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26th December 2005 Jack and Jessica are top names Jack and Jessica have topped the babies' name chart for parents in England and Wales this year. Jack has dominated the chart, holding the top spot for 11 years but the Office of National Statistics says the reign might be coming to an end, with 14 per cent fewer boys being given that name this year than last. Oliver is the first new entry in the top five, for the first time since 2002, rising two spots from number seven last year while Leo is the only new entry in the top 50 boys' names, jumping 20 places to 37. Girls' names have moved up and down the list over the years and this year shows parents have been more adventurous when choosing girls' names. The effect of Hollywood has seen the popularity of film stars such as Keira Knightley and Scarlett Johansson reflected in parents' choice of names, with Keira rising 13 places to 38, while Scarlett has climbed 25 places to 47. The popularity of Soap characters has been attributed to the rise of Jake and Alfie in the charts while Freddie has risen 15 places to 81, perhaps in tribute to Ashes hero Andrew 'Freddie' Flintoff. Other EastEnders names on the rise were Ruby (up 16 places to 15) and Demi, which jumped to 80 thanks to a 41 per cent increase in popularity. Aleesha, the name of Demi's new baby in the show, went up by 298 per cent. Coronation Street has also played it's part with Frankie, almost doubled in popularity to reach number 152 in the list of girls' names. The most popular names in Scotland are Lewis and Sophie and the most popular names in Northern Ireland are Jack and Katie. Girls' top 10
Boys' top 10
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