The annual list of the most popular baby names in the UK has been released – and it shows a surprise shift in what parents are calling their children compared to recent years
The annual list of the most popular baby names in England and Wales has just been released – and this year’s results show some big shifts in what UK parents are calling their little ones.
The official data has been by released by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) and reflects naming trends from babies born in 2024, the most recent full year of birth registrations.
Each year, the official stats include the top 100 baby names for boys and girls – and while some names have remained firm favourites, a few newcomers have made impressive leaps into the rankings. It comes as Victorian-era baby names are also making a huge comeback, with parents ditching trendy monikers in favour of traditional titles.
Muhammad continues to dominate as the most popular name for baby boys. It’s the second year running that Muhammad topped the list after overtaking Noah, having been in the top 10 since 2016.
In a surprise twist, Isla has dropped out of the top three after being replaced by Lily. Olivia and Amelia and held the top two spots for baby girl names for the third year in a row.
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Huge shifts in top 100 list
Olivia and Amelia and have held the top two spots, but Isla dropped out of the top three after being replaced by Lily.
Royal names have continued to fall in popularity on the whole. George ranked sixth with 3,257 babies being given the name and William came in 27th.
Louis came in 47th for boys and Charlotte ranked 23rd for girls. Names given to baby boys less than five times in 2024 include Cuthbert, Crispin, Awesome and Beckham.
And monikers given to baby girls less than five times include Orchid, Poem, Sicily and Everest.
The rankings were created using the exact spellings of names given at birth registration, meaning similar names with different spellings were counted separately.
New names on the rise
Lily continues to rise in the ranks, moving from fourth to third place and knocking Isla off from the top three favourites.
Traditional girl’s monikers continue to prove popular as parents ditch the trendier names for something more classic. In the latest data, Florence moved up two places to sixth, while Ivy moved up from seventh to fith. Sofia has also been a firm favourite with parents, hiking up 12 spots as the 12th most popular girl’s name.
Other monikers skyrocketing up the list are Maeve, which moved up 10 places to 26th, and Margot which soared a staggering 16 places higher, coming in at 28th.
While Charlotte has dipped in the ranks, a shorter version of the name, Lottie, has surged, coming in at 38th place and moving up 10 spots.
When it comes to boys, Jude is the fastest growing favourite in the top 20, moving up four places from 15th to 11th.
Rory has also soared in popularity, moving up a whopping nine places to 24th.
Further down the table, Felix is slowly moving upwards in the top 100, moving from 73rd to 62nd.
Baby names falling in popularity
In the boys category, Brody has tumbled down the list from 82nd to 99th place, barely scraping a mention in the top 100 list.
Leon just about nabbed a spot in the charts, coming last place and moving down nine spots.
Meanwhile, Jessica isn’t as popular as it once was, falling 12 places from 83rd to 95th.
It’s bad news for any Ellas out there too, as the name nosedived 12 spots from 27th to 39th.
Most popular boy’s names
1 Muhammad
2 Noah
3 Oliver
4 Arthur
5 Leo
6 George
7 Luca
8 Theodore
9 Oscar
10 Archie
11 Jude
12 Theo
13 Freddie
14 Henry
15 Arlo
16 Alfie
17 Charlie
18 Finley
19 Albie
20 Harry
Most popular girl’s names
1 Olivia
2 Amelia
3 Lily
4 Isla
5 Ivy
6 Florence
7 Freya
8 Poppy
9 Ava
10 Elsie
11 Isabella
12 Sofia
13 Sophia
14 Mia
15 Maya
16 Bonnie
17 Phoebe
18 Daisy
19 Sienna
20 Evelyn
Last year’s winners
In the 2024 report (based on 2023 births), Muhammad took the top spot for boys, overtaking Noah, which had held first place for two years running. Oliver remained a solid third. Muhammad had gradually climbed the list over the past decade – it was ranked just 20th in 2012, before entering the top 10 in 2016.
For girls, there were no changes to the reigning top three: Olivia, Amelia, and Isla led the way. Olivia in particular has proven continuously popular, holding the top spot for an impressive eight years straight.
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