'There is no doubt that children's names reflect people's aspirations and parents believe names can affect career prospects,' said Steve Shore of Abbey.
Parents are now finding it so difficult to pick the right name that 28% of them are looking to baby names books and websites to help, with less than half that number naming baby after a family member.
A further 10% of parents readily admit that their babies are named after a famous person or celebrity.
Recent surveys show Grace, Ruby and Olivia as the most popular names for girls with Jack, Thomas and Oliver in the lead for boys.
April 2008
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