THE most popular baby names in the borough for 2019 have been revealed.

According to the Office for National Statistics, Olivia was the most popular name, with 38 children given the name across Wigan and Leigh It was also the most popular girl’s name nationally.

George was the most popular name for baby boys locally, with 26 newborns given that name in the borough.

In neighbouring Warrington George was the top name for boys, while in St Helens it was Oliver.

For girls, it was Ava, in Warrington, and Olivia in St Helens.

Manchester’s favourites were Muhammad and Amelia.

In descending order, the top 10 names for boys across the north west region were:

1. Muhammad

2. Oliver

3. George

4. Harry

5. Noah

6. Thomas

7. Leo

8. Jacob

9. Jack

10. Arthur

The top 10 names for girls in the north west last year were:

1. Olivia

2. Amelia

3. Ava 4.

Isla

5. Isabella

6. Sophia

7. Emily

8. Freya

9. Ivy

10. Charlotte

Across the UK as a whole, Olivia and Oliver topped the baby name charts, with more than 4,000 children given the names.

David Corps, vital statistics outputs branch, Office for National Statistics, said: "Oliver and Olivia continued their reign as the top boys’ and girls’ names in 2019, but analysis shows choices in baby names can differ depending on the mother’s age.

"We found younger mothers opted for more modern girls’ names like Harper, which has seen a rise since the Beckhams named their daughter so in 2011, and shortened boys’ names like Freddie.

"In contrast, older mothers chose more traditional names such as Jack and Charlotte.

"Popular culture continues to influence the baby names landscape.

"Following Dua Lipa’s first UK number one single in 2017, the number of girls named Dua has doubled from 63 to 126 in 2019."