Babies Isabella Turner-Garcia and William Cassar.

Top of the tots ... babies Isabella Turner-Garcia and William Cassar at the Cassar family home in Castle Cove yesterday. Photo: Helen Nezdropa

AFTER a five-year reign, Jack has lost its stranglehold on the title of NSW's top name for newborn boys, replaced by William. And the top girl's name - Isabella.

There were 660 Williams registered with the NSW Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages last year, exactly the same number of Williams as in 2008, when it finished second. Jack dropped from 665 listings in 2008 to 585 in 2009.

Isabella jumped two places from third in 2008 to claim the girls' title last year, with 538 listings, ahead of Chloe (521) and Charlotte (501). Charlotte was the big mover, climbing into third place from seventh position in 2008.

Two new boys names - Noah and Ethan - entered the top 10, knocking out James and Benjamin.

Only one girl's name - Ava - gave up its place in the top 10, replaced by Amelia (10th in 2009, up from 11th in 2008). Last year's top girl's name, Mia, fell to fourth place. Sun-Herald columnist and social commentator Mia Freedman said she grew up with a ''weird'' name. ''But now I have maybe six friends who have called their daughters Mia. I'm at the point where, if I'm at the playground with my children, it's very distracting, with people calling out Mia all over the place.

''While my mother would like to think I was the factoring influence in calling their children Mia, it's probably the Bec and Lleyton [Hewitt] thing.'' The Hewitts' baby is named Mia.

Jeff Gilling, director of research at McCrindle Research, which publishes a national baby names list, said names were ''all about individuality''.

''You want your child to almost be a brand. If you don't come up with a unique name, then you come up with a unique spelling. Last year we found 14 different ways people had spelt Amelia. Parents are creating something unique.''

In 2009, some Australian celebrities gave their babies unique names. Toni Pearen had Lucky, Dave Hughes and Holly Ife welcomed son Rafferty David Hughes, Grant Hackett and Candice Alley had twins Jagger Emilio and Charlize Alley, and Ben Lee and Ione Skye welcomed daughter Goldie Priya Lee.

Mother of two Natalie Cassar said she and her husband Sean, of Castle Cove, were tossing up between William and Liam when they had a baby boy in August last year.

''I didn't really want a popular name but we liked the name William because it was traditional and strong. He has lots of nicknames already, like Will and Billy, which is cute,'' she said.

''In nearly every playground or shopping centre I can hear mothers yelling out Will or William. It's certainly popular.'' Mrs Cassar's three-year-old daughter is named Ava. ''I have wanted to name my daughter Ava since I was about 15. I'm surprised it's become popular,'' she said.

Chris Turner and wife Catalina Garcia, from Zetland, chose the name Isabella for their six-month-old daughter because it blended nicely with Ms Garcia's Colombian heritage.

''We had been discussing it for a while and wanted something that fitted in with Catalina's background and was still a nice name,'' Mr Turner said.

''We had no idea it was so popular. We liked it because it is pronounced the same in Spanish and English, so it won't be lost in translation with the family.''

Attorney-General John Hatzistergos said: ''While some parents may wish to take their time in making this decision, it is important to remember that you have 60 days to register the birth of your child, including his or her name, with the Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages.

''People also need to be responsible when choosing a name for their baby, as some names may be rejected, particularly if they're considered to be obscene or offensive.''