Thu 09 July 2026:
Muhammad was again the most popular boys’ name in England and Wales in 2025, marking three years at the top. The full list also shows Olivia retaining the top girls’ name for the 10th year, with Lily rising to second.
Amelia, which had been the second most popular girls’ name previously, has dropped down to third, while Noah sits in second for boys. Leo has become the third most popular name for boys.
The list is released by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) and used birth registration data from the last full calendar year.
Clare Green, an expert who writes for baby-naming website Nameberry, said in a way she wasn’t surprised to see Olivia and Muhammad top the chart once again.
“Change happens so slowly at the top and once a name becomes popular it normally stays there for quite a long time,” she told the BBC.
“[Names] can build momentum – the more people give their child a name, the more other parents hear it and like the sound of it, so it snowballs.”
But US-based baby name consultant Colleen Slagen said she could not believe Olivia had retained the top spot, “that there isn’t this reverse effect of people wanting something less popular”.
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In Scotland, Freya replaced Olivia as the most popular name for girls, according to data from National Records of Scotland, while Noah held the top spot for boys.
Other names making up the top 10 for girls include Isla in fourth, followed by Florence, Freya, Poppy, Elsie, Ivy and new entry Isabella.
Luca is the fourth most popular name for boys, with Arthur, Oliver, George, Oscar, Theodore and Freddie.
The most popular girls’ name Olivia saw 2,386 baby girls get called it in England and Wales during 2025.
Lily and Amelia, the next most frequently picked, appeared 2,249 and 2,153 times.
“The top 10 girls’ names are very nicknameable,” Slagen observed, “which parents find very appealing”.
There were 5,957 baby boys called Muhammad, as well as other spellings of the name proving popular.
Mohammed was in 20th place with 1,712 names and Mohammad in 55th position with 895.
The other boys’ names in the top three, Noah and Leo, were used 4,075 and 3,278 times respectively.
Eliana, Gracie, Alba and Lilah are among new entries into the top 100 for the first time for girls.
The ONS says names like Ellie, Amelie and Jessica have fallen out of the top 100 girls’ names.
And Grayson, Brody and Bodhi are no longer featured in the 100 most popular names for boys.
The data also breaks down the most popular names by month, which shows the most common one for girls fluctuating.
Olivia topped the list for January, February, March, April, May, June, October and November but Isla claimed the top spot in July.
Lily was the highest in August, Amelia in September and Florence in December.
Muhammad topped the list for names of boys for every single month in 2025.
SOURCE: INDEPENDENT PRESS AND NEWS AGENCIES
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