The Office of National Statistics (ONS) has released their annual list of most popular baby names in England and Wales in 2016. Read on for a summary of this years findings!
Olivia has officially replaced Amelia as the most popular girl name after a five year streak. Oliver is still the most popular boy name for the fourth year running.
Muhammad would have been the number one boy name this year if parents hadn’t chosen alternative spellings – Mohammed and Mohammad – which knocked it out of the top spot. The name first entered the top ten list only last year, replacing William.
As for girls, Poppy has been kicked off the top ten list to make way for Lily.
Six new boy names have entered the top 100: Ablie, Arlo, Ezra, Finn, Jasper and Jesse. Noah, Oscar and Muhammad have seen the biggest rises in popularity this year, up 41, 36 and 35 places respectively.
Four new girl names have also entered the top 100: Felicity, Iris, Luna and Lydia. Isla and Ava have become very popular in 2016, shooting up 89 and 55 places. Harper, the name of David and Victoria Beckham’s daughter, also saw a huge boost – only 42 girls were called Harper in 2011, compared to 1,256 girls in 2016.
Popular culture continues to be a huge deciding factor for parents and this is seen by the 69 girls called Khaleesi (from Game of Thrones) and the surge of names such as Arlo (from the film “The Good Dinosaur”) and Finn (from “Star Wars: The Force Wakens.”)
Check out the top ten boys and girls names below!
TOP BOYS’ NAMES IN 2016
