The most popular baby names since 2001 by region revealed, as Olivia and Oliver are named the most popular choices for 2020
Whether you're more likely to encounter a William than a Henry or a Charlotte more than a Holly could be determined by where you live.
The boys and girls regional name capitals of the UK have been revealed according to baby name data, which is collected by the Office for National Statistics.
The most popular baby names in England and Wales were unveiled on Monday, with Oliver and Olivia continuing their long reign at the top of the charts.
Also among the most popular names for 2020 were George, Arthur, Archie, Jack, Noah, Leo, Oscar and Harry for the boys while Ivy and Rosie entered the top 10 for the first time for the girls, replacing Grace and Freya, and joining Amelia, Mia, Isla, Isabella, Ava, Lily and Sophia in the list of favourites.
Siân Bradford, Vital Statistics Outputs Branch, Office for National Statistics, said: "Oliver and Olivia held onto the top spots as the most popular boys’ and girls’ names in 2020 but some interesting changes took place beneath them. We continue to see the age of mothers having an impact on the choice of baby name. Archie jumped into the top 10 boys’ names for the first time, driven by younger mothers as well as the obvious Royal link. While on the girls’ side Ivy rose to sixth place.
“Popular culture continues to provide inspiration for baby names, whether it’s characters in our favourite show or trending celebrities. Maeve and Otis, characters from the popular programme ‘Sex Education’, have seen a surge in popularity in 2020. While the name Margot has been rapidly climbing since actress Margot Robbie appeared in the popular film The Wolf of Wall Street."
But ONS data, gathered since 2001, also reveals the popularity of particular children's names by region – and in which parts of the country parents are most likely to have given their child a certain moniker.
According to analysis by name label manufacturer My Nametags, parents in the South East, have been more likely to name their child William or Charlotte since 2001 than expectant families anywhere else in the UK.
In the nation's capital however you are more likely to find boys under the age of 18 with the name Alexander or girls called Isabella.
For the East of England, it's all about the letter H, with ONS data suggesting that among the most popular go-to names for prospective parents in almost the last two decades have been Harry for a boy and Holly for a girl. While it's a tale of two regions in the Midlands with Oscar and Isla among the most popular in the East, while in the West Midlands there is a higher concentration of boys called Mohammed and girls named Maisie according to names chosen for babies since 2001.
Olivia has topped the charts as the most popular girls name nationwide for the past five years and has kept its place as first this year, but according to My Nametags, it is the North West region that has the highest concentration of Olivias in the UK.
Using baby name data between 2001 and 2019 it remains top of the table for families there, while Thomas has been the boys name most preferred by households.
Oliver meanwhile has remained the most popular name for boys in England and Wales for the eighth year in a row with 4,225 babies given the name in 2020. Despite Oliver being the most popular boys name for England and Wales – regionally it was only top in the North East last year says the ONS.
However according to long standing data it is the South West that over time has developed the highest concentration of Olivers thanks to the choices of parents since 2001, while for the girls, you are more likely to meet an Amelia in the West Country than in any other region.
This year in Wales – reflecting choices nationally – it was Olivia that was the most popular baby name but parents have also been flying their national flag for more than a decade with ONS data suggesting that there is a higher density of children under the age of 18 named Megan in Wales compared to anywhere else in the UK. While Dylan, also of Welsh origin, tops the charts for the boys. It is a name that means 'son of the sea' or 'born from the ocean' and thanks to the cumulative choices of Welsh parents the number of boys named Dylan over the last 18 years is perhaps – unsurprisingly - higher there than it is anywhere else.
Lars B. Andersen, managing director at My Nametags, said: “At My Nametags we see thousands of names every day and we were interested to understand the patterns of where certain names appear most commonly in the UK.
“Our analysis revealed some interesting insights."
