UK Releases Full List of Most Popular Baby Names for Boys and Girls
- The Office for National Statistics released the most popular baby names registered in England and Wales for 2025
- Olivia held the top spot for girls for the 10th consecutive year, while Muhammad led the boys' list for the third year running
- Lily climbed into second place for girls, displacing Amelia, as Eliana recorded the biggest rise of 54 places in the rankings
Olivia and Muhammad have once again dominated the baby names charts for England and Wales, according to figures published by the Office for National Statistics (ONS), which drew on birth registration data for the full 2025 calendar year.
Olivia retained first place among girls' names for a tenth consecutive year, given to 2,386 baby girls in 2025. Lily moved up to second with 2,249 registrations, pushing Amelia into third place with 2,153. The rest of the top 10 for girls comprised Isla, Florence, Freya, Poppy, Elsie, Ivy and new entry Isabella.
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According to Audacy, Muhammad led the boys' rankings for a third year in succession, recorded 5,957 times. The name also appeared under alternative spellings, with Mohammed ranking 20th and Mohammad in 55th place. Noah came second with 4,075 registrations and Leo third with 3,278. Luca, Arthur, Oliver, George, Oscar, Theodore and Freddie completed the boys' top 10.
Expert views on why top names endure
Clare Green, who writes for baby-naming website Nameberry, told the BBC that the persistence of top names follows a predictable pattern. "Change happens so slowly at the top and once a name becomes popular it normally stays there for quite a long time," she said. "Names can build momentum — the more people give their child a name, the more other parents hear it and like the sound of it, so it snowballs."
US-based baby name consultant Colleen Slagen expressed surprise that Olivia had not lost ground, saying she could not believe "there isn't this reverse effect of people wanting something less popular." She noted that parents tend to play it safe when choosing names, explaining that they "get anxious about making a choice that they like, but that is also going to suit their child for the rest of their life."
Slagen observed that the top 10 girls' names are "very nicknameable," which she said parents find appealing, and that most share "a very feminine, elegant" quality, with abundant vowels and soft consonants.
New entries and biggest movers
Among the notable new arrivals in the top 100 for girls were Eliana, Gracie, Alba and Lilah. On the boys' side, Carter, Ruben, Stanley and Vincent made fresh appearances. Eliana recorded the sharpest climb in the girls' rankings, rising 54 places, while Roman posted the largest gain for boys, jumping 33 positions to reach 27th.
Names including Ellie, Amelie and Jessica dropped out of the girls' top 100 entirely, as did Grayson, Brody and Bodhi for boys.
In Scotland, separate data from National Records of Scotland showed Freya displacing Olivia as the most popular girls' name, while Noah topped the boys' list.
Looking ahead, Green suggested vintage names would continue their comeback. "People are looking to the past for fresh ideas," she said, adding that parents generally want a name that allows a child to "stand out just the right amount but not too much."
Source: Getty Images
UK releases civil service annual salary structure
Legit.ng earlier reported that the UK government has published the Civil Service annual salary structure for 2026, showing clear pay scales across seven grades.
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Source: Legit.ng
