SIENNA and Arthur were the most popular baby names in Jersey last year and the number of weddings bounced back to pre-pandemic levels after couples were forced to delay their nuptials during 2020’s lockdown restrictions.
A total of 890 babies – 426 girls and 464 boys – were born in Jersey last year, which was 27 more than in 2020.
The figures were released as part of the Superintendent Registrar’s report, published this morning, for 2021.
After Sienna, the most popular names for girls were Isla and Olivia. For boys, the second- and third-place spots were taken by Oliver and Noah.
Many of the Island’s most common babies’ names have long been popular choices, but there were some that had not featured highly in recent years. Ellie, Maria and Valentina were new entries in the list of top-ten girls’ names, while Freddie and Toby entered the top-ten zone for boys.
According to the Superintendent Registrar’s report, hundreds of couples were finally able to walk down the aisle last year after a major drop in the number of wedding ceremonies in 2020 due to the pandemic. There were 442 wedding ceremonies in the Island in 2021, compared to 184 in 2020.
Of the total for 2021, 37 weddings involved couples from outside of the Island who had chosen to get married here. In 2020, only ten marriages in Jersey were held for non-residents.
Last year’s ceremonies included five civil partnerships being converted to marriages following changes in the law. In 2020 two civil partnerships became marriages.
There were 827 deaths registered in Jersey in 2021, which was 109 more than in the previous year – and the highest number to be recorded since 2018.
However, the number of Covid-related deaths dropped from 57 in 2020 to 35 last year. They comprised 24 men and 11 women. A Covid-related death is said to have occurred when Covid-19, or suspected Covid-19, is mentioned on a person’s death certificate. This includes all cases where the virus is recorded, whether as the direct cause of death or in combination with other health conditions.
Superintendent Registrar Claire Follain said: ‘This latest report has given us an insight into how much the pandemic has affected Islanders’ life events.
‘It has been interesting to see that there has been a significant increase weddings in 2021 compared to 2020, and that numbers have returned to pre-pandemic levels.’
TOP TEN GIRLS’ NAMES
- Sienna
- Isla
- Olivia
- Willow
- Ellie
- Maria
- Sophia
- Valentina
- Amelia
- Charlotte
TOP TEN BOYS’ NAMES - Arthur
- Oliver
- Noah
- Freddie
- Alexander
- Lucas
- Toby
- William
- Henry
- Sebastian
