Baby names regularly come in and out of fashion, with many once-popular monikers now tittering on the edge of extinction. And according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS), it's bad news for Nigels, Carols, Gordons and Cheryls of the world as they are the latest names to join the critically endangered list.
However, it's good news for those called Maeve, Otis and Lucifer as they are becoming more popular, experts say. Speaking on the latest episode of the Office for National Statistics’ podcast series, “Statistically Speaking”, Dr James Tucker of the ONS explains how the annual list of the top baby names in England and Wales unfailingly reflects changing times.
“There are always a lot of names that are going extinct and the name Nigel has become one of the most critically endangered. On the other hand we’ve seen some more Maeves and Otis’, which are characters from the TV series ‘Sex Education’,” James said. “And even some Lucifers, from the series of the same name.”
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Celebrities with the name Nigel include the likes of politician Nigel Farage, racing driver Nigel Mansell, cook and food writer Nigel Slater and fashion photographer and America’s Next Top Model judge Nigel Barker.
According to Office for National Statistics data released in October 2021, Olivia is the most popular girls name. It was the fifth year in a row the moniker stayed number one on the list. Runner-up for England was Amelia, followed by Isla. For boys, Oliver was most popular name in England and Wales, followed by George, Arthur and then Noah.
Podcast host, Miles Fletcher, said: “It’s a sobering fact for serious-minded fans of GDP and other important statistics that the list of baby names is among the most-visited sections of the ONS website. But, popular as they are, baby names are merely the froth on the surface of a deep reservoir of crucial population data produced by the ONS. In this podcast we look at how its gathered, why it matters and hear some of the fascinating stories it has to tell.”
Entitled ‘A Matter of Life & Death’, the fifth episode of “Statistically Speaking” is available to download here and is available on Spotify, Apple podcasts and other major podcast platforms. The series began in February this year and has so far taken thousands of listeners on a journey from the creation of the world-renowned Covid Infection Survey, through to the challenges of co-ordinating the largest survey in British history - the Census.
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