England’s most popular baby names revealed – and there’s a NEW number one… find out which is your area’s favourite
ENGLAND'S most popular baby names have been published - and there's a new favourite.
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) has revealed there is a new number one name for baby boys.
Muhammad is now the most popular boys name in England and Wales, jumping up one place from the previous year.
In 2023, a whopping 4,600 baby boys were named Muhammed, 500 more than 2022 - where it was in second place.
It swapped places with Noah which fell from number one with 204 fewer baby names than the year before.
In third place stands Oliver which has taken the final podium spot from the name George with a total of 3,556 little Olivers arriving.
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As for girls names, the top three have remained the same for the past two years.
In number one is Olivia with 2,906 names, Amelia with 2,663, and Isla with 2,337.
Oliva is the long serving champion and has held the crown for the top-ranked baby girl name since 2016.
It's hasn't shaken its popularity for nearly two decades and has remained in the top three girls name's every year since 2006.
These rankings were compiled using the precise spellings of names as recorded at birth registration, so similar names with different spellings were counted separately.
Three different versions of Muhammed made the top 100 list and included variations like Mohammed at number 28 and Mohammad at 68.
The name with the exact spelling o Muhammed is the top of the trio and first entered the rankings in the mid-90s.
It was the top boys name in four of nine regions in England, and Olivia was the most popular in five out of nine regions.
Both Muhammed and Olivia were the top names for tots in Wales.
New additions in the baby name rankings include Jax, Enzo, an Bhodi for baby boys.
Bhodi soared up the table from 637th in 2022 to number 100 in the space of a year.
For girls, some recent novel entries are Nevaeh, Raya, Hazel and Lilah.
Seasonal names were spotted becoming increasingly popular with Summer and Autumn both appearing in the top 100, especially during their respective time of year.
However Winter remains at number 297, with only 147 baby Winters being born in 2023.
During the cold months, subtle seasonal names like Holly, Robyn and Joseph were more likely to become favourites.
In November the most popular name in Poppy which the ONS suggests is linked to Remembrance Day.
Historically, royal baby names have been hailed as powerful baby names, with thousands of youngsters being named after them each year.
However in 2023 royal names fell in popularity with George dropping down from third to fourth in the rankings and William coming in at 29th.
There were only 15 babies named Meghan and 78 named Catherine.
Alternatively, with the Barbenheimer hype still in full swing, there was a boom in babies being named after celebrities.
The ONS revealed a trend showing an increase of names related to actors, pop signers, and reality TV stars.
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An additional 215 baby girls were named Margo and Cillian jumped up with an extra 12 Cillians born from April to October alone.
Other celebrity names that have gained traction are Billie, Miley, Kendrick, and Elton.