The UK’s Most Popular Baby Names of 2016 Are…

Sorry Charlotte. While you may reign supreme as the most popular girl’s names in Australia, there are several other names that parents in the UK are choosing for their little ones.

Come and see which names topped the charts and what names are rising in popularity over in the United Kingdom.

We all love a good baby name list. Okay, maybe it’s just me. But yesterday when Babycentre UK revealed the most popular baby names for the year, I was quick to have a look and see if (and where) my kids’ (and current favourite) names sat.

popular baby names uk

This year’s most popular list comes with plenty of surprises, as once-unique names head up the charts and popular monikers of the past make their way down the lists.

The Top Girls’ Names

For the second year in a row, Olivia was the most popular name choice for little girls born in the UK in 2016. This is followed by the equally cute Lily, Sophia, Emily and Amelia.

Ava and Isla both moved up the list to claim 6th and 7th positions and Charlotte, although not nearly as popular as here in Australia, moved up 10 positions since last year.

Classic names such as Alice, Evelyn and Maisie all proved popular this year while typical chart toppers such as Emma, Hannah and Grace all took a slight dive. Nature names also proved to be quite popular with Poppy, Daisy, Holly, Ivy and Willow moving up the list as do royal names including Charlotte, Sophia, Grace and Zara.

The highest rising names include Willow and Darcie while the names that took the biggest dives include Layla and Annabelle.

  1. Olivia
  2. Lily +1
  3.  Sophia -1
  4. Emily
  5. Amelia
  6. Ava +5
  7. Isla +5
  8. Isabella +2
  9. Isabelle -2
  10. Sophie -2
  11. Ella -2
  12. Mia +1
  13. Poppy +3
  14. Evie +3
  15. Charlotte +10
  16. Chloe -10
  17. Grace -3
  18. Scarlett +4
  19. Alice +9
  20. Freya
  21. Jessica -6
  22. Phoebe +4
  23. Aria +13
  24. Eva
  25. Evelyn +4
  26. Daisy +4
  27. Hannah -6
  28. Emilia +19
  29. Ruby +6
  30. Lucy -3
  31. Maya +7
  32. Emma -14
  33. Thea +13
  34. Darcie +26
  35. Zara +10
  36. Matilda +1
  37. Sienna +5
  38. Florence -4
  39. Ellie +4
  40. Holly +1
  41. Abigail -1
  42. Willow +32
  43. Millie -12
  44. Layla -21
  45. Molly -6
  46. Ivy +11
  47. Maisie +9
  48. Zoe -16
  49. Imogen
  50. Annabelle -17

newborn asleep

The Top Boys’ Names

Last year Muhammad proved to be the most popular name in the UK. But this year Oliver took over the coveted top spot. Oliver is also the current most popular baby name in Australia for males.

It’s easy to see the royal influence on the boys’ list with Harry, Charlie, George and William all in the top 20.

J names took a bit of a hit with popular names such as Jack, Jacob, Jayden, Jake, James and Joshua all decreasing in popularity. However, Jaxon was one of the leading movers in the top 50, moving up the ladder 17 positions. Other names that proved to be trendy among parents include Jensen, which moved 31 spots to number 62 and Stanley, up 21 spots to number 77.

The names that took the biggest dives on the list include Ryan and Daniel and Alexander.

  1. Oliver +1
  2. Muhammad -1
  3. Noah +1
  4. Harry +2
  5. Jack -2
  6. Charlie +1
  7. Jacob -2
  8. George +4
  9. Ethan -1
  10. Henry +8
  11. Oscar +9
  12. James -3
  13. Joshua -2
  14. Freddie +11
  15. Leo
  16. Alfie +6
  17. Max +2
  18. Thomas -8
  19. William -6
  20. Finley +8
  21. Isaac +5
  22. Lucas +2
  23. Theo +9
  24. Archie +11
  25. Jaxon +17
  26. Joseph +4
  27. Aiden
  28. Adam -5
  29. Harrison +8
  30. Daniel -16
  31. Mason +9
  32. Alexander -15
  33. Logan -12
  34. Benjamin
  35. Arthur +20
  36. Dylan -7
  37. Elliot +16
  38. Teddy +14
  39. Samuel -6
  40. Sebastian +1
  41. Reuben +16
  42. Lewis +7
  43. Liam -12
  44. Zachary +2
  45. Jake -2
  46. Ryan -30
  47. Jayden -11
  48. Matthew +3
  49. Toby +5
  50. Luca +10

What about the new additions to the list?

For boys, Arlo, Ezra, Kai, Jesse and Albie are the top five highest new entries to the top 100 list. For girls, Mya, Luna, Lexi, Heidi and Lyla all entered the list.

Check out some of our other baby name lists including the 100 most popular names in our Healthy Mummy community as well as the next generation of trendsetting names, perfect for 2017 babies!

jenna

Jenna Galley

Born and raised in Canada, Jenna traded in the cold mountain air for the laid back lifestyle of Australia nine years ago. She is now a mum to one son, one daughter, one dog and one cat, all of whom live with her and her partner in Cairns, QLD. When not writing about the ups and downs of parenting, she is usually outside doing some form of physical activity or indulging in a glass of antioxidant-infused fruit drink. Okay, it's wine.

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