Olivias and Muhammads rule the roost
CHOOSING what to name your name your baby can take months to figure out.
Your baby’s name is what will make its first impression in life and will most probably stay with it for the rest of its time on earth, but sometimes where you live might be a factor in what you choose to name your child.
The most popular baby names in England and Wales in 2017 were Oliver and Olivia.
However, the latest figures from the Office for National Statistics show that the most popular names change by area. For example, the most common baby name for boys in London is Muhammad.
So what are the most common baby names where you live in west London?
Brent chose to be different in 2017 with how it names its babies. The most popular boys name was David, with 47 babies born to Brent mothers with the name. Although traditional, David came 44th in the country overall.
Maya was the most popular girls name, with 24 mothers naming their baby daughters Maya. The name came 40th out of a possible 7,058 names ranked.
Adam was the most popular name in Ealing, with 42 boys given the name in 2017.
Nationally, 1,788 babies were called Adam, making it 36th on the list of boy’s names.
For girls, Amelia was the most common, with 27 Ealing babies bearing the name. Amelia is the second most popular girl’s name in the UK, with 4,358 born in 2017.
With 25 baby boys bearing the name in Hammersmith and Fulham, Alexander topped the list in 2017. The name was chosen for 2,524 babies across England and Wales.
Meanwhile, 16 baby girls born between January 1 and December 31 2017 have the name Sophia. Sophia landed just outside the top 10 girl’s names nationwide, coming in at 11th place.
Harrow parents favoured the name David for their sons, with 48 Davids born in 2017 to Harrow mums. Although neighbouring Brent and Harrow chose David as their favourite, nationally it ranked 44th.
For their daughters, Harrow chose Sofia as their favourite girl’s name, with 34 Sofias born that year. Distinct from Sophia, which came 11th, Sofia is a less common spelling, coming in at 33rd nationally.
The most common first name for baby boys in Hillingdon is Muhammad, with 33 born in Hillingdon in 2017. It was the most common boys name in London.
For girls, there were 25 Olivias born in Hillingdon, topping the list as the most common name. Olivia has been the nation’s favourite girl’s name since 2016.
Hounslow also chose Muhammad as their most popular boy’s name, choosing to name 29 boys Muhammad in 2017. Muhammad has actually come down two places since 2016, but is up 28 places against its ranking a decade before.
For girls born in Hounslow in 2017, Olivia was again the most common, with 22 born in Hounslow that year. Olivia was third most popular nationally in 2007. The top spot in Kensington
and Chelsea for boys is occupied by three names. All being used 13 times each in 2017 by mothers from the Royal borough, James, Noah and Alexander shared number one.
Of these, Noah is the only name in the top 10 nationally, having climbed 46 places from its 2007 ranking to 4th place
For girls, it was much more straightforward, with Isabella winning outright among K&C mums, who named 14 girls Isabella last year. Nationally, Isabella stayed in sixth place this year and was used 2,627 times.
For Westminster mums, no baby name for boys was more popular than Alexander, which was chosen 24 times in 2017. The name actually slipped one place to 22nd most popular in the latest tables nationally.
Proving that spelling can also be regional, Westminster’s top girls name is Sophia, with 18, much like Hammersmith and Fulham.
However, in outer London, Harrow prefers the spelling Sofia, which was its most common girl’s name.