.png)
2 hours ago
3
The most popular names for babies born in 2025 in England and Wales have been revealed - with Lily moving up the charts into second place for girls.
Olivia held the top spot for the 10th year in a row for girls' names and Muhammad topped the list for boys' names for the third year running.
Amelia, which had been the second most popular girls' name previously, has dropped down to third, while Noah sits in second for boys. Leo has become the third most popular name for boys.
The list is released by the Office for National Statistics, external (ONS) and used birth registration data from the last full calendar year.
Clare Green, an expert who writes for baby-naming website Nameberry, said in a way she wasn't surprised to see Olivia and Muhammad top the chart once again.
"Change happens so slowly at the top and once a name becomes popular it normally stays there for quite a long time," she told the BBC.
"[Names] can build momentum - the more people give their child a name, the more other parents hear it and like the sound of it, so it snowballs."
The name Olivia also does not have any other spellings, Green explained, which means it does not get split within the figures under different variations.
"In general, there's more variety in girls' names [than in boys' names]. Parents tend to use a wider range - that's always been the case.
"Even nowadays, a lot of parents feel they can be a bit more creative with girls' names and maybe a bit more daring and they often stick to more traditional ones for boys."
In Scotland, Freya replaced Olivia as the most popular name for girls, according to data from National Records of Scotland, while Noah held the top spot for boys.
Other names making up the top 10 for girls include Isla in fourth, followed by Florence, Freya, Poppy, Elsie, Ivy and new entry Isabella.
Luca is the fourth most popular name for boys, with Arthur, Oliver, George, Oscar, Theodore and Freddie.
The most popular girls' name Olivia saw 2,386 baby girls get called it in England and Wales during 2025.
Lily and Amelia, the next most frequently picked, appeared 2,249 and 2,153 times.
There were 5,957 baby boys called Muhammad, as well as other spellings of the name proving popular.
Mohammed was in 20th place with 1,712 names and Mohammad in 55th position with 895.
The other boys' names in the top three, Noah and Leo, were used 4,075 and 3,278 times respectively.
