Oliver and Olivia remain most popular baby names in England and Wales this year with traditional monikers like Alfred and Mabel replacing Dexter and Aisha at top of table
- Oliver has been top boy name for seven years, Olivia the top girl name for four
- Freya and Lily entered the top 10 names for baby girls, replacing Emily and Ella
- Traditional names are making a comeback with rise in use of Mabel and Alfred
Oliver and Olivia are still the most popular baby names for boys and girls in England and Wales, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS).
It is the seventh year in a row that Oliver has topped the boy’s list, while Olivia topped the girls’ list for the fourth year in succession.
In other news, Freya and Lily replaced Emily and Ella in the top 10 names for girls in 2019, while there were no new entries in the top 10 boys’ names.
It is the first time Freya has been in the top 10 most popular girls’ names and also the first time Emily has not been in the top 10 since 1984, the ONS said.
Traditional monikers also seem to be making a come back, with Mabel entering the top 100 girls’ names for the first time since 1924.
Lara and Mabel replaced Aisha and Francesca in the top 100 girls’ names.
Meanwhile, Alfred, Chester, Hudson, Ibrahim and Oakley entered the 2019 top 100 boys’ names replacing Alex, Dexter, Dominic, Kai, Sonny and Tobias.
The most popular baby names for 2019 show that Oliver and Olivia remain at the top of the list (stock)
In total, 4,932 babies were named Oliver in 2019, down from 5,390 the previous year.
Likewise, there were 4,082 newborn girls named Olivia last year, down from 4,598 in 2017.
David Corps, vital statistics outputs branch at the ONS, said: ‘Oliver and Olivia continued their reign as the top boys’ and girls’ names in 2019, but analysis shows choices in baby names can differ depending on the mother’s age.
Popularity of names for baby boys in the UK in 2019 in each region
Popularity of names for baby girls in the UK in 2019 in each region
‘We found younger mothers opted for more modern girls’ names like Harper, which has seen a rise since the Beckhams named their daughter so in 2011, and shortened boys’ names like Freddie.
‘In contrast, older mothers chose more traditional names such as Jack and Charlotte.
‘Popular culture continues to influence the baby names landscape.
‘Following Dua Lipa’s first UK number one single in 2017, the number of girls named Dua has doubled from 63 to 126 in 2019.’
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