Most popular baby name in your area

Most popular baby name in your area - huge difference between UK towns

The most popular baby names picked by new mums and dads in the UK last year varied greatly between towns and cities, new research has found.

While Oliver and Olivia took the top spots overall for the UK, the regional breakdowns in many areas show a very different set up.

In some areas, Muhammad, Harry and Arthur proved far more popular, while Amelia was favoured in London and the West Midlands.

New data released by the Office of National Statistics today offers an area breakdown of the most popular monikers from 2019, so you can find out the most common names in your area.

Oliver was the most common boys name across the whole of the UK, but regionally it only took the top spot in the East Midlands, the East of England, the South West and Wales.

Different names were popular in different areas (Getty Images/Tetra images RF)

In North West, Yorkshire and The Humber, the West Midlands, and London Muhammad topped the list, and Arthur and Harry were highest in the North East and South East.

In fact, Arthur was so popular in the South East that of all the new ones born last year, a fifth of them were in the area.

The highest proportion of boys given the same name in a certain area was Pendle where 13.1% of boys born were named Muhammad - up 3% on last year's stats.

However when it comes to girls names, there was less regional difference.

The top name - Olivia - was the most popular in all regions except London and the West Midlands.

Amelia took the top spot in both areas.

David Corps, from the Office of National Statistics's vital statistics outputs branch, said: "Oliver and Olivia continued their reign as the top boys’ and girls’ names in 2019, but analysis shows choices in baby names can differ depending on the mother’s age.

"We found younger mothers opted for more modern girls’ names like Harper, which has seen a rise since the Beckhams named their daughter so in 2011, and shortened boys’ names like Freddie. In contrast, older mothers chose more traditional names such as Jack and Charlotte.

"Popular culture continues to influence the baby names landscape.

"Following Dua Lipa’s first UK number one single in 2017, the number of girls named Dua has doubled from 63 to 126 in 2019."