UK’s most popular baby names revealed: Statistics reveal the monikers at risk of extinction – while the most popular remain the same

The most popular baby names in the UK have been revealed, with Noah and Olivia once again topping the annual list.

The Office of National Statistics (ONS) has released the latest new name data for England and Wales, from births in 2022.

Olivia has once more been crowned the most popular baby girl name, its seventh consecutive year atop the ONS list. Meanwhile Isla, Ava and Amelia are still also flying high.

Meanwhile, boys name Oliver dropped to second place in 2021, having been the most popular moniker for eight years before Noah overtook it.

Data from the ONS also shows that the name Muhammed – which ranked 20th in 2012 – has soared in popularity in recent times, and now ranks at number two.

Oh baby! The most popular names in the UK have been revealed, with names like Noah, Muhammed and Olivia topping the list (stock image)

Other names taking a seat in the top five names for boys are George and Leo – while former champion Oliver has now dropped to fourth place.

Rounding out the top 10 for baby girl names are Lily, Ivy, Freya, Florence, Isabella, Mia and Willow.

More old fashioned names are becoming much rarer, says the ONS’ Dr James Tucker.

He explains: ‘Noah was the most popular name for boys in 2022, for the second year in a row, having replaced Oliver at the top in 2021. Oliver has now slipped to fourth most popular boys’ name, behind Muhammad and George.

‘Olivia remained the most popular girls’ name in 2022, having held the top spot since 2016. In second and third place for the girls it’s Amelia and Isla, both unchanged from 2021.

‘Theodore, Theo and Freddie are three new entries into the top 10 boys’ names in 2022. Isabella is the only new entry into the girls’ top 10.’

And if you need some inspiration for a new arrival? Look at who’s famous, says Dr Tucker. 

Olivia has once more been crowned the most popular baby girl name for the eighth year in a row, according to latest ONS stats

‘Popular culture continues to influence parents’ baby name choices. Today we have also published analysis exploring cultural influences that could be inspiring baby name trends, from hit TV shows to musical icons’.

According to ONS data of the most popular baby names in a generation from 1996 to 2021, monikers such as Lauren have been big fallers since 1996.

The list saw Lauren fall down from fifth to 567th, Megan down from tenth to 330th and Amy falling from ninth to 285th.

None of the boys’ top 10 since 1996 has fallen by such a rate, but the biggest droppers are Matthew, down from sixth to 123rd, and Ryan, down from seventh to 106th.

Half of the top 10 boys’ names for mothers under the age of 25 were shortened versions of traditional names. Of the top ten baby names for mothers aged 35 and over, only one was a shortened name.

Willow, Isabella, Harper and Delilah were girls’ names only seen in the top ten among mothers under 25, while Charlotte, Grace, Sophie and Sophia were more likely for mothers over 35.

The ONS said: ‘The long-running trend of older mothers giving their babies more traditional names and younger mothers giving more modern and shortened versions of traditional names continued.’

The ONS also said that famous figures and cultural influences were affecting babies’ names. It suggested the Disney Pixar film Luca may have increased interest in the main character’s name, which went from 1,323 in 2020 to 1,807 in 2021, making it the 28th most popular for boys last year.

The release of Disney animation Raya And The Last Dragon in 2021 also led to an increase in the number of girls being named Raya, which doubled from 110 in 2020 to 251 last year.

Meanwhile, the name Boris slipped down the rankings last year, from 745th in 2020 to 815th in 2021.

Let’s call him Otis! Popular culture has a huge influence on the names list, say the ONS, with Asa Butterfield’s character in Sex Education leading to a raft of boys named Otis

Further analysis showed many parents were inspired by the Royal Family, with eight girls named Lilibet in the months after Prince Harry and Meghan Markle gave their daughter the late Queen Elizabeth‘s nickname.

The birth of their son Archie in 2020 similarly led to a surge in popularity for that name, just as the Prince and Princess of Wales‘s choices of George, Charlotte and Louis were copied by hundreds of parents around the country.

But Netflix appeared to have a bigger influence, with hundreds of children given the unusual names of characters from the streaming service’s hit shows.

There were 737 boys named Otis and 654 girls called Maeve in 2021, possibly copied from characters in Sex Education, while Stranger Things is thought to have influenced a small rise in Dustin, and even three girls named Eleven after the main protagonist in the sci-fi series.

Modern pop stars George Ezra and Mabel also inspired many parents, while David Bowie’s death in 2016 led to a surge in boys named Ziggy.

The number of boys registered with the name Ziggy, a reference to his acclaimed 1972 album Ziggy Stardust, at birth in England and Wales rose from 49 to 136 between 2016 and 2021.

The number of boys registered with the name Bowie rose from 35 to 78 in the same period.