Noah is now the most popular name for newborn boys, but Olivia is still the top name for girls for the sixth year running. A total of 4,525 boys were named Noah and 3,649 girls were named Olivia in England and Wales in 2021, according to the latest data from the Office for National Statistics.
That makes them the most popular baby names in the country. It’s the first time since 2013 that Oliver hasn’t topped the charts for boys.
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.
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.
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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 girls names
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
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
