Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
National
Ellie Fry

Most popular baby names announced - as Oliver knocked off top spot after eight years

Naming your newborn baby is one of the most important choices you'll make - and it's never an easy decision. Parents will want a moniker that feels unique and fitting to their little one, but equally, choosing something too unique can end in disaster.

The name you choose will stay with your child for life, and while a safe bet might be sticking to something more traditional, we've seen a rise in more unusual baby names in recent years as parents try to find something that help their kid stand out from the crowd.

The Office for National Statistics (ONS) has released its annual figures for the most popular baby names In England and Wales for 2021 and it certainly makes for interesting reading.

Noah and Olivia bagged the top spots for 2021 (stock photo) (Getty Images)

Noah reigned supreme as the most popular boys' name for 2021, replacing Oliver from the previous year, meanwhile England and Wales' favourite girls name remains Olivia - a moniker that has been at the top of the list for six years in a row.

This is a major shift when it comes to boys names, as Oliver has been toppled off the top spot for the first time in eight years.

There was once a time where you couldn't enter a classroom without one or two Jacks in attendance, but the once-popular name dropped in position for 2021 - as Henry replaced Jack in the top 10 names for boys.

Freya, Florence and Willow replaced Isabella, Rosie and Sophia for girls, but this is the first time Jack has not been in the top 10 since the annual analysis began in 1996.

New entries this year to the top 100 include Lara, Beatrice and Sara for girls and Blake, Brody, Kai, Rupert, Tobias and Nathan for boys; this is the first time that Rupert and Brody have been in the top 100.

While traditional names fell in popularity in the previous year, 2021's list shows that mothers over 35 continue to be more likely to have babies with more classic names such as Thomas.

Meanwhile, younger mums plumped for shortened versions of the traditional moniker, such as Tommy.

James Tucker, Head of Health and Life Events Analysis, Office for National Statistics, said: "Muhammad was the most popular boys' name in four out of nine English regions, while Olivia was the top girls' name for every English region and Wales, except for the East Midlands where Amelia was the most popular girls name."

"While Noah and Olivia are enjoying their places at the top, some names could be in danger of falling out of favour. Leslie has had relatively little popularity in recent years with fewer than seven boys named each year since 2018.

"Others such as Clifford, Nigel and Norman have not fared much better with ten or fewer boys being named. Girls' names such as Glenda and Kerry, that were more common before, are also becoming endangered and we have seen less than five girls being named each year since 2018.

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."

Top 100 names for boys

A new favourite has been announced (Getty Images/Westend61)

Noah

Oliver

George

Arthur

Muhammad

Leo

Harry

Oscar

Archie

Henry

Theodore

Freddie

Jack

Charlie

Oliver has been knocked off the top (Getty Images)

Theo

Alfie

Jacob

Thomas

Finley

Arlo

William

Lucas

Roman

Tommy

Isaac

Teddy

Alexander

Luca

Edward

James

Joshua

Albie

Elijah

Max

Mohammed

Reuben

Mason

Sebastian

Rory

Jude

Louie

Benjamin

Ethan

Adam

Hugo

Joseph

Reggie

Ronnie

Harrison

Louis

Ezra

Jaxon

Logan

Daniel

Zachary

Samuel

Do you see your name? (Getty Images/iStockphoto)

Dylan

Albert

Hudson

Hunter

Frederick

David

Rowan

Jesse

Frankie

Toby

Oakley

Grayson

Carter

Riley

Felix

Finn

Bobby

Blake

Sonny

Caleb

Gabriel

Michael

Jasper

Alfred

Otis

Stanley

Milo

Mohammad

Ralph

Liam

Chester

Ellis

Elliot

Brody

Charles

Kai

Rupert

Yusuf

Harvey

Ollie

Jackson

Tobias

Nathan

Myles

Top Girls names

The full list has been revealed (Getty Images/iStockphoto)

Olivia

Amelia

Isla

Ava

Ivy

Freya

Lily

Florence

Mia

Willow

Rosie

Sophia

Isabella

Grace

Daisy

Sienna

Poppy

Elsie

Emily

Ella

Evelyn

Phoebe

Sofia

Evie

Charlotte

Harper

Millie

Matilda

Maya

Sophie

Alice

Emilia

Isabelle

Ruby

Luna

Maisie

Aria

Penelope

Mila

Bonnie

Eva

Hallie

Eliza

Ada

Violet

Esme

Arabella

Imogen

Jessica

Delilah

Lottie

Chloe

Thea

Layla

Eleanor

Aurora

Margot

Mabel

Erin

Elizabeth

Emma

Scarlett

Harriet

Lola

Nancy

Orla

Ayla

Rose

Zara

Iris

Robyn

Some new favourites have been announced (Getty Images)

Bella

Molly

Olive

Maria

Lyla

Maeve

Ellie

Gracie

Lyra

Darcie

Maryam

Edith

Heidi

Lucy

Myla

Amelie

Amber

Hannah

Summer

Eden

Jasmine

Elodie

Clara

Holly

Lilly

Anna

Lara

Beatrice

Sara

Do you have a story to share? We pay for stories. Email us at yourmirror@mirror.co.uk

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.