This year’s most popular baby names in Milton Keynes revealed

Statistics released this week from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) shows the most popular baby names in MK are Olivia and Noah.

Both names also top the list as the most popular throughout the country for babies born in 2021.

The ONS data, which was released yesterday (Wednesday), looked at each local authority area in the UK and also each region.

Throughout Buckinghamshire as a whole, the most common name for baby boys was Muhammad, which also topped the charts in four out of nine English regions. Throughout the UK as a whole, Muhammad emerged as the fifth most popular name for baby boys.

The most common girls name in Bucks was Olivia, which has been the most popular name for baby girls in England and Wales for six straight years now.

There was only one region in England where Olivia wasn’t the most popular name, that distinction went to the East Midlands, where Amelia came out on top.

Meanwhile, the name Jack has become less popular. This week marked the first time since ONS started releasing baby name data in 1996 that Jack was not among the most common baby names nationally.

Across the entirety of the England and Wales, Noah was the most chosen boys name. It has overtaken the name Oliver, which had held that title for eight consecutive years.

Freya, Florence and Willow were new entries in the most popular girl names for 2021. They replaced Isabella, Rosie and Sophia, which were previously in the top 10 in 2020.

These are the 10 most common boys names in England and Wales:

Noah Oliver George Arthur Muhammad Leo Harry Oscar Archie Henry

The most common girls names in England and Wales are:

Olivia Amelia Isla Ava Ivy Freya Lily Florence Mia Willow

In the South East region the top 10 most popular boys names were:

George Arthur Oliver Noah Henry Theodore Oscar Leo Freddie Jack

The most popular names for girls in the South East region were:

Olivia Amelia Isla Ava Florence Lily Ivy Sienna Mia Freya

Often baby names can reflect what is going on in popular culture and show the influence of celebrity on our communities.

There has been a rise in the number of children called Arthur, which is believed to be at least part inspired by Paul Anderson’s character in hit BBC drama, Peaky Blinders.

The number of Georges has also increased since the birth of Prince George in 2013.