11 March 2019
For the first time, the Annual Statement published by Jersey’s Superintendent Registrar includes a list of the most popular baby names. This year, Sienna and Leo topped the poll.
The 2018 report identifies a number of island trends related to births, deaths and marriages. Headline figures include:
- the number of births in Jersey went down last year with 16 fewer babies being born than in 2017. According to new figures, 933 babies were born in 2018, the lowest number since 2002
- in 2018 there were 831 registered deaths, 15 more than in 2017 – the highest number since 2002
- marriage on the whole is slightly down. There were 438 marriages in 2018 – nine fewer than 2017. Religious marriages went down by 22. However, civil marriages went up by 13
- the most popular venue for marriage ceremonies in Jersey in 2018 remained the Register Office, where 157 ceremonies took place
- 38 marriages took place for the first time in outdoor locations following amendments to the Marriage and Civil Status (Jersey) Law which came into force on 1 July, 2018
- in 2018 there were seven civil partnership ceremonies – eight fewer than in 2017
- nine couples converted their civil partnership to a marriage during the last six months of the year, following amendments to the law
- the number of local couples choosing to marry abroad went down by 55%
Claire Follain, Superintendent Registrar said: “This year’s figures are particularly interesting, showing that changes to the Marriage and Civil Status Law which came into force on 1 July, 2018, have been welcomed by so many islanders. The birth and death figures indicate a continuation of the trends set in 2017."
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