialists running in and out of hospital all day, my missus was asleep, I had like 10 doctors come into the room. And in the end, the guy was just like, 'I'm not being funny, there's nothing wrong with him, he just likes to make a lot of noise.'

The ONS figures show 85 babies born last year were called Bear, including Cheryl Cole and Liam Payne's son, who was born in March, pictured here with his father

'And that's carried on ever since, so it just became Bear.'

Smash hit fantasy series Game of Thrones may have had an effect on baby naming in 2017 with 343 babies were named Arya, in stark contrast to the 302 in 2016.

Arya Stark is one of the main characters in the US show, shot across the UK and various locations in Europe. A similar name, Aria, is up by 20.

The character is played by Maisie Williams, who may herself have influenced the rise in her name. Five more children than 2016 were given the name.

Names like Bear and Luna could become more commonplace and may signal a real decline for traditional names like Sarah which doesn't even place in the top 100.

Naming guru Sarah-Jayne Ljungstrom reckons parents are copying celebrities and Instagram stars who are picking 'dreamy' names for their youngsters.

The top baby names for 2017 have seen a huge rise in cosmic monikers such as Luna, Aurora, and Hallie, and 'botanical' ones like Daisy, Ivy and Willow.

Arya Stark is played by British actress Maisie Williams (right) in smash-hit show Game of Thrones. In 2017, 343 babies were named Arya while five more children were named Maisie

Sarah-Jayne, naming expert at ChannelMum.com, puts this down to the 'Instagram effect'.

She said: 'The Instagram effect is starting to shine through with dreamy space names for girls the stand-out new trend.

'Celeb favourite Luna is the second biggest climber in the Top 100 girls chart - up 30 places to number 48 - alongside other heavenly names including Aurora, which jumps 25 spots to become a new entry in the top 100.

'Meanwhile Hallie - a feminine nod to the famous comet - is up a whopping 46 spots and is the biggest climber.

'Dozens of celebs and influencers have picked heavenly names over the last year and it's a beautiful trend which will only blaze brighter as it gathers more pace on social media.

'Also still growing for girls is the botanicals theme. Poppy is up five places into the top ten, while Daisy, Ivy, Willow and Iris are all up too.'

For boys, there is a growing trend for 'soft macho' names such as Hunter, Leo and Ralph instead of short, sharp masculine names like Jake and Tyler.

SJ added: 'These names work wonderfully as they appeal across the classes and regions, but without the grating sounds of older macho names.

'With the rise of gender neutrality, soft macho monikers also mean baby boys don't have a tough image to live up to.'

However, for girls it appears the Royals are losing their naming allure. Megan is down a whopping 17 places, Zara has dropped two places, Elizabeth slides six and Victoria is down by one.

But Harry is holding up in second place alongside William who is a non-mover at number 11.

SJ added: 'The fall of Megan may well reverse in next year's charts which tracks babies born this year.

'Megan has been such a standout hit with Brits that I'd be surprised to see the name lose any more ground.'

TOP 100 BABY NAMES FOR GIRLS Here are the top 100 most popular names for baby girls in England and Wales in 2017. The number next to each name is the total live births registered during the calendar year. 1 Olivia 5,204 2 Amelia 4,358 3 Isla 3,373 4 Ava 3,289 5 Emily 3,121 6 Isabella 2,627 7 Mia 2,590 8 Poppy 2,527 9 Ella 2,452 10 Lily 2,405 11 Sophia 2,398 12 Charlotte 2,394 13 Grace 2,309 14 Evie 2,192 15 Jessica 2,139 16 Sophie 2,129 17 Alice 2,122 18 Daisy 2,040 19 Florence 2,028 20 Freya 2,021 21 Phoebe 2,000 22 Evelyn 1,967 23 Sienna 1,960 24 Isabelle 1,876 25 Ivy 1,819 26 Willow 1,764 27 Matilda 1,736 28 Elsie 1,699 29 Ruby 1,688 30 Scarlett 1,687 31 Sofia 1,664 32 Chloe 1,654 33 Eva 1,634 34 Harper 1,608 35 Rosie 1,388 36 Emilia 1,380 37 Millie 1,372 38 Layla 1,329 39 Imogen 1,284 40 Maya 1,257 41 Eliza 1,248 42 Esme 1,235 43 Lola 1,201 44 Elizabeth 1,174 45 Erin 1,161 46 Maisie 1,142 47 Aria 1,094 48 Luna 1,093 49 Lucy 1,089 50 Ellie 1,055 51 Harriet 1,053 52 Emma 1,042 53 Thea 1,041 54 Eleanor 1,027 55 Penelope 1,020 56 Holly 1,003 57 Hannah 998 58 Molly 978 59 Bella 974 60 Rose 932 61 Amber 915 62 Violet 911 63 Georgia 898 64 Lilly 884 65 Jasmine 871 66 Darcie 868 67 Nancy 861 68 Annabelle 855 69 Lottie 851 70 Zara 842 71 Maria 827 72 Amelie 798 73 Abigail 782 74 Mila 774 75 Anna 730 76 Martha 718 77 Gracie 703 78 Maryam 686 79 Robyn 680 80 Aurora 665 81 Iris 654 82 Sara 653 83 Arabella 639 84 Beatrice 628 85 Heidi 628 86 Summer 626 87 Clara 614 88 Orla 610 89 Francesca 600 90 Aisha 580 91 Julia 576 92 Darcey 568 93 Edith 568 94 Victoria 568 95 Bonnie 563 96 Lyla 563 97 Darcy 558 98 Hallie 556 99 Leah 546 100 Megan 543 Advertisement