Picking the right name for your little one can be hard work - do you choose something from the list of popular Christmas baby names if you're due in December? Or do you opt for one of the smartest baby names?
According to a new study, it seems that we're actually quite likely to let our favourite childhood films influence our decision.
Research by travel experts Florida4Less found that more than a million adult Brits are named after Disney characters, and some monikers are growing in popularity thanks to the likes of Frozen, Beauty and the Beast and The Little Mermaid.
And the trend of Disney names doesn't appear to be slowing down with 14% saying they'd call their child Ariel after the red-headed mermaid, and 9% revealing they'd opt for Nala following The Lion King remake.
The study also found that three in ten 18 to 34 year olds would choose a Disney-inspired name.
So which names came out on top? Jasmin, Rex and Belle are popular choices, as are Minnie, Woody and Jafar.
Let's take a look at the full list:
Most popular Disney inspired names
- Jasmine (Aladdin, 1992)
- Rex (Toy Story, 1995)
- Belle (Beauty and the Beast, 1991)
- Jessie (Toy Story 2, 2000)
- Minnie (Steamboat Willie, 1928)
- Tiana (Princess and the Frog, 2010)
- Elsa (Frozen, 2013)
- Woody (Toy Story, 1995)
- Ariel (The Little Mermaid, 1989)
- Nala (The Lion King, 1994)
The data also revealed some huge increases over the last decade. Rex rose in popularity by an astonishing 767% between 2007 and 2017, while Esmerelda (up 400%), Belle (up 335%), Minnie (up 308%) and Ariel (115%) are also becoming big favourites with UK parents.
The Disney names rising in popularity (2007 - 2017)
- Rex (Toy Story, 1995) – Up 767%
- Esmerelda (The Hunchback of Notre-Dame, 1996) - 400%
- Belle (Beauty and the Beast, 1991) - 335%
- Minnie (Steamboat Willie, 1928) - 308%
- Ariel (The Little Mermaid, 1989) - 115%
- Gus (Cinderella, 1950) - 80%
- Woody (Toy Story, 1995) - 62%
- Mickey (Steamboat Willie, 1928) - 42%
- Jafar (Aladdin, 1992) - 33%
And it seems that it's the dads who are more likely to choose one, with 8% of women saying they'd pick a Disney moniker compared to 12% of men.
Commenting on the findings, Florida4Less director, Martin Berens, said: 'Many of us can share the story behind our name and it’s fascinating to learn that so many from the UK were named after a character in their parents’ favourite Disney film.
'But while more than a quarter (26%) say they’d consider naming their child after a character from a film, book or TV show, including Disney, three in ten told us they think too many non-traditional names are being given to children.
'It’ll be interesting to see how attitudes change in the future.'
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