Oliver and Amelia were the most popular first names given to babies born in England and Wales in 2014. Amelia has been in the top spot since 2011, while Oliver has been number one since 2013.
Baby names in England & Wales, compared to 2013
Boys: Kian showed the largest rise within the top 100, gaining 41 places to reach number 54. Teddy (up 20 places to 66), Theodore (up 19 places to 59), Elijah (up 16 places to 53), Albert (up 15 places to 84) and Freddie (up 15 places to 20) were also high climbers within the top 100.
Girls: Aisha showed the largest rise within the top 100, gaining 18 places to number 76. Elsie and Heidi (up 15 places to 32 and 84 respectively), Evelyn (up 14 places to 31), and Eliza, Georgia, Ivy and Darcey (up 12 places to 47, 48, 54 and 72 respectively) were also high climbers within the top 100.
Top baby names of 2014 for babies in England and Wales
| Most popular girl names in England and Wales |
Most popular boy names iin England and Wales |
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There are a number of possible reasons why the popularity of baby names change over time. The popularity of names can be influenced by names of famous figures or current celebrities and what they name their own babies. However, it can also be influenced by other factors such as the religious, cultural and/or ethnic identities of parents or the names of family, friends or fictional characters.
As such, there is a great diversity of baby names. In 2014, there were 695,233 live births in England and Wales (ONS, 2014), with over 27,000 different boys’ names and over 35,000 different girls’ names registered. The top 10 names only account for 12% of all names in 2014.
Source: The Office for National Statistics (ONS), United Kingdom
