UK's most popular baby names for 2022 revealed, as Sophia and Muhammad top the list
22 November 2022, 14:11 | Updated: 22 November 2022, 14:25
The annual list of the nation’s most popular baby names has been released, with the top 100 girls' names undergoing something of a shake-up for 2022.
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When it came to girls' names, Olivia traditionally proved the most popular, topping the Office of National Statistics' list for the past six years. Meanwhile, Noah topped last year’s list for the boys.
However, both the boys and girls rankings have seen their top names change over the course of 2022, with Muhammad now topping the boys list and Sophia the girls’.
Compiled by the BabyCentre, the research collates names registered on the site by tens of thousands of new parents.
Sarah Redshaw, UK Managing Editor for BabyCentre, told The Mirror that the organisation has seen a notable increase in celebrity and reality TV-inspired names.
It comes as the boy's name Luca shot into the top 10 – an uplift of over 20 places from the previous year, thought to be connected to reality show Love Island and one half of its winning couple, Luca Bish.
Meanwhile, the names Liam, Luca, Rosie, Alex, Zara, Millie and Teddy – all names of Love Island contestants, made it onto the 2022 list.
Redshaw said: "Love Islander names are definitely parents’ type on paper. And BabyCentre parents haven’t been putting all their eggs in the 2022 Love Island basket either.
“It’s possible that the islanders’ continued fame on social media and more reality TV is causing this surge. We now want to keep a watch on the names of 2022 winners Ekin-Su and Davide to see if they become more popular as they go on to bigger things."
The names of two other past Love Island contestants from 2019 – Maura and Ovie – also featured in BabyCentre's Top 100 for the very first time.
There’s also been a notable revival in names linked to the 90s. A trend that not only is sweeping the fashion world, the sense of nostalgia also appears to extend to newborn babies.
Speaking of the 90s revival, Redshaw added: "We wonder if parents are just excited to be dusting off their bucket hats or if 90s babies are now starting to have their own and giving into nostalgia when it comes to naming their little ones!"
The research also found that mothers over the age of 35 were more likely to have babies with more traditional names, while younger mothers tended to choose shortened versions of the traditional favourites.
Top 10 boys names
1. Muhammad
2. Noah
3. Theo
4. Leo
5. Oliver
6. Jack
7. George
8. Luca
9. Ethan
10. Freddie
11. Arthur
12. Ryan
13. Harry
14. Oscar
15. Henry
16. Charlie
17. Archie
18. Teddy
19. Thomas
20. Adam
21. Aiden
22. Alfie
23. Louie
24. Finley
25. Liam
26. Jacob
27. Lucas
28. Daniel
29. Caleb
30. Joshua
31. Jaxon
32. Max
33. Isaac
34. Elijah
35. Zayn
36. Theodore
37. Reuben
38. Arlo
39. Jayden
40. James
41. William
42. Jude
43. Tommy
44. Mason
45. Ali
46. Albie
47. Ezra
48. Alexander
49. Nathan
50. Dylan
51. Yusuf
52. Kai
53. Rory
54. Logan
55. Toby
56. Roman
57. Samuel
58. Michael
59. Elliot
60. Myles
61. Ayaan
62. Sebastian
63. Finn
64. Kian
65. Harrison
66. Alex
67. Jesse
68. Jason
69. David
70. Grayson
71. Levi
72. Benjamin
73. Hunter
74. Hudson
75. Gabriel
76. Ollie
77. Rowan
78. Zachary
79. Asher
80. Ibrahim
81. Riley
82. Brodie
83. Eli
84. Oakley
85. Abdul
86. Luke
87. Matthew
88. Joseph
89. Milo
90. Hugo
91. Reggie
92. Edward
93. Ronnie
94. Aaron
95. Jasper
96. Omar
97. Zion
98. Bobby
99. Abdullah
100. Syed
Top 10 girls names
1. Sophia
2. Lily
3. Olivia
4. Isla
5. Ava
6. Amelia
7. Freya
8. Aria
9. Maya
10. Ivy
11. Emily
12. Isabella
13. Mia
14. Grace
15. Evie
16. Zara
17. Millie
18. Ella
19. Hannah
20. Daisy
21. Rosie
22. Elsie
23. Willow
24. Luna
25. Poppy
26. Zoe
27. Isabelle
28. Sophie
29. Sienna
30. Ada
31. Nur
32. Florence
33. Charlotte
34. Evelyn
35. Emilia
36. Maryam
37. Fatima
38. Harper
39. Phoebe
40. Ayla
41. Mila
42. Maisie
43. Chloe
44. Hallie
45. Eliana
46. Layla
47. Lyla
48. Emma
49. Erin
50. Eva
51. Alice
52. Aurora
53. Aaliyah
54. Ruby
55. Matilda
56. Leah
57. Bella
58. Thea
59. Nora
60. Molly
61. Anna
62. Darcie
63. Lottie
64. Eleanor
65. Robyn
66. Violet
67. Maeve
68. Anaya
69. Maddison
70. Arabella
71. Maria
72. Holly
73. Ellie
74. Penelope
75. Imogen
76. Lucy
77. Talia
78. Rose
79. Mirha
80. Bonnie
81. Eliza
82. Iris
83. Abigail
84. Nova
85. Aisha
86. Nancy
87. Orla
88. Gabriella
89. Gracie
90. Esme
91. Jessica
92. Scarlett
93. Amira
94. Elizabeth
95. Jasmine
96. Olive
97. Lara
98. Lola
99. Mabel
100. Harriet
