Popular South West Baby Names Revealed

Revealed: The South West is the name capital of Oliver and Amelia

Naming a new baby is a big responsibility, and whilst some parents want their child to stand out from the crowd, some names endure the test of time.

New analysis of ONS (Office for National Statistics) baby name data by leading name label manufacturer, My Nametags (https://www.mynametags.com), reveals the UK’s ‘children’s name capitals’, the areas of the country where you are most likely to encounter a child with a certain name.

The analysis reveals that parents in the South West are more likely to name their child Oliver or Amelia, than parents anywhere else in the UK.

Brits can discover the full list of name capitals via the interactive map created by the company.

How the South West Compares to the Rest of the UK:

SOUTH EAST

The names William and Charlotte top the charts in the South East.

LONDON

You are most likely to find an Alexander or an Isabella in the nation’s capital.

EAST OF ENGLAND

Parents across East Anglia are more likely to name their child either Harry or Holly than families elsewhere in the UK.

EAST MIDLANDS

You are most likely to meet an Oscar or an Isla in the East Midlands than anywhere else in the UK.

WEST MIDLANDS

The West Midlands has the highest concentration of Mohammeds in the UK. For girls, it’s Maisie that appears more frequently in the region than anywhere else.

WALES

Wales has the highest density of children named Dylan and Megan.

NORTH WEST

Olivia has topped the charts as the most popular baby girls name for a few years now but the North West has the highest concentration of Olivias in the UK.

Thomas is also preferred by more parents in the North West than in any other region.

NORTH EAST

Jack has ranked highly in the baby name charts for decades, but it’s in the North East where you are most likely to find a child named Jack. For girls, it’s Emily.

YORKSHIRE AND THE HUMBER

You are most likely to come across a child named Charlie or Evie in Yorkshire and the Humber.

SCOTLAND

Scotland has the highest density of boys named Lewis and girls named Sophie.

NORTHERN IRELAND

In Northern Ireland, parents prefer to name their child either James or Grace.

The Maths Behind the Trends

Data from ONS detailing the most popular baby names between 2001 – 2019 was analysed to create a list of the most common names amongst children aged between 0-18 across the country. The total number of babies given each name was then divided by the total number of babies born in each region during the time period to provide a true representation of name density per region.

What the Experts Say

Lars B. Andersen, Managing Director at My Nametags, comments: “At My Nametags we see thousands of names every day and we were interested to understand the patterns of where certain names appear most commonly in the UK.

“Our analysis revealed some interesting insights, so we have created an interactive mapto help people discover the name trends in their region and how it compares to the rest of the UK.”

To view the full interactive map and find out more about the research, visit:

https://www.mynametags.com/blog/2022/02/uk-baby-names-my-nametags-reveals-the-most-popular-by-region/