Top baby names in 2020 across England and Wales revealed

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Actress Olivia Wilde in 2020Image source, Getty Images
Image caption,

Olivia has been the most popular baby name for girls since 2015, pictured, actress Olivia Wilde

Babies born to women under 35 were more likely to be given short, modern names last year compared to older mothers.

Official birth data in England and Wales for 2020 showed Olivia and Oliver were still the most popular baby names overall - for the fifth year running.

New entries into the top 10 included Ivy, Rosie and Archie. Oliver was particularly popular in the North East.

The largest movers into the top 100 boys' names were Milo (80th) and Otis (96th) and the girls' was Maeve (94th).

Data from the Office for National Statistics, external (ONS) showed 4,225 baby boys were named Oliver in 2020, down from 4,932 the previous year, while a total of 3,640 newborn girls were named Olivia, down from 4,082.

Olivia and Oliver have been the most popular names in England and Wales since 2015.

The name of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex's son, Archie, moved up the boys' list from 19th to ninth, with 2,944 babies named Archie in 2020, up from 2,544 in 2019. It is the first time Archie has made the top 10.

It is also the first time Charlie has not been in the top 10 since 2005, slipping to 12th place with a total of 2,810 babies named Charlie in 2020, down from 3,355 in 2019.

Since 2010, Ivy has risen 221 places to become the sixth most popular name for girls in England and Wales in 2020.

Arthur and Noah have seen an increase in popularity over the last two decades, both rising more than 200 places in the ranks to the boys' top five in 2019 and 2017 respectively.

In 2020, the largest movers into the top 100 boys' names were Milo (80th) and Otis (96th), both rising 28 places since 2019.

Maeve has risen 124 places since 2019 and was the largest new entry into the top 100 girls' names (94th).

Muhammad was top in four regions of England and Arthur in three regions.

In Wales, Noah was the top boys' name but only the fourth most popular name in England and Wales combined.

Image source, Getty Images
Image caption,

The name Archie moved up the boys' list from 19th to ninth

Siân Bradford, from the ONS, said popular culture and celebrities continued to provide inspiration for many parents.

"Maeve and Otis, characters from the popular programme Sex Education, have seen a surge in popularity in 2020," she said.

"While the name Margot has been rapidly climbing since actress Margot Robbie appeared in the popular film The Wolf of Wall Street."

She added: " We continue to see the age of mothers having an impact on the choice of baby name."

Explaining why it uses mothers' data to glean the most popular baby names, an ONS spokeswoman said: "To get a complete statistical picture for our baby names analysis, we rely on a mother's data, because information relating to mothers should appear on every birth registration."

In 2019, pop star Dua Lipa and Star Wars' Kylo Ren were among the influences on parents for the choice of baby names.

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