THE most popular baby names for the past year have been revealed, and parents in Gwent bucked the national trend when it came to naming their newborn sons.

Across Wales and England, Oliver was once again the most popular name for newborn boys – that's the fifth year in a row that it has taken the number-one spot.

But here in Gwent, more parents opted for something different.

Theo was the most popular name for newborn boys in Blaenau Gwent and Caerphilly, while parents most commonly chose Finley in Monmouthshire, Leo in Newport, and Elijah in Torfaen.

READ MORE: Welcome to these Gwent newborns

Most of those names were popular choices across Wales, too, making the top 10 list.

The top 10 names for newborn boys in Wales last year were, in order: Noah, Oliver, Leo, Theo, Finley, Arthur, George, Archie, Oscar and Charlie.

South Wales Argus: Elijah was the most popular boys' name in Torfaen last year, while in Newport Leo was the number-one choice. Pictured are actors Elijah Wood and Leonardo DiCaprio. Pictures: PA WireElijah was the most popular boys' name in Torfaen last year, while in Newport Leo was the number-one choice. Pictured are actors Elijah Wood and Leonardo DiCaprio. Pictures: PA Wire

While Oliver has dominated the UK charts for boys' names, so too has Olivia spent five years at number one on the national newborn girls' list.

And here in Gwent, it was also the most popular girls' name chosen last year by parents in Blaenau Gwent, Newport and Torfaen.

But in Caerphilly, Freya was the number one choice, and Willow took the crown in Monmouthshire.

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Again, the choices in Gwent were popular at a Wales level.

The top 10 newborn girls' names in Wales last year were, in order: Olivia, Amelia, Isla, Rosie, Ava, Lily, Mia, Ella, Willow and Freya.

South Wales Argus: Olivia was a popular choice in most of Gwent, while Lily was also a commonly-chosen name at a Wales level. Pictured are actress Lily James and singer Olivia Rodrigo. Pictures: PA Wire Olivia was a popular choice in most of Gwent, while Lily was also a commonly-chosen name at a Wales level. Pictured are actress Lily James and singer Olivia Rodrigo. Pictures: PA Wire

See how the lists for 2020 compared with last year's baby name choices here.

Sian Bradford, from the Office for National Statistics, said: "Oliver and Olivia held onto the top spots as the most popular boys’ and girls’ names in 2020 but some interesting changes took place beneath them. We continue to see the age of mothers having an impact on the choice of baby name."

She added: “Popular culture continues to provide inspiration for baby names, whether it’s characters in our favourite show or trending celebrities. Maeve and Otis – characters from the popular programme Sex Education – have seen a surge in popularity in 2020, while the name Margot has been rapidly climbing since actress Margot Robbie appeared in the popular film The Wolf of Wall Street."