LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM--(MARKET WIRE)--Oct 1, 2008 -- Despite celebrity children being named after fruit, New York boroughs and days of the week - Jack and Olivia are the nation's favourite baby names, according to the leading Child Trust Fund (CTF) provider, The Children's Mutual (http://www.thechildrensmutual.co.uk).

A review of more than 121,000 account holders of The Children's Mutual found that the Child Trust Fund generation are most likely to have traditional names, with Jack, Thomas, Oliver, Olivia, Grace and Emily making up the top three for boys and girls respectively.

Yet a growing number of parents are taking a leaf out of the celebrities' naming book and giving their children monikers of the famous with Cruz, Brooklyn and Moses all sneaking higher up the table. Currently, there are no CTF holders named 'Sunday' after Nicole Kidman's new born - although there are a number of Tuesdays.

While Jack and Olivia top the charts nationally it is very different story regionally. Traditional names like Reuben, Frederick and Nathaniel are popular in London; Ethan is top in the East of England and Joshua in the North East. Other favourites included Kian in Wales, Mckenzie in the North East, Finley in the West Midlands and Harley in the East Midlands. Favourite names for girls include Maia in Yorkshire and the Humber, Maisie in London, Nia in Wales and Tia in the North West.

To help new parents find the perfect name for their little ones, The Children's Mutual has launched an online 'Baby Name Finder'. With over 6,000 names in the database to explore, mums and dads can search for names by gender (including unisex names), origin or alphabetically, and can even look up name meanings.

"While choosing the right name can give your child a good start in life, The Children's Mutual is also here to help provide the best financial start. With our Child Trust Fund, parents can save little and often over 18 years to give their child a boost into adulthood. With the average Child Trust Fund being topped up by 24GBP a month, the little Jacks, Olivias and other Child Trust Fund babies could each get 9,750GBP when they reach 18.

To access the Baby Name Finder and find out more about The Children's Mutual, visit http://www.thechildrensmutual.co.uk/babynames

     Contacts:
     The Children's Mutual
     Elspeth Rothwell
     +44(0)20-7781-2366