JACOB or Jessica, Alfie or Amelia, Phoebe or Phoebo?

Choosing your baby's name is a tricky business for any parent but there are some clear favourites from the last year in Warrington.

Following the Office for National Statistics revealing the most popular names for boys and girls in the north west for 2013, we asked Warrington Guardian readers what they have been naming their bundles of joy over the past 12 months.

While in the north west, Oliver, Jack and Harry topped the poll with Amelia, Olivia and Ava making up the girls top three, some of the most popular names in Warrington included Arthur, Noah and Jenson and Matildah, Violet and Ella.

Ann Marie Hatton, Warrington Hospital ward manager, said: “A lot of couples already have the name planned before the birth, or have two names in mind and wait to see the baby before deciding on the final name.

"There is definitely a trend towards the traditional names at the moment but with a twist to the spelling and not so many original names.”

Once the name is decided on, Warrington's superintendent registrar revealed it is incredibly important parents are happy with their spelling when registering the birth as mistakes or errors can lead to a lengthy process applying for a formal correction.

She added: "On the odd occasion we have had parents come in that are still unsure so we tell them to go away and think about it because once the entry is complete it can't just be scribbled out and changed.

"What goes in the register is set in stone forever so it's important parents think about spellings before they sign."

But for some parents, baby name league tables do not mean anything as pointed out by Latchford mum Lynette Clare whose daughter Chloe battled meningitis when she was five days old in March 2013.

She added: "Her name isn't in the top 20 but she is my number one and my fighter."