Oliver’s no longer number one for baby names & Sophia & Jack have gone down in popularity, where does your choice rank?

WITH the excitement of welcoming a baby comes the question of what you will call your little bundle of joy when they arrive into the world. 

And while some names have always proven to be more popular than others, 2021 saw a big shift in the nation’s much-loved monikers.  

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According to the Office for National Statistics, the boys’ list has a new number one spot as Noah overtook Oliver, which has been in the top spot in 2020 and for seven years before that.

There was also another big shake-up in the top ten, as Henry replaced Jack.

What’s more Jack wasn’t featured in the first ten names – the very first time it has not been on the list since the Office for National Statistics began publishing it in 1996.

However, monikers including Oliver, George and Arthur pvoed to be strong, while Muhammad also showed it has staying power, as it came in as the most popular boys’ name in four out of nine English regions. 

Other newcomers in the top 100 boys names included Blake, Brody, Kai, Rupert, Tobias and Nathan. This is the first time that Rupert and Brody have been in the top 100.

Meanwhile, over on the girls’ list, Olivia remained the most chosen name for a whopping sixth year in a row. 

It also came out on top in every English and Welsh region, bar the East Midlands where Amelia just pipped it to the post. 

Other girls’ names creeping up in popularity include Freya, Florence and Willow, which replaced Isabella, Rosie and Sophia. 

There were also some new additions to the overall top 100 list, with Lara, Beatrice and Sara entering the race.

Speaking about their findings, 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.

“While 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 fewer than five girls being named each year since 2018.”

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