KEY POINTS:
Jack defended his lead, Charlotte overwhelmed Sophie and tradition prevailed once more in the "official" top 10 baby names of the year.
Celebrity-driven naming fads are fickle, but list compiler Eleanor Burkin says Victorian and Biblical names always dominate the top 10s.
The retired teacher from Tauranga has been tracking name trends based on New Zealand Herald birth notices for more than 20 years.
She got the idea when, one year, she had five Traceys in her class.
"Matthew was on the list for 10 years, but it's dropped off now. Joshua was terribly popular, but it has drifted off as well."
Burkin also keeps an eye on the more unusual appellations, which this year include girls' names Idony (possibly from an old Norse name meaning "love"), Liorah (a font family), and Sequoia (the Californian redwood tree). Unusual boys' names include Beringer (a Napa Valley winery), Jarrah (a eucalyptus species) and Xandeur (perhaps a twist on Buffy the Vampire Slayer character Xander).
Jack also tops the list in New South Wales and Britain. Other popular names in the three countries were James, Thomas, William, Olivia and Sophie.
Top 10 names - Girls
1. Charlotte
2. Olivia
3= Kate
3= Catherine
4. Sophie
5. Emma
6. Caitlin
7. Ella
8. Ruby
9. Zoe
10= Isabelle
10= Lucy
Boys
1. Jack
2. James
3. Samuel
4. Benjamin
5. Thomas
6. Max
7. William
8. Alexander
9. Riley
10= Oliver
10= Daniel