Revealed: Britain's most popular baby names and it's bad news for Cliffords and Normans - with full list of top 100

17 May 2024, 14:36 | Updated: 17 May 2024, 16:04

The ONS has released the latest data on the most popular baby names in England and Wales.
The ONS has released the latest data on the most popular baby names in England and Wales. Picture: Alamy

By Jenny Medlicott

The most popular baby names in the UK have been revealed in a new set of data from the Office of National Statistics - with fears some are becoming 'endangered'.

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The Office of National Statistics (ONS) published the latest set of data on baby names in England and Wales from births in 2022.

On the girls' list of names, the number one has remained consistent over the last few years, with Olivia in the crowning spot for the seventh year running.

On the boys list, Oliver had reigned at number one for eight years running until 2021 when it was taken over by Noah.

The name Muhammed has also soared to popularity on the list of boys' names, moving up from 20th in the rankings to number two.

But Dr James Tucker at the ONS said: "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."

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The most popular baby names have been revealed for 2022.
The most popular baby names have been revealed for 2022. Picture: Alamy

Names such as Lauren, Megan and Amy have fallen drastically in the years since 1996.

In the year from 1996 to 2021, Lauren fell from fifth to 567th, Megan from 10th to 285th and Amy from ninth to 285th.

Equally, in the same period, Matthew dropped from sixth to 123rd and Ryan from seventh to 106th.

The age of new mothers also has an impact on the names chosen, as 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.”

Here’s the full list of the top 100 names for boys and girls in 2022 across England and Wales.

Top girls’ names

1 Olivia

2 Amelia

3 Isla

4 Ava

5 Lily

6 Ivy

7 Freya

8 Florence

9 Isabella

10 Mia

11 Willow

12 Sienna

13 Poppy

14 Sophia

15 Elsie

16 Rosie

17 Grace

18 Millie

19 Emily

20 Sofia

21 Daisy

22 Evelyn

23 Evie

24 Phoebe

25 Ella

26 Charlotte

27 Harper

28 Maya

29 Matilda

30 Ruby

31 Aria

32 Penelope

33 Hallie

34 Luna

35 Bonnie

36 Ada

37 Emilia

38 Alice

39 Sophie

40 Esme

41 Isabelle

42 Maisie

43 Violet

44 Delilah

45 Mila

46 Eva

47 Arabella

48 Maeve

49 Aurora

50 Mabel

51 Ayla

52 Lottie

53 Eliza

54 Rose

55 Erin

56 Layla

57 Scarlett

58 Chloe

59 Margot

60 Elizabeth

61 Imogen

62 Eleanor

63 Orla

64 Thea

65 Harriet

66 Iris

67 Nancy

68 Emma

69 Jessica

70 Zara

71 Robyn

72 Gracie

73 Elodie

74 Olive

75 Maria

75 Maryam

77 Bella

78 Lola

78 Lyra

80 Lyla

81 Ophelia

82 Ellie

83 Ottilie

84 Molly

85 Lara

86 Myla

87 Eden

88 Eloise

89 Darcie

90 Lucy

91 Nova

92 Lilly

93 Clara

94 Jasmine

95 Edith

96 Summer

97 Amelie

98 Hannah

99 Fatima

99 Sara

Top boys’ names

1 Noah

2 Muhammad

3 George

4 Oliver

5 Leo

6 Arthur

7 Oscar

8 Theodore

9 Theo

10 Freddie

11 Archie

12 Luca

13 Henry

14 Jack

15 Harry

16 Charlie

17 Alfie

18 Arlo

19 Thomas

20 Teddy

21 Finley

22 Jacob

23 Tommy

24 William

25 Lucas

26 Isaac

27 Mohammed

28 Alexander

29 Albie

30 Roman

31 Edward

32 Jude

33 Elijah

34 James

35 Joshua

36 Reuben

37 Max

38 Rory

39 Sebastian

40 Louie

41 Adam

42 Mason

43 Ethan

43 Hudson

45 Harrison

46 Ezra

47 Hugo

48 Louis

49 Reggie

50 Joseph

51 Benjamin

52 Ronnie

53 Daniel

54 Logan

55 Jaxon

56 Oakley

57 Albert

58 Hunter

59 Zachary

60 Samuel

61 Rowan

62 David

63 Toby

64 Dylan

65 Frederick

66 Jesse

67 Mohammad

68 Otis

69 Sonny

70 Gabriel

71 Grayson

72 Kai

73 Frankie

74 Caleb

75 Carter

76 Liam

77 Felix

78 Jasper

79 Riley

80 Bobby

81 Alfred

82 Finn

83 Elliot

84 Brody

84 Rupert

86 Ralph

87 Milo

88 Michael

89 Blake

90 Ellis

91 Chester

92 Stanley

93 Yusuf

94 Jackson

95 Leon

96 Elias

97 Myles

98 Tobias

99 Musa

100 Axel

100 Ibrahim

According to analysis from the ONS, famous figures and cultural influences have also had an impact on the most popular baby names.

For example, the name Luca soared in popularity between 2020 and 2021, increasing from 1,323 to being given the name to 1,807 respectively - making it the 28th most popular name for boys last year.

Similarly, the name Raya increased from 110 in 2020 to 251 last year, believed to be influenced by the release of Disney animation Raya And The Last Dragon in 2021.

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