The most popular baby names of 2015 are likely to build on the trends seen over the past few years. Using data from the Office for National Statistics, Anna Powell-Smith's name trend visualiser, and a healthy dose of intuition, we've compiled our predictions for the hottest baby names of next year. One of the most interesting trends of the past few years has been the soaring popularity of names beginning with E, particularly for girls, with 18 percent of the top 50 girls' names of 2013 starting with E.
Newly popular names like Evie and Elsa have joined perennial favourites such as Elizabeth and Emilia, but Elsie is the real success story. Almost obsolete back in 1996 (ranked 823rd), it has soared into 47th place, and its meteoric rise shows no signs of slowing.
Another good way to predict names on the rise is to look at entries which appeared in the top 100 for the first time last year. This year there were three new arrivals: Darcy, Beatrice and Victoria.
Finally, we looked at names in the top 100 which made the biggest leaps from 2012 to 2013. These included Willow (69th to 54th), Ivy (88th to 66th) and Violet (100th to 78th).
When it comes to boys' names, their popularity tends to be less fluid and fluctuating than girls' names. We can therefore expect to see the top 10 relatively unchanged from 2013 and 2014, with traditional choices like Oliver, Jack and Harry almost certain to reign unchallenged.
However, in the lower half of the top 100, we are likely to see more movement. One of the most interesting recent trends is the rising tide of Central European-inspired names, with Leon, Max, Louis, Leo, Albert and Frederick all in the top 100.
It's not hard to see why - these names evoke images of the interwar elegance and sophistication of cities like Vienna, Berlin and Prague, and their retro vibe ties in nicely with the parallel resurgence of Victorian favourites like Alfred, Charles and Arthur.
With that in mind, other Central European names are likely to enjoy a surge of popularity by association. In fact, this trend can already be seen coming into effect - European stalwarts Otto and Ernest have risen dramatically, from an ailing 976th and 1337th respectively in 1996 to 399th and 440th last year), while Maximilian, Emil and Rudy have also made steady gains over the last few years.
Eli (and its longer form, Elijah) continues to climb the table steeply, currently at 134 and likely to crack the top 100 in the very near future. This is probably due to a knock-on effect of the popularity of other Old Testament names over the past decade, such as Ethan, Noah and Reuben.
Austin, Albert, Felix, Ronnie and Teddy all enjoyed their first appearance in the top 100 last year, and their rise looks set to continue.
With all this in mind, here are our top 10 baby name predictions for 2015:
Top 10 names to watch in 2015
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Baby Name Trends for 2015
Continental trends(01 of10)
Open Image ModalMany of the newer names in the top 100 seem to have drifted across the Channel - recent UK top 100 names Lola, Mia, Leo, Hugo, Sofia, Emilia and Louis all make the top 10s of France, Germany or Holland.Expect to see: Other names which are trending among our European cousins, like Lucas, Elias, Mattias, Sara and Anna.
'Posh' names(02 of10)
Open Image ModalAfter a slump in the late 90s, when 'Julians' and 'Tarquins' became a comic byword for pretentious, braying toffs, names considered 'posh' are making a comeback. Rupert, Hugo and Felix are among the upper-class monikers firmly back in fashion.Expect to see: Percy, Monty and Rufus are all creeping back up the popularity charts.
Names ending in 'a(03 of10)
Open Image Modal'Here's a fun fact for you (sort of...). Out of the current top 10 girls' names in the UK, seven end in the letter 'a'. This is compared to just two out of 2003's top 10.Expect to see: More of the same! Julia, Lydia, Sara and Aurora are all on the up, and could be breaking into the top 50 by this time next year.
1980's Americana(04 of10)
Open Image ModalAustin, Seth, Madison - notice anything about these names which have recently cracked the UK top 100? They were all highly popular in the US during the 1990, so it's not surprising that the generation of parents who grew up during the Beverley Hills 90210 era would turn to them.Expect to see: Other classic 90s 'high school' names, like Brandon, Tyler, Justin, Victoria, Brooke and Alexis.
1930s names(05 of10)
Open Image ModalEdwardian names have been riding high for the last few years, bringing names like Ivy, Violet, Alfred and Albert back into the mainstream. The next logical step, therefore, is for parents to start drawing on the interwar generation for baby name ideas.Expect to see: The likes of Dorothy, June and Jean for girls, Ronald, Raymond and Frank for boys.
Quirky biblical names(06 of10)
Open Image ModalNoah, Ethan, and Isaac have been popular name choices for baby boys for years now, but it seems that parents are ready to dig deeper into their Bible. Seth, Reuben and Elijah have already joined them in the top 100!Expect to see: Ezra (moved from 599th in 2003 to 295th most popular in 2013), Isaiah (448th to 273rd) and Eli (499th to 134th).
Names from the States(07 of10)
Open Image ModalMany of the newer names popular in the UK now - Brayden, Jayden, Madison, even Nevaeh - can be traced to the United States, where they were in vogue in the mid-2000s before making their way across the ocean to the UK. Expect to see: Names popular in the last couple of years which may soon arrive on our shores include Aubrey, Avery, Lillian, Mason, Landon and Carter.
Plant names(08 of10)
Open Image ModalWith Violet, Poppy, Lily, Daisy, Ivy and Willow all among the top 100 girls' names in 2013, it seems parents are going wild for flower and plant names. Expect to see: As the names listed above become firmly mainstream, parents will be on the lookout for similar names yet to be discovered. Potential options include Clover, Rosemary and Iris.
Vintage European names(09 of10)
Open Image ModalGirls' names beginning with E(10 of10)
Open Image ModalDid you know 18 percent of the top 50 girls' names of 2013 started with E? Probably not (why would you?). But it's true - newly popular names like Evie, Esme and Elsie have joined perennial favourites such as Elizabeth and Emilia.Expect to see: Several other 'e' names are stealthily gliding up the popularity rankings, so brace yourself for the likes of Evelyn, Elodie and Edith.