The most popular baby names in England and Wales has been revealed, and the results may surprise you.
Parents often have a hard time when it comes to choosing their baby’s name.
After all, it is a lifelong commitment.
Whether it be consulting a baby name book or taking one from a beloved relative, choosing a name is never easy. Nevertheless, it’s something all parents have to do and kids usually grow into their names.
The Office of National Statistics were the ones to share the list of popular tot names chosen in 2023. It included some well known classics and some surprising new additions.
So, without further ado, let’s get into it.
For girls, Olivia was claiming the top spot for a third year in a row. It was closely followed by Amelia, Isla, Lily and Freya.
Over on the boys’ side, Muhammad was the new number one, knocking Noah down to second place. Oliver and George came in at third and fourth respectively.
The top names are usually pretty standard and familiar – it’s towards the bottom that some more distinctive names come to the fore.
Neveah came in at number 99 for girls. In case you haven’t clocked it, this is ‘Heaven’ spelt backwards. Tacky or cute? You can be the judge of that, but it’s certainly unique.
Raya was bringing up the rear at 100, likely inspired by the lead character of the 2021 Disney flick Raya and the Last Dragon.
Which makes me wonder how many other Disney names missed out on the top 100 – Moana? Elsa?
In a further nod to movies, the summer of Barbieheimer was seen within the list. Cillian and Margot made appearances, as tributes to Cillian Murphy and Margot Robbie, the respective leads of Oppenheimer and Barbie.
Seasonal names were also big, and peaked in popularity depending on the time of birth. September and October saw an uptick in Autumn as a name, whilst Summer was increasingly popular in June and July.
Around Christmas time, Joseph, Holly, and Robin spiked in usage.
Additional new entries include Bodhi at number 100 for boys, which is a Buddhist term for a state of enlightenment.
There was also Nellie and Lilah in the girls list, and Jax in the boys.
It’ll be interesting to see how the list shifts in the years to come. Will we be seeing Hermione back on the list once the new Harry Potter debuts on HBO?
Only time will tell.
