Experts have revealed, city by city, what are the most popular names in the UK in 2023 - and has revealed which names are growing in popularity. Protectivity has also found the most uncommon baby names and popular Royal baby names.
Myles and Sara are the most uncommon baby names, both ranking at 100. Nathan and Beatrice follow in 99th place.
Otis and Maeve are slowly becoming more popular - Otis has moved up 112 positions since 2017, and Maeve has moved up 483 positions, perhaps due to the Netflix series Sex Education.
George, the Prince and Princess of Wales’ son, was the most popular Royal baby boy name. Amelia and Muhammad are the most common names within cities in the UK, with 9 cities all naming their babies these monikers.
SJ Strum, from Baby Name Envy, said: “In baby naming names with the “O factor” - meaning a strong O sound - are always in style; due to the Etymology of words. O is the most distinct vowel in the English language so it uniquely balances with any surname: most surnames begin with a consonant, meaning vowels are popular for our forenames; only 1.5% of UK surnames begin with O and 3% begin with A so they flow.
"A strong O also inspires confidence while remaining soft and approachable - which is why we see it used in many top companies from Google, Yahoo, and Amazon.
"Names ending in the open “AH” sound are all over the charts as again they lead more phonetically into strong surnames, but it also adds a syllable which we find adorable when choosing names.“
Many parents want to name their children something unique – in fact uncommon names are rising across the globe as parents are hoping the name they give their children will help them stand out.
One of the most uncommon names for boys is Myles, followed by Nathan, Tobias, Jackson, Ollie, Harvey, Yusuf, Rupert, Charles and Kai.
The most uncommon names for girls are Sara, followed by Beatrice, Lara, Anna, Lilly, Holly, Clara, Elodie, Jasmine and Eden.
Across the UK the most popular names are Noah and Olivia but what are the most common names in different locations?
Interestingly, many cities share the same most popular names – for instance the most popular names in Cardiff and Leeds are both Amelia and Noah. Whereas some cities, like Bristol have a completely different top boys name to the rest of the UK.
London & Stoke-on-Trent
In London and Stoke-on-Trent the most popular girls name is Olivia, with 164 children being born in London and 18 in Stoke-on-Trent in 2021 with the name. The most popular name for boys was Muhammed, where in London 338 boys were given the name and 47 in Stoke-on-Trent.
Birmingham, Sheffield, Leicester & Nottingham
Birmingham, Sheffield, Leicester and Nottingham all share the same popular baby names. The most popular name for boys is Muhammad. In Birmingham, 407 baby boys were given the name – the most in any city in the UK.
The most popular name for girls is Amelia where 68 children were given the name in Birmingham – nearly three times the number of girls given the name in the neighbouring city of Nottingham.
Liverpool & Sunderland
The letter O is very popular in Liverpool and Sunderland as the most popular names are Oliver and Olivia. Interestingly, Sunderland has two top names for girls as 23 Rosies and Olivias were born in 2021.
Bristol
Jack is the most popular boy name in Bristol, the only city where Jack tops the list! 35 Jacks were born in 2021. The most popular girl’s name is Lily where 29 children were given the name.
Leeds & Cardiff
Leeds and Cardiff share the same most popular names. Amelia (which features in the top spot for many cities) takes the top spot for girls, and Noah takes the top spot for boys.
Manchester
Following the trend of many other cities, the most popular boy’s name in Manchester is Muhammad. However, parents in Manchester are making their own trends when it comes to girls, as the names Ava and Fatima were given to the most children in 2021 – the only city in the top 15 where these names appear!
Coventry
Coventry may have a big fanbase of the film Titanic or Italian painters, as the most popular name in the city given to boys was Leo. Parents of girls are playing it a bit safer as Amelia, which is the second most popular name overall in the UK, was the name given to the most baby girls in the city.
Reading
Three girls’ names top the most popular names, Emily, Grace and Lily all tie in top place. Similar to Leeds and Cardiff, parents also favoured the name Noah for their baby boys.
Hull
Olivia yet again tops the list for another city – which is no surprise as it is the most popular girls name overall in the UK. In Hull, 22 girls were born with the name Olivia in 2021. The most popular name for boys was possibly inspired by the hit TV show Peaky Blinders as 14 boys were given the name Tommy.
