Noah change in top baby names
NOAH and Olivia were the most popular baby names in England and Wales in 2022.
Figures show that Noah held the top spot for the second year in a row, while Olivia enjoyed a seventh year at number one.
But there were changes in the top 100 with royal-inspired Harry, Charles and Beatrice all falling in popularity.
The list also generally leaned towards international names.
Muhammad was the second most popular boys’ name in 2022, up from fifth in 2021.
George remained in third, but Oliver dropped from second to fourth and Leo climbed one place to fifth.
The top four choices for girls were unchanged yearon-year, with Olivia followed by Amelia, Isla and
Ava, while Lily rose from seventh to fifth.
Office for Statistics figures showed that Isabella replaced Willow in the top 10, while Theodore, Theo and Freddie replaced Harry, Archie and Henry.
Also earning spots in the top 100 were Ophelia, Nova, Ottilie, Fatima and Eloise for girls, and Leon, Elias, Musa, Axel and Ibrahim for boys. Meanwhile, once popular Charles, Henry, Ollie and Nathan crashed out of the list, alongside Beatrice, Anna,
Holly, Heidi and Amber. However, when compared with a decade before, some names have remained popular with parents.
Arlo, Hudson, Ezra, Otis, Grayson and Chester were well-liked for boys, while Luna, Ada, Maeve, Aurora, Mabel and Margot were also a hit with parents for girls.
In that same time span, names such as Jessica, Lola, Lucy, Lilly, Summer, Hannah, Ethan, Daniel, Samuel, Dylan, Riley and Michael have fallen considerably in popularity.
James Tucker of the ONS said: “We’re seeing a surge in shorter versions of more traditional names, so Theo and Freddie have just entered the top 10 for boys.
“Also interestingly, we’ve seen the influence of popular culture in people’s choices.
“One of the names increasing in popularity is Axel which has come into the top 100. This may reflect a member of Little Mix [Perrie Edwards, fiancee of footballer Alex OxladeChamberlain] calling her son Axel.
“Luca has jumped 16 places to 12th in the list. [This] could have been influenced by the Disney film of the same name in 2021.”