The baby names falling woefully out of fashion with UK parents have been revealed in new data.
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) released its latest list of the most popular baby names in England and Wales today, which looks back on the monikers most favoured by parents. ONS data always reflects the year just gone, and today's announcement came later in the year than usual, so the data released today looks back at the names that were most popular for both boys and girls in 2022.
And some of the results are no surprise, with Noah and Olivia reigning most popular yet again. However some names that were once super popular have taken a nosedive in the rankings, proving that names don't stay trendy forever.
Data released last year revealed that names such as Leslie, Clifford, Nigel, and Norman have plummeted in popularity with "ten or fewer" parents giving their little boy each moniker. The 2021 data also saw a drop in baby girls being named things such as Glenda and Kerry, which were both at risk of becoming extinct names when the list was published.
The 2022 data now shows that Ollie, Harvey and Charles have all fallen out of the top 100 list, along with Nathan. Meanwhile, Blake dropped a huge 15 places, now coming in at the 89th most popular. For girls, Beatrice, Anna, Holly, Heidi and Amber have left the most popular list, while the traditional name Edith has plummeted from 83th to 95th.
Baby name expert shares rare vintage names she expects to make a comeback soonAt the other end of the scale, when the ONS figures for 2021 were released last year, there was a huge shake-up at the top of the boys' list, as Noah stole the number one spot from Oliver, which had been the most popular name for eight consecutive years. The reign has continued for Noah in 2022 as well, as the name is still the number one boy's name in England and Wales.
Major favourite Muhammad has risen hugely in popularity, moving from fifth place in 2021 to second in 2022. Back in 2012, it ranked only 20th. The ONS data always looks at the year just gone, and when the 2021 information was released last year, it marked the first time that the name Jack had fallen out of the top 10 names for boys since the series began in 1996.
Jack instead placed 13th, and was beaten to a higher spot by Henry, which claimed 10th, as well as Theodore in 11th and Freddie in 12th. For girls, there has been no change to the number one spot as Olivia has once again claimed the crown of the most popular girl's name, marking the seventh year in a row that the moniker has reigned supreme. Olivia was joined in the top five by Amelia, Isla, Ava, who were all favourites in 2021. Lily is new to the top five in 2022, increasing by two spots since 2021.