POPULAR culture continued to influence the top 100 baby name choices in England and Wales last year, while a new favourite emerged for baby girls.

Olivia dethroned Amelia to become the most popular name for a girl, while Oliver remained the top name for baby boys for the fourth year in a row.

But a few lesser known names also crept into the top 100 lists released by the Office for National Statistics.

Arlo, which did not appear on the ONS' top 100 until 2016, took the 49th spot after climbing 53 places. The name became famous following 2015 Disney release, The Good Dinosaur.

Similarly, Harper, thought to be influenced by the youngest Beckham, climbed more than 2,000 places over 10 years to make it into 2016's top 50.

For baby boys, it was Jaxon which took the biggest leap into the top 100 since 2006.

Finn and Luna were also big hits among parents, perhaps after they were popularised by Star Wars and Harry Potter, respectively. Finn made it into the top 100 for the first time since 1905.

Siobhan Freegard, founder of parenting site ChannelMum.com, said: "While the top of the names chart has stayed almost steady, there are some very strong new name trends coming through in the lower end.

"The most popular new boys' names are from a galaxy far, far away. Both Finn - from the Force Awakens - and Ezra from Star Wars Rebels - are double-digit climbers."

She added: "Meanwhile ethereal and natural names are the fastest-growing fashion for girls. Aria has been popularised by Game Of Thrones where it is spelt Arya, but given a modern twist by parents with a new spelling. Moon-inspired name Luna has leapt by a huge 52 places while Willow, Iris and Ivy all continue to creep up the chart."

While TV shows were a noticeable theme, half of the most popular boys names have remained in the top 10 since 2006. Oliver, Harry, Jack, Charlie and Thomas made last year's cut.

Royal names Charlotte and George continued their ascent, with George ranked the third most popular name for boys, and Charlotte closing in on the top 10, at 12th place.

Muhammad replaced William in the top 10 names for boys, while Albie, Arlo, Ezra, Finn, Jasper and Jesse were new entries into the top 100.

Poppy dropped out of the top 10 for girls, replaced by Lily, however Olivia, Emily, Lily and Jessica have remained over the decade. Felicity, Iris, Luna and Lydia, entered the top 100 for girls' names last year, replacing Bethany, Hollie, Katie and Lacey.

Nick Stripe, a statistician at the ONS, said: "It is as you move down the rankings that you begin to notice social and cultural changes being reflected in name choices.

"Harper was the girls' name in the top 100 in 2016 with the biggest rise in popularity over the previous 10 years, whilst for boys it was Jaxon."

The data is based on live births which occurred in the calendar year, of which there were 696,271 in 2016.

Some 64,000 different baby names were recorded, while 20 births were registered without a name in 2016.

Justine Roberts, Mumsnet Founder and CEO, said: "Not a huge amount of surprises in this year's list - perhaps, at a time when lots of things feel very uncertain, parents are turning to familiar baby names that will stand the test of time.

"There's a pleasing symmetry to Olivia and Oliver being the top names for boys and girls."

Here are the top 20 baby names for girls in England and Wales in 2016:

1. Olivia

2. Amelia

3. Emily

4. Isla

5. Ava

6. Isabella

7. Lily

8. Jessica

9. Ella

10. Mia

11. Sophia

12. Charlotte

13. Poppy

14. Sophie

15. Grace

16. Evie

17. Alice

18. Scarlett

19. Freya

20. Florence

Here are the top 20 baby names for boys in England and Wales in 2016:

1. Oliver

2. Harry

3. George

4. Jack

5. Jacob

6. Noah

7. Charlie

8. Muhammad

9. Thomas

10. Oscar

11. William

12. James

13. Leo

14. Alfie

15. Henry

16. Joshua

17. Freddie

18. Archie

19. Ethan

20. Isaac