Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Daily Record
Daily Record
Lifestyle
David Dubas-Fisher & Ketsuda Phoutinane

Most popular baby names announced - how to check if yours is 'endangered'

The latest official popular baby names list has upended some longstanding top choices as other once popular monikers number in the single digits.

The Office of National Statistics has published its annual findings 2021 list for England and Wales with some interesting results. After eight years on the throne, Oliver has been knocked off by Noah, the new number one pick for boys' names. And for the sixth year in a row, Olivia was the most popular name for girls.

The list overlaps with Scotland's 2021 list which was released back in April. Olivia also came in the top spot for Scottish girls whilst the name Jack - the number one boy name for the 14th year in a row - reigned ahead of Noah, the most popular pick in England and Wales.

Other names haven't fared so well in the standing, however, as the ONS pointed out the names 'in danger' of fading out of style completely.

Using our gadget, curious minds can check to see how popular their name is, which names are on trend, and which are falling out of fashion.

A total of 4,525 boys were named Noah and 3,649 girls were named Olivia in England and Wales in 2021, Wales Online reports.

Oliver is now the second most popular name for a boy, with 4,167 newborns last year. That's followed by George with 4,141, Arthur with 3,766, and Muhammad with 3,722.

It's a sixth consecutive year at the top of the girls' chart for Olivia. In fact, Olivia was the most popular girl's name in every region of England and Wales except the East Midlands where Amelia topped the charts.

Check if your name is endangered using our interactive tool below

Amelia is the next most popular girl's name overall, with 3,164, followed by Isla with 2,683, Ava with 2,576, and Ivy with 2,245.

James Tucker, Head of Health and Life Events Analysis, Office for National Statistics said: "Noah has replaced Oliver as the most popular name for boys in 2021, moving Oliver into second place and ending an eight-year reign at the top. Olivia remained the most popular girls name in 2021, having held the top spot since 2016.

"Interestingly, Noah was not top in any of the English regions, but has risen up the ranks in most regions since last year to take first place overall.

"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."

Top 10 baby girl names

Baby names like Clifford and Kerry are falling out of style (Getty Images/Westend61)

Position // Name // Total

1. Olivia // 3,649

2. Amelia // 3,164

3. Isla // 2,683

4. Ava // 2,576

5. Ivy // 2,245

6. Freya // 2,187

7. Lily // 2,182

8. Florence // 2,180

9. Mia // 2,168

10. Willow // 2,067

Top 10 boys' names

Noah and Olivia topped the most popular baby name list of 2021 (Getty Images/Westend61)

Position // Name // Total

1. Noah // 4,525

2. Oliver // 4,167

3. George // 4,141

4. Arthur // 3,766

5. Muhammad // 3,722

6. Leo // 3,465

7. Harry // 3,089

8. Oscar // 3,071

9. Archie // 2,928

10. Henry // 2,912

Don't miss the latest news from around Scotland and beyond - sign up to our daily newsletter here .

READ NEXT:

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
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.