Yahoo News ONS list of top UK baby names for boys and girls revealed as new favourite emerges
The Office for National Statistics has revealed its annual figures for the most popular baby names across England and Wales, with some surprising additions coming to light. ONS data reflects the year passed, so the data revealed today looks back at the names which were most popular in 2022.
When the ONS figures for 2021 were released last year, there was a massive shake-up at the top end of the boys' list - with Noah stealing the limelight from Oliver, which had been the most popular boys name for eight consecutive years. And the name Noah continued to reign supreme once again in 2022, topping the list for a second year running.
Elsewhere, Muhammad has surged in popularity, moving from fifth place i 2021 to second in 2022. Back in 2012, it ranked just 20th in total.
The Mirror reports that Henry replaced Jack in the top ten list for boys back in 2021 - the first time Jack had dropped from the 10 most popular since the annual series kicked off in 1996. The latest figures show that Jack has dropped further to 14th place in terms of favour.
In terms of regions, Noah is most popular across the North East, East Midlands, East of England ad Wales - while the South West favoured Arthur and the South East preferred George. London, Yorkshire and Humber, and the West Midlands, meanwhile, saw Muhammad become the most popular name.
For girls, there has been no change to the number one spot, with Olivia still shining in the rankings for the seventh year running. Amelia, Isla and Ava all retained their favourite places by making up most of the top five, while new entry in Lily increased by two spots since 2021 to edge its way in.
The ONS top 100 baby names in full:
Boys' names
Girls' names
