Hurstville has surged back into the top 20 suburbs in the state for new babies after dropping out for a year.
The NSW Registry of Births Deaths and Marriage recorded 425 births in Hurstville last year – making it the twelfth highest in the state.
Kogarah was ranked 36th with 282 births, Rockdale 39th (278 births) and Bexley 49th (255 births).
Hurstville has been among the top 20 baby hot spots in NSW for four of the last five years, missing out in 2015 when it fell to 27th place.
Oatley MP Mark Coure said Hurstville was culturally vibrant and an attractive place to raise children, with excellent education, recreation, shopping and transport facilities.
In Sutherland Shire, only one suburb, Cronulla, where 257 births were recorded, made the Top 50 list.
Table leaders were Blacktown with 840 births and Auburn with 751.
Attorney-General Mark Speakman, who released the registry data, said Olivia and Oliver were the state’s most popular baby names in 2016 for the second time in three years.
New entrants in the top 20 baby names in 2016 were Harper, Leo, Max and Evelyn.
Names that dropped out included Charlie, Cooper, Scarlett and Matilda.
Mr Speakman said the death last year of author Harper Lee, who published the novel, To Kill a Mockingbird under her middle name in 1960, has propelled the name into popular culture.
Celebrities including Victoria and David Beckham, Dave Grohl and Lisa Marie Presley had named their daughters Harper.
Mr Speakman said Harper was regarded as a boy’s name in the 1800s.
Top boy and girl names in NSW:
- 1 Oliver – Olivia
- 2 William – Charlotte
- 3 Jack – Amelia
- 4 Noah – Ava
- 5 Lucas – Mia
- 6 James – Chloe
- 7 Ethan – Emily
- 8 Thomas – Grace
- 9 Alexander – Isla
- 10 Leo – Ruby
- 11 Lachlan – Isabella
- 12 Liam – Zoe
- 13 Jacob – Sophia
- 14 Isaac – Evie
- 15 Samuel – Sophie
- 16 Harrison – Ivy
- 17 Benjamin – Ella
- 18 Henry – Evelyn
- 19 Joshua – Harper
- 20 Max – Sienna