Noah has been revealed as the most popular name for boys and Olivia has topped the girls’ list for the sixth consecutive year – but there have been some surprise exits from the top 10.
Henry replaced Jack in the top 10 names for boys in England and Wales in 2021, while Freya, Florence and Willow replaced Isabella, Rosie and Sophia for girls.
It is the first time Jack has not been in the top 10 since the Office for National Statistics’ annual series began in 1996.
Muhammad was the most popular boys’ name in four out of nine English regions.
New entries to the top 100 included Lara, Beatrice and Sara for girls, and Blake, Brody, Kai, Rupert, Tobias and Nathan for boys.
Olivia was the top girls’ name in every English region and Wales, except in the East Midlands where Amelia was the most popular girls’ name.
Analysis shows choices can differ depending on the mother’s age, with younger women opting for more modern and shortened names such as Tommy, and older mums choosing more traditional ones like Thomas.
It also reveals the cultural influences that could be driving baby name trends – from Star Wars, Pixar and Peaky Blinders to parents trying to keep up with the Kardashians.
Last year’s highly streamed coming-of-age Pixar tale Luca may have increased interest in the name, with the number of boys named Luca jumping from 1,323 in 2020 to 1,807 in 2021, which made it the 28th most popular name for boys.
The number of newborn boys named Kylo, Lando and Finn have also risen over recent years which may be down to the latest trilogy in the Star Wars franchise.
Arthurs have more than doubled since the arrival of Birmingham’s infamous gangster family on TV screens in the show Peaky Blinders – from 1,559 in 2013 to 3,766 in 2021.
The names Saint (Kim Kardashian and Kanye West’s son), True (Khloe Kardashian’s daughter) and Psalm (Kim’s second son) have also grown in popularity, according to the ONS.
Musical names such as Ezra and Mabel have also been climbing the charts.
And the names Archie, George, Louis and Charlotte have risen in the ranks after royal births.
“Famous figures, both real and fictional, have long set baby naming trends, and 2021 appears to have been no exception. While it is not possible to know exactly what was behind parents’ decisions, some noteworthy names from across the cultural spectrum have surged up the charts of late,” the ONS said.
