Most Popular Baby Names in England and Wales Revealed
Friday, 2026/07/10240 words3 minutes453 reads
The Office for National Statistics has released its comprehensive annual analysis of baby names in England and Wales, based on birth registrations throughout 2025. The data illuminates both enduring preferences and emerging trends in naming patterns.
Olivia has maintained its position as the predominant choice for girls for an unprecedented tenth consecutive year, with 2,386 registrations. Lily ascended to second place with 2,249 instances, while Amelia descended to third with 2,153. The top ten encompasses Isla, Florence, Freya, Poppy, Elsie, Ivy and Isabella.
Muhammad retained its status as the most popular boys' name for the third successive year, with 5,957 registrations. The prevalence of this name is further amplified by alternative spellings, with Mohammed ranking 20th and Mohammad 55th. Noah secured second position, while Leo advanced to third. The remainder of the top ten features Luca, Arthur, Oliver, George, Oscar, Theodore and Freddie.
The data reveals dynamic shifts in naming preferences. Notable newcomers to the top 100 include Eliana, Gracie, Alba and Lilah for girls, and Carter, Ruben, Stanley and Vincent for boys. Conversely, Ellie, Amelie and Jessica departed from the girls' top 100, while Grayson, Brody and Bodhi exited the boys' rankings. Ada demonstrated the most dramatic ascent among girls' names, surging 54 places to 45th, while Roman exhibited the most significant rise for boys, climbing 33 places to 27th. Monthly analysis showed that while Olivia dominated most months, Muhammad consistently topped the boys' rankings throughout the entire year.
