Jack's the lad for the 13th year in a row

Thirteen can be unlucky for some, but for the name Jack, this year is the thirteenth year it's topped the list of the most popular names given to a boy in England and Wales.

The list of official top baby names in England and Wales was released today by the Office of National Statistics (ONS) and shows that as far as girls names are concerned, Grace is the most favoured moniker, moving up on place from last year.

As with every year, certain trends can be identified in the movement of names – a lot of which is influenced by popular culture. Alfie rose six places to slide into the boys' top ten – which may have something to do with the song of the same title by Lily Allen. Another musical influence could be behind the tripling in popularity of the name Leona after X-Factor winner Leona Lewis.

Ava is a new entry to the girls' top 50, jumping 23 places to number 41 – it's a name with a certain celebrity pedigree, Hollywood star Reese Witherspoon's daughter is called Ava as is Beverly Hills 90210 actor Jason Priestley's daughter and Myleene Klass called her baby Ava this year. Similarly Summer – made popular by Rachael Bilson's character in the OC – is a new arrival in the girls' top 50.

Other names rising fast in popularity include Mohammed, Muhammad and Jayden.

The top boy's name in Wales is also Jack, with Dylan a close second, while the top girl's name in Wales is Ruby.

The Scottish official top baby name list, which was also released today has Lewis and Sophie heading up the top 100. As with England and Wales, two of the top climbing names were Jayden and Summer.

• Top 100 baby names for England and Wales 2007
• Top 100 baby names for Scotland 2007
• Top tips for naming your baby
• The top celebrity baby names for 2007