Naming a child is a big responsibility. It can define a person or point to particular period in time - remember the trend for naming a child in relation to the place of its conception, or after your favourite tipple or designer? Your little bundle of joy will most likely keep that name for the rest of their lives so consideration and caution is advised. But while trends come and go, there are 15 names that have remained fashionable in the UK for 100 years.
According to a new study, Office for National Statistics (ONS) baby name data reveals the names that have remained consistently popular over the last 100 years. And there are a total of 15 names that have made it into the top 100 most popular names every decade since the 1920s.
The list includes a number of traditional British names favoured by the monarchy such as George, Charles and Elizabeth. And, while this is mixed list, the ratio of boys' names to girls' names that have remained popular is very unbalanced. Of the 15, 13 names on the list are boys’ names compared to just two girls’ names.
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Nottinghamshire Live sister website, Chronicle Live, which reported on the list, puts the difference down to parents being more daring in their choices for baby girls. This assumption is perhaps backed up by the fact that there are 339 different girls’ names in the top 100 of each decade between the 1920s and 2010s, compared to 276 boys’ names
The data shows that girls’ names don’t stand the test of time with parents in the same way that boys’ names do. For instance, Gwendoline, Doris and Vera were all staples of the 1920s, before being replaced by names such as Robyn, Harriet and Zoe in later decades.
The data analysis by leading name label manufacturer, mynametags.com , also reveals a shift in parents’ attitudes towards nicknames throughout the generations. For instance, Alexander is one of the most consistently popular names, having been in the charts every decade since the 1920s, whilst Alex didn’t become popular in its own right until the 80s. The same trend can be seen with Anthony, Daniel, and Joshua, with their shortened versions – Tony, Danny, and Josh – all making appearances as given names later in the records.
This trend for informality appears to especially prevalent when it comes to boys’ names. In the 1920s, just three nicknames appear in the top 100 boys’ chart - ‘Harry’, ‘Roy’, and ‘Fred’. This is compared to 15 chosen by parents for their off-spring in the 2010s chart, including ‘Teddy’, ‘Ollie’, and ‘Freddie’.
The Most Popular Baby Names: 1921-2021
- Alexander
- Charles
- Daniel
- David
- Edward
- Elizabeth
- George
- James
- Joseph
- Michael
- Mohammed
- Robert
- Sarah
- Thomas
- William
My Nametags analysed baby name data for registered births in England and Wales from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) between the 1920s and 2010s. Visit the My Nametags website to find out more about the meanings behind of some of the most popular names.
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