New Top Baby Names UK Announced!

Updated Fri May 17 2024

The most popular baby names for England and Wales for 2022 have arrived at last! The most popular British names, Olivia and Noah, retain their positions — but there have been some big shifts in the Top 10 and Top 100.

Olivia has been the top baby girl name since 2016, while Noah holds the #1 spot for the second year running. In 2021, Noah ousted long-time favorite Oliver, which is now in 4th place.

Top Baby Names UK 2022

There were some big shifts in the Top 10 boy names. Harry, the quintessential millennial British name, has finally left the Top 10 after two decades. It first entered from 2000-2001, then again from 2005-2021. It was even the #1 name for two years (2011 and 2012).

But time moves on, and iconic Harrys like Potter, Styles and Prince Harry are dad-aged now. While still a popular classic, the name is losing its fresh sheen.

Henry and Archie also left the Top 10. They were replaced by Theodore, Theo and Freddie, showing that British parents still love both formal names and nicknames — just different ones.

Within the Top 10, Muhammad rose three places to become #2 for the first time. The two other spellings of this name in the Top 100 also rose significantly.

The girls' Top 10 remained fairly stable, with only one change in the line-up since 2021. Isabella re-entered the Top 10, after dipping down to #13 the previous year. It replaces Willow.

Top 100 Girl Names UK 2022

The new entrants to the girls' Top 100 in 2022 were Ophelia, Ottilie, Eloise, Nova and Fatima.

Eloise is a re-entry, which has hovered around 100th place since the early 2000s. Fatima has also been stable in popularity for the last three decades, while the other three names have only taken off in the last few years. Ottilie was no doubt boosted by YouTubers Zoe Sugg and Alfie Deyes giving their daughter this name in summer 2021.

The fastest-rising names within the Top 100 were Maeve (which rose 29 places), Elodie (+20 places), and Ayla (+16 places). Maeve was also one of the fastest risers of the previous year: is it destined for the Top 10?

The fastest-falling girl names in the Top 100 were Jessica (-20), Lola (-14), and Imogen (-13).

Top 100 Boy Names UK 2022

On the boys' side, the new entries into the Top 100 were Leon, Elias, Musa, Axel, and Ibrahim. Of these, Leon and Ibrahim are re-entries after a year out, while the others have quicky risen through the ranks and now make the Top 100 for the first time.

The fastest-rising boy names within the Top 100 were Kai (which rose by 19 spots), Mohammad, Hudson, and Luca (+16 each).

The fastest-falling names in the Top 100 were Blake (-15), Michael (-11), Finn and Stanley (both -10).

Find the full release on the Office for National Statistics site.

About the Author

Clare Green

Clare Green has been writing for Nameberry since 2015, covering everything from names peaking right now to feminist baby names, and keeping up-to-date with international baby name rankings. Her work has featured in publications such as The Independent and HuffPost. Clare has a background in linguistics and librarianship, and recently completed an MA dissertation researching names in multilingual families. She lives in England with her husband and son. You can reach her at clare@nameberry.com

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