mmg.com.au

Little Jack Bateson may have the most common name in Victoria, but he is anything but.

At nearly eight months, Jack has a one-in-a-million smile, which, according to mum Sarah Dixon, is a frequent occurrence.

‘‘He is always happy and smiling,’’ she said.

Born on June 7 at Echuca hospital, Jack was one of 503 babies born in Victoria last year with the same name.

Jack has not only been announced as the most popular name of 2012, but the top name since 2000, with the Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages revealing 8221 boys have been named Jack in the past 13 years.

Sarah and Steve Bateson live in Moama with Jack, who is named after his maternal great-grandfather and paternal great-great-grandfather.

‘‘It’s a strong name,’’ Sarah said.

‘‘We originally had Jack as a middle name and Noah for his first name. When he was born, we didn’t think he looked like a Noah, so 24-hours later, we decided to call him Jack.’’

Olivia was the most popular girl’s name of 2012, with 452 born last year, as well as being the most common female baby name since 2000, with 6192.

Charlotte came in second, followed by Ruby, Chloe and Mia, while William, Oliver, Ethan and Thomas made it into the boys’ top five.