The most fashionable baby name for girls across the UK, according to the latest official figures, is Olivia. It was the name most parents in England, Wales and Scotland have given to their baby girl, however, Grace tops the chart for female newborns in Northern Ireland.
When the most recent lists of top baby names were released by the Office for National Statistics in October 2021, it was Olivia top the list for girls for the fifth year in a row in England and Wales. A total of 3,640 girls were given the name by parents across both countries in 2020.
The stats reveal that Ivy and Rosie replaced Grace and Freya in the top 10 girls’ names in England and Wales. Ivy moved up six places to number six in England, while Lily moved up two places to number seven. Rosie move up eight places to enter the list at number 10.
READ MORE: The most popular baby names for boys in the United Kingdom
Second on the list for England was Amelia, with 3,161 parents choosing the name, with Isla in third place on 2,618 in 2020. In Wales, Lily was the biggest climber, rising seven places to enter the top 10 in sixth position. Rosie also went up five places to fourth position in the Principality, behind a top three of Oliva, Amelia and Isla.
An ONS spokesperson said: "We continue to see the age of mothers having an impact on the choice of baby name." They said the figures show that older mums continue to choose more traditional names, whereas younger mothers are more likely to choos the names of popular celebrities."
In Scotland, the latest figures were released in April, this year, by the National Records of Scotland and relate to 2021. North of the border, Olivia moved up one place in the overall rankings from last year, replacing Isla as the country's most popular name for baby girls.
Emily, Isla, Freya and Ella round out the top 5. Director of Statistical Services for Scotland, Pete Whitehouse, said there were also some interesting trends "beneath the headline figures"
"The long term trend is for more names to be used each year, with almost 12% of baby girls in Scotland given a name that no other girl was registered with in 2021." He added: "Together with the growing range of names being used, this means it’s far less common for children to share their name with their classmates than it was for their parents or grandparents."
Grace was the most popular name in Northern Ireland for baby girls in 2021. Figures released by the Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency in April put Emily in second place, followed by Fiadh, Olivia and Isla.
Top 10 most popular girls' names in England
(According to the Office for National Statistics; figures for 2020)
1. Olivia
2. Amelia
3. Isla
4. Ava
5. Mia
6. Ivy
7. Lily
8. Isabella
9. Sophia
10. Rosie
Top 10 most popular girls' names in Wales
(According to the Office for National Statistics; figures for 2020)
1. Olivia
2. Amelia
3. Isla
4. Rosie
5. Ava
6. Lily
7. Mia
8. Ella
9. Willow
10. Freya
Top 10 most popular girls' names in Scotland
(According to National Records of Scotland; figures for 2021)
1. Olivia
2. Emily
3. Isla
4. Freya
5. Ella
6. Amelia
7. Ava
8. Sophie
9. Grace
10. Millie
Top 10 most popular girls' names in Northern Ireland
(According to the Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency; figures for 2021)
1. Grace
2. Emily
3. Fiadh
4. Olivia
5. Isla
6. Sophie
7. Aoife
8. Ella
9. Anna
10. Sophia
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