The Baby Names Explorer is a fun way to browse through more than a century of the top 1200 baby names in NSW. Start by typing a name into the field below.
Like to know more?
All name data is courtesy of the NSW Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages. You can find out more about names in NSW, research family history or purchase birth, death and marriage certificates at http://www.bdm.nsw.gov.au [2]
Baby Names Explorer was produced by the Powerhouse Museum in partnership with NSW Finance and Services and the NSW Registry of Births Deaths and Marriages.
[3]
[4]
About the Baby Names Explorer
Every baby born in NSW is registered with the NSW Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages. This information has been collected by the NSW Government since 1788. Using the Baby Name Explorer, you can browse through more than a century of the top 1200 baby names in NSW.
Name data in the Explorer is an extract from the records of the NSW Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages and does not contain all registered names. For privacy reasons, names that appear very few times in a year have not been included.
The idea for NSW Baby Names Explorer was inspired by NameVoyager [5].
Using Baby Names Explorer
Search for a specific name
- Type any name into the 'type a name' field to see its ranking over the past 111 years - from 1900 to 2011.
- Type any letter into the 'type a name' field, for example, type 's' to see names starting with 's', type 'sa' to see names starting with 'sa'.
- To search again, click the 'X' button in the name field and type a new name.
- If a name doesn't appear it simply means it isn't in the top 1200 names registered in NSW.
Browse through all names
- Using your mouse, move the cursor over the graph to see all names and how popular they were for any given decade or year.
- Click on a name when you find one you're interested in to see its ranking in detail.
- To go back, click the 'X' button in the name field and search or browse for a new name.
What do the colours mean?
The names in the Explorer are colour coded:
= boys' names 
= girls' names
= unisex names
*The 'born each year' figure is an average of all babies born in NSW with that name over the whole decade.
Did You Know?
- Some names remain timeless classics today. Jack was one of the earliest recorded names in NSW and is still one of the most popular boys' names around.
- Girls names tend to be more subject to the whims of fashion. Betty was big in the 20's, Janice held sway in the 40's, and everyone knew a Rebecca in the 80's.
- Retro names from the early 1900's like Lily, Ruby, Grace and Ava are experiencing a resurgence in popularity.