The likes of Edith, Cora and Elsie are all soaring in popularity among new parents because of the ITV drama, which attracts around eight million weekly viewers
Thousands of parents are naming their babies after Downton Abbey characters, the latest figures have revealed.
Edith, Cora, Sybil and Elsie are all soaring in popularity among new parents because of the ITV drama, which attracts around eight million viewers on Sunday evenings.
Violet, the first name of the matriarchal Dowager Countess of Grantham played by Dame Maggie Smith, made the top 100 girls’ names for 2013, jumping to 78th from 123rd in 2010, with 709 girls so named.
Highest ranked was Elsie, the name of housekeeper Mrs Hughes, with nearly 1,200 babies called that, according to figures from the Office for National Statistics.
Parenting expert Dr Fin Williams, who founded the group Parent Perspectives based in Devon, was unsurprised by the trend.
She said: "We pick up our preferences for names based on who we are surrounded by but also our experiences of TV characters who have that name.
"We are less likely to name our children after someone who we feel hasn't got a very nice character, and more likely to name them after somebody we aspire to."
Judy Reith, parenting coach and founder of parentingpeople.co.uk, said: "I think parents have always been interested in fashion and sometimes fashion is led by television programmes and celebrities, especially in the current age.
"I'm not surprised that Downton Abbey is having an influence, and I'm sure the the royal baby will also have an influence next year."
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