News

Olivia and Leo most popular Barnet baby names

32 girls born in the borough last year were given the name Olivia, while 30 boys were called Leo
By Katie Williams, Data Reporter

Across England and Wales, Noah became the most popular boys' name, knocking Oliver down to second place
Across England and Wales, Noah became the most popular boys’ name, knocking Oliver down to second place

Olivia and Leo are officially the most popular baby names in Barnet.

Figures from the Office for National Statistics show 32 newborns in the borough were given the name Olivia last year – ​four more than the previous year’s top ranked ​Amelia.

Meanwhile, 30 boys were called Leo in 2021 – seven fewer than former top spot Noah the year before.

Across England and Wales, Noah became the most popular boys’ name last year, knocking Oliver down to second place following an eight-year reign. It stood at fourth most popular in 2020 and has risen 15 places since 2011.

George moved down to the third most popular name for boys in 2021, but remained the most popular name associated with the royal family for babies born across the two nations last year.

Meanwhile, Olivia remained the top pick for baby girls for the sixth year in a row, ahead of Amelia and Isla.

The ONS data also shows that Henry replaced Jack in the top 10 names for boys, while Freya, Florence and Willow replaced Isabella, Rosie and Sophia for girls.

Mothers over the age of 35 were more likely to give their babies traditional names such as Thomas, while younger mothers were more likely to use shortened versions, such as Tommy.

New entries to the top 100 names nationally included Lara, Beatrice and Sara for girls, and Blake, Brody, Kai, Rupert, Tobias and Nathan for boys.

It is the first time Jack has not been in the top 10 since the annual series began in 1996.

Rupert and Brody were in the top 100 names for the first time.

Elijah and Arlo only appeared in the top 10 boys’ names for mothers under 25, while more traditional names such as Alexander and Thomas were popular among those over 35.

Willow, Isabella, Harper and Delilah were girls’ names only seen in the top 10 among mothers under 25, while Charlotte, Grace, Sophie and Sophia were more likely for mothers over 35.

James Tucker, of the ONS, said: “While Noah and Olivia are enjoying their places at the top, some names could be in danger of falling out of favour.

“Leslie has had relatively little popularity in recent years with fewer than seven boys named each year since 2018. Others such as Clifford, Nigel and Norman have not fared much better with 10 or fewer boys being named.

“Girls’ names such as Glenda and Kerry, that were more common before, are also becoming endangered and we have seen fewer than five girls being named each year since 2018.”

The top ten girls’ names in England and Wales in 2021 were:

Olivia (3,649 babies)

Amelia (3,164)

Isla (2,683)

Ava (2,576)

Ivy (2,245)

Freya (2,187)

Lily (2,182)

Florence (2,180)

Mia (2,168)

Willow (2,067)

The top ten boys’ names were:

Noah (4,525)

Oliver (4,167)

George (4,141)

Arthur (3,766)

Muhammed (3,722)

Leo (3,465)

Harry (3,089)

Oscar (3,071)

Archie (2,928)

Henry (2,912)

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