It turns out that these names were the most popular for babies in 2019

Expect to see a lot more little Amelias toddling around our playgrounds, with the classic name proving the most popular among baby girls in 2019.

While Amelia edged out Charlotte, 2018's favourite, Oliver topped the list for boys for the seventh time.

Nikau and Mia were the most popular Māori names, followed by Mikaere and Aria.

While Amelia has been in the top 10 since 2011, Charlotte and Olivia have swapped first and second place many times over that period.

Charlotte topped the list in 2013, 2014, 2017 and 2018, and was ranked second most popular this year. Isla came in third. Noah was the second most popular name for boys and Leo the third.

Willow and Mila were new entries in the girls' top 10, while Sophie and Ruby made a re-appearance, as did Thomas and Charlie in the boys' top 10 list.

• READ MORE: These are the 20 most popular baby names of the decade for New Zealand

Nikau remains number one for the most popular Māori boy's name, having topped the list for the past few years.

It was the second year Mia topped the list for girls' names.

Taika and Rawiri entered the top 10 Māori boys' names, and Tui and Ataahua made it into the top 10 Māori girls' names for the first time since records began.

Registrar-General Births, Deaths and Marriages, Jeff Montgomery, said an increasing popularity of Māori names worldwide was also exciting to see.

"Our names are an important part of our identity, our culture, and often, our heritage," he said.

"People of all different beliefs and cultures recognise that the naming of a child is powerful and significant. It's great to see more Māori names being registered."

A total of 18,816 different first names were given to 61,018 babies in 2019. In 2018 there were 13,668 different first names for 59,302 babies.

Montgomery encouraged parents to use the SmartStart tool to register their babies.

"The last thing new parents want to be doing is filling out a raft of forms - SmartStart is a free, fast, and efficient way to register your child, receive the $60 a week BestStart payment, obtain an IRD number, and even adjust a Ministry of Social Development benefit.

"You can complete those tasks anytime, on any device."

2019's most popular baby names (by count)

Girls

1. Amelia (255)
2. Charlotte (248)
3. Isla (232)
4. Olivia (225)
5. Ruby (206)
6. Sophie (190)
7. Harper (188)
8. Mila (187)
9. Willow (186)
10. Ava (185)

Boys

1. Oliver (335)
2. Noah (297)
3. Leo (257)
4. Jack (251)
5. Lucas (247)
6. George (232)
7. James (210)
8. William (210)
9. Thomas (202)
10. Charlie (192)

This article was first published on the NZ Herald and is republished here with permission.