Top UK Baby Names: Olivia and Oliver head the list
At long last, the official list of the most popular names for baby girls and boys born  in England and Wales in 2009 has been released. And, to cut to the chase, here are the Top 10 for each gender–all of which were there last year, with several remaining in the same spot:
GIRLS
- Olivia
- Ruby
- Chloe (up 3 places)
- Emily (down 1)
- Sophie (up 2)
- Jessica (down 1)
- Grace (down 3)
- Lily
- Amelia
- Evie
BOYS
- Oliver (up 1)
- Jack (down 1)
- Harry (up 1)
- Alfie (up 2)
- Joshua
- Thomas (down 3)
- Charlie
- William (up 2)
- James
- Daniel (down 2)
So Jack hit the road, after reigning as #1 for 14 years–though he was still on top in Wales and some areas of England. But it’s interesting to note that if the 12 different spellings of Mohammed that were listed separately had counted as one name, it would have topped Oliver.
The biggest climbers in the Top 100 were Maisie for the girls and Austin for the boys. There were also regional differences (Isabella in London‘s Top Ten, Seren #3 in Wales) and seasonal (Holly was the favorite name for the month of December).
The Royalist spirit was reflected in the naming of 16 Kings, 68 Princes, eight Dukes, 11 Earls, four Barons and four Lords, as well as 12 Queenies, seven Queens, 109 Princesses and five Ladys.
There were only six new boys’ names in the Top 100:
…replacing Blake, Jay, Billy, Corey, Zak and Sean. Showing the greatest rise within the Top 100: Lucas, Sebastian, Aidan, and Noah.
New entries in the girls’ Top 100 were Heidi, Sara and Mya, replacing Maryam, Alicia, Courtney and Abbie. Maisie was the highest climber within the Top 100, followed by Lexi, Layla and Aimee.
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12 Responses to “Top UK Baby Names: Olivia and Oliver head the list”
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phaedra_p Says:
Joy Says:
I love Evie for a girl and Oliver for a boy. Both are unpopular where I live so yaaaay!! These names are so British I love it 
Andrea Says:
I’ll never understand the appeal of Alfie. Sadly, it reminds me of a dog food brand.
Kristin Says:
Seren is such a beautiful name, but I’m pretty sure it’s a girl’s name, and the official Nameberry listing says it’s male. Surely not? Everywhere else on the internet identifies Seren as a female name.
Kristin Says:
Oh never mind… I see that you just *linked* to the Male version, but there is a female listing as well. Ignore me.
Stephanie Says:
I agree– Alfie for me is too closely related to the 80′s sitcom Alf.
Em Says:
Way to go, Oliver! I would love to live in the UK and be surrounded by all of these great names. Harry is my absolute favorite name for a boy.
babynamesrule Says:
Oliver and Jack are two of my fav boy names. And I actually like Alfie…but I’d never use it.
I have to say, I don’t really care for the girl names.
sugarhi Says:
Ha! That’s so funny! My 2 year-old daughter’s name is Eve and my nine-month-old son is Oliver (we call him Ollie). We get so many compliments on our kids’ names. I love that they are unique in the US but popular in Britain!
Lydia Says:
Ah well it seems I should move to the US as I love all these names but they are all so common here, I wouldn’t actually be able to choose any of them!
Angela Says:
Is there a list of top Scottish names?
Oliver Says:
i love my name and often get Ollie
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Love these! I seriously considered Maisie for my daughter. I guess I lean British in my naming sensibilities.