Top 10 Most Popular Baby Name in England and Wales

Knowinsiders October 19, 2021 | 07:06

Check out the most popular baby names for boys and girls in England and Wales in 2020 have been revealed, with Oliver and Olivia topping thelist for the fifth year in a row.

According to the Office for National Statistics (ONS), Oliver has remained a favourite for boys’ names for the past eight years, while Olivia has been the top girls’ name for the past five years.

Maeve and Otis among big risers in England and Wales in 2020, while Ivy, Rosie and Archie enters top 10 for first time. Oliver was particularly popular in the North East.

It is also the first time Charlie has not been in the top 10 since 2005, slipping to 12th place with a total of 2,810 babies named Charlie in 2020, down from 3,355 in 2019.

Since 2010, Ivy has risen 221 places to become the sixth most popular name for girls in England and Wales in 2020.

George, which climbed the rankings after the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge chose it for their first son, is the second-most popular name for boys. Arthur and Noah swap places at third and fourth respectively, and Muhammed is up two places to claim the fifth spot.

In Wales, Noah was the top boys' name but only the fourth most popular name in England and Wales combined.

The list of the top 10 baby names

Change in position from 2019 in brackets

For Girls

1 Olivia 3,640 (0)

2 Amelia 3,319 (0)

3 Isla 2,749 (0)

4 Ava 2,679 (0)

5 Mia 2,303 (0)

6 Ivy 2,166 (+6)

7 Lily 2,150 (+2)

8 Isabella 2,052 (-2)

9 Rosie 2,035 (+5)

10 Sophia 2,028 (-3)

For Boys

1 Oliver 4,225 (0)

2 George 4,100 (0)

3 Arthur 4,052 (+1)

4 Noah 4,042 (-1)

5 Muhammad 3,710 (+2)

6 Leo 3,314 (0)

7 Oscar 3,268 (+3)

8 Harry 3,209 (-3)

9 Archie 2,944 (+10)

10 Jack 2,900 (-2)

Margaret, Rebecca, Paul and John, which were among the most popular names of the last 100 years, have since fallen out of favour.

The top 100 most popular boys and girls' names

The largest movers into the top 100 boys' names were Milo (80th) and Otis (96th) and the girls' was Maeve (94th).

The names are characters in the Netflix hit. Otis also features in the Japanese children’s adventure featuring a kitten and puppy, Milo and Otis. Milo is another swift climber, up 28 places to 80th in the league of boys names.

Data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) showed 4,225 baby boys were named Oliver in 2020, down from 4,932 the previous year, while a total of 3,640 newborn girls were named Olivia, down from 4,082.

Olivia and Oliver have been the most popular names in England and Wales since 2015.

Wilfred, the name chosen for the son of Boris and Carrie Johnson, failed to enjoy a Downing Street bounce, slipping from 142nd to 145th place.

Other fast-risers in girls names were Lyra, up 58 places to 92, Arabella, up 31 places to 40, and Mabel, up 30 places to 68. For boys, the biggest risers were Hudson, up 23 to 69, Sonny, up 22 to 81, and Myles up 25 to 100.