As lovers of food and drink, we decided to analyse recent Office for National Statistics (ONS) data – looking at ‘Baby names in England and Wales, 1996 to 2019’ – to discover the most popular baby names related to food and drink.
Whether you want to spoil friends, family, or colleagues (or even just to treat yourself), we have a wide variety of delicious food hampers that are suitable for every occasion. With delightful selections of sweet and savoury food – including cheese, chutney, wine, chocolate, and more – every product in our selection of hampers is lovingly chosen by our experts!
It turns out that sugar, spice and all things nice (to eat) are inspiring parents across the nation. Read on to find out more…
Baby girl names
According to recent birth data, Poppy is the most popular food-related baby girl name in England and Wales:
[su_table]
| Name | Description | 2019 Rank* | 2019 Count | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Poppy | Seed | 17 | 2,022 |
| 2 | Rose | Edible flower | 56 | 923 |
| 3 | Jasmine | Tea | 73 | 752 |
| 4 | Olive | Fruit | 109 | 469 |
| 5 | Hazel | Nut | 148 | 343 |
| 6 | Clementine | Fruit | 247 | 197 |
| 7 | Madeleine | Cake | 297 | 163 |
| 8 | Honey | Sweet, viscous liquid (bees) | 396 | 109 |
| 9 | Juniper | Berry | 562 | 72 |
| =10 | Bailey | Irish cream liqueur | 570 | 71 |
| =10 | Rosemary | Herb | 570 | 71 |
| 12 | Saffron | Spice | 703 | 55 |
| 13 | Angelica | Herb | 737 | 52 |
| 14 | Cherry | Fruit | 1,218 | 27 |
| =15 | Peaches | Fruit | 1,854 | 15 |
| =15 | Reese | Candy (Reese’s Pieces) | 1,854 | 15 |
| 17 | Brie | Cheese | 2,040 | 13 |
| 18 | Margarita | Cocktail | 2,170 | 12 |
| =19 | Berry | Fruit | 3,151 | 7 |
| =19 | Lavender | Edible flower | 3,151 | 7 |
| =19 | Lotus | Biscuit | 3,151 | 7 |
| 22 | Pepper | Vegetable | 3,541 | 6 |
| =23 | Maple | Syrup | 4,001 | 5 |
| =23 | Nori | Seaweed | 4,001 | 5 |
| =25 | Anise | Spice (star anise) | 5,591 | 3 |
| =25 | Sultana | Fruit | 5,591 | 3 |
[/su_table]
Rose, Jasmine, Olive and Hazel made up the remainder of the top 5. Berry (7), Lavender (7), Lotus (7), Pepper (6), Maple (5), Nori (5), Anise (3) and Sultana (3) also featured as more unique names further down the list.
Looking across all available years (1996 to 2019), other culinary-inspired names for girls included fruits, such as Apple, Peach, Plum and Strawberry, as well as alcoholic beverages, including Brandy, Champagne, Chardonnay, and Sherry:
[su_table]
| GIRLS | ||
|---|---|---|
| Name | Description | Peak – year(s) with highest count between 1996-2019 |
| Ambrosia | Brand (Devon Custards and Desserts) | 3 in 2012 |
| Apple | Fruit | 5 in 2007 and in 2008 |
| Brandy | Distilled wine | 10 in 1999 |
| Candy | Sweets | 8 in 2007 |
| Chai | Tea | 5 in 2000 |
| Champagne | French sparkling wine | 3 in 2009 |
| Chardonnay | Grape variety in white wine | 101 in 2003 |
| Clove | Spice | 3 in 2016 |
| Nigella | Seed | 5 in 2005 and in 2011 |
| Peach | Fruit | 4 in 2018 |
| Plum | Fruit | 4 in 2007 |
| Sherry | Fortified wine | 10 in 2006 |
| Strawberry | Fruit | 3 in 2012 |
[/su_table]
Baby boy names
According to recent birth data, Reuben is the most popular food-related baby boy name in England and Wales:
[su_table]
| Name | Description | 2019 Rank* | 2019 Count | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Reuben | Sandwich | 44 | 1,424 |
| 2 | Dexter | Cattletype (beef) | 114 | 542 |
| 3 | Frank | Hot dogsausage | 158 | 345 |
| 4 | Bailey | Irishcream liqueur | 188 | 278 |
| 5 | Angus | Cattletype (beef) | 303 | 161 |
| 6 | Kobe | Beef | 356 | 125 |
| 7 | Benedict | Eggsbenedict (ham and hollandaise) | 787 | 40 |
| 8 | Jameson | Whiskey | 874 | 34 |
| 9 | Basil | Herb | 1,439 | 17 |
| 10 | Gordon | Gin brand | 1,745 | 13 |
| =11 | Caesar | Salad | 2,266 | 9 |
| =11 | Sage | Herb | 2,266 | 9 |
| =13 | Baker | Atradesperson who bakes | 2,728 | 7 |
| =13 | Bran | Hardouter layer of whole cereal grains | 2,728 | 7 |
| =13 | Pippin | Apple | 2,728 | 7 |
| 16 | Reese | Candy(Reese’s Pieces) | 3,013 | 6 |
| 17 | Roe | Fish eggs | 4,702 | 3 |
[/su_table]
Dexter, Frank, Bailey, and Angus made up the remainder of the top 5. Caesar (9), Sage (9), Baker (7), Bran (7), Pippin (7), Reese (6) and Roe (3) also featured as more unique names further down the list.
Cane, Dijon, Juniper, Kale and Romaine have also proved to be unique food-related names over recent years:
[su_table]
| BOYS | ||
|---|---|---|
| Name | Description | Peak – year(s) with highest count between 1996-2019 |
| Cane | Sugar | 7 in 1997 |
| Dijon | Mustard | 4 in 1998 and in 2000 |
| Juniper | Berry | 3 in 2018 |
| Kale | Leafy green in the cabbage family | 20 in 2013 |
| Romaine | Type of head lettuce | 9 in 2010, in 2012 and in 2013 |
[/su_table]
Unisex baby names
There were several examples that featured as unisex names:
[su_table]
| Name | Description | 2019 Girl Count | 2019 Boy Count |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bailey | Irishcream liqueur | 71 | 278 |
| Juniper | Berry | 72 | 0 (3 in 2018) |
| Reese | Candy (Reese’sPieces) | 15 | 6 |
[/su_table]
Bailey more common for boy babies than girls (278 versus 71 respectively), whereas Reese was more common for girl babies than boys (15 versus 6 respectively). Juniper also featured as a unisex name – while more popular for girls, the name peaked for boy names in 2018, with 3 male babies being named after the berry in that year.
We hope this article inspires you to consider culinary influences when it comes to deciding on potential baby names – plenty of unique and unisex names feature in the lists, including those inspired by various beverages, edible flowers, herbs, spices, fruits, and more tasty treats!
If you’ve been inspired in a bit of a different way, and now you’re hungry for a sweets gift hampers or a special hamper for him, why not explore our selection of luxury gift wickers – including our range of Christmas hampers!
Disclaimer: The information in this story is accurate as of the publication date. Virginia Hayward are not liable or responsible for the accuracy of the advice provided by third party experts, nor for the content or operation of any third-party websites, webpages, or resources which have been linked to within this article. *Rank in respective girl-only or boy-only list, not overall.
