WHEN Melissa and Martin Stait welcomed their daughter into the world last year, unbeknown to them the name they chose was quite popular.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
or signup to continue reading
On October 14, 2023, Ava Mae Stait was born in Bathurst, becoming the newest sibling for Amelia, William and Jack.
Ms Stait said she chose the name Ava not only because she really liked it, but because it had very little to no variation in the spelling.
But in selecting the name, she had no idea that it was the most popular name in Bathurst.
"I just really like common, classic names," Ms Stait said.
"Also ones that don't really have any variation in their spelling."
According to statistics provided by the NSW Government, Ava was the outright most common female name in Bathurst for 2023.
There was a four-way tie in second - Elsie, Willow, Amelia and Poppy.
The top baby names for male and females born in Bathurst in 2023 have been revealed, with a tie for first place in the males.
Both Oliver and Theodore were the most popular male names, while there was another tie in third for Billy, Noah, Jack and Hudson.
When it comes to the female, Ava was the outright favourite.
Bathurst compared to NSW
The popularity of our male names in Bathurst aren't too different to the trends across the entirety of NSW.
Oliver was the most popular name, with Noah in second and Theodore coming in at third.
Jack was 11th.
Billy, however, was down at 65 on the state list.
When it comes to the female names, Bathurst has been well off the state figures.
The most popular female name in NSW last year was Isla, with Amelia coming second. Bathurst's most popular name, Ava, was sixth.
Elsie was 35th, Willow 19th and Poppy came in at 48th.
MALE: 1 Oliver, 2 Noah, 3 Leo, 4 Henry, 5 Theodore, 6 Luca, 7 Hudson, 8 William, 9 Lucas, 10 Charlie
FEMALE: 1 Isla, 2 Amelia, 3 Olivia, 4 Mia, 5 Charlotte, 6 Ava, 7 Lily, =8 Sophia, Evelyn, 10 Matilda
