The World’s most popular baby name has been revealed

The name Sofia, in all its various local spellings, is the top baby name in the World.  Incredibly, more parents than ever in nine countries, from Mexico to Russia, have chosen the name for their little girls. In 20 other countries, the name Sophia is steadily creeping up the ranks to the top five, while in the United States, it's now number three. On our shores, the most popular baby names are Jack and Emily (and have been for the last eight and four years respectively), with Sophie a close second for baby girls. Speaking to Live Science, baby naming expert and author on the subject Laura Wattenberg explained:

"It just blew me away that so many different languages and cultures would arrive at the same sound at the same time. "I guess that really says something about the way culture is transmitted today."

Other trends include giving a baby it's mother's maiden name as a first name, while religious names, such as Mary and John, are beginning to become less popular.