A NEW generation of children will bring school playgrounds echoing with names that seem half American and half a cast list of quickly forgotten television programmes.

The increasing standardisation of names between Britain and the United States has led to Emily becoming the English-speaking world’s favourite name. Official figures showed yesterday that it has become Britain’s most popular girl’s name, taking over from Chloe. In America it is already ranked first, and in Australia it is seventh.

The rising popularity of names such as Ethan, previously more common in America, show that new parents searching for inspiration can be influenced more by television, film and the internet than by tradition, experts say.

Chardonnay, the name given to 91 girls last year, was inspired by one of the characters in the drama Footballers’ Wives. The BBC talent show Fame Academy made its contribution as scores of parents called their children Lemar, Malachi and Sinead — all the names of successful contestants on the show.

Jack is Britain’s best-loved boy’s name for the ninth consecutive year, according to the study by the Office for National Statistics. It is second favourite in Australia. The top five boys’ names in Britain have been virtually unchanged for eight years.

Julia Cresswell, a philologist and author of Bloomsbury’s Best Baby Names, said: “There is also a phenomenon where parents are giving their children pet names. John has become Jack, Alexander has become Alex — it is an informality you might say has also come from abroad.

“What we have got is a sort of rapidly accelerating false intimacy. We have more or less given up on calling each other by our surnames so we need to rely on an evergrowing pool of first names to try to differentiate.

“I predict that American trends, such as using surnames as first names, like Taylor, and names with obvious meanings, such as Destiny or Storm, will become popular. Already you are seeing names like Summer becoming more popular in this country. More people around the world are watching the same television programmes.”

The influence of other cultures has become more marked over the past decade. Aimée (the French spelling of Amy) is up 16 to 49. Harrison, a typically American usage of a surname as a first name, has risen five places to 47, suggesting continued interest in the veteran film star Harrison Ford.

Television at home has also influenced parents. The name Alfie has risen 31 places to No 18. Many language experts attributed the otherwise inexplicable rise to copycat behaviour. The character Alfie Moon made his debut on the television soap EastEnders a year ago. Spencer, the name of Alfie’s teenage brother on the programme, broke into the Top 100 at 89.

Shane Richie, who plays Alfie, said: “Alfie is such a warm, lovable and friendly name that it’s no wonder mums and dads-to-be see the charm in it.”

The chef Jamie Oliver may have provided more inspiration. There were 1,053 babies named Poppy registered in 2003 and 1,373 named Daisy — the names of his two daughters.

Tyler rose five places to number 35, after the heroics of the American Tyler Hamilton in the Tour de France, which he won despite suffering a broken collarbone in a fall en route.

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