baby name ideas

Baby name ideas for 2024 and how to choose the perfect baby name for your newborn

Posted by Emma Weldon on

From the moment your newborn arrives, they bring a sense of joy, love, and wonder that new parents will never forget. However, one of the most exciting aspects of preparing for a new arrival is choosing the perfect name. A baby’s name is more than just a label; it's a reflection of your hopes, dreams, and aspirations for your little one.
However, with so many baby names to choose from, finding the right one that you and your partner can agree on may feel like a daunting task. In this article, we'll explore the top 100 most popular baby names in the UK, as well as unique baby name ideas and traditional name ideas. Finally, we will also offer some tips for making the perfect choice for your little one. So, let's get started!

How do I choose the right baby name? 

 

Remember that choosing the right baby name for your newborn is a highly personal thing, and as long as you and your other half are happy with the name, there are no right or wrong answers. However, there are a few factors that you might what to consider in the process of deciding on the perfect name.
  1. Firstly, start brainstorming names with your family and friends early on after you’ve found out what you are expecting. This gives you plenty of time to consider options, discuss with your partner, and narrow down choices.
  2. Seek inspiration from a variety of sources. From Googling ‘baby name ideas’ to looking in your favourite books and films, there are plenty of ways to discover new and interesting names that you might not have considered before.
  3. Spend some time thinking about what you like. Would you prefer a classic name such as James or Victoria, or do modern names such as Apollo or Luna feel like a better fit?
  4. How popular are the names on your short list? You may prefer a popular name so that your child blends in with their peers, or, you may prefer a unique name that helps them to stand out from the crowd.
  5. Ask around to see if there are any family traditions when it comes to first names or middle names. Some families often use the same names for different genders that are passed down through the generations. While you’re in no way beholden to this, it’s worth considering!
  6. Consider any potential negative associations with the names you’ve shortlisted. For example, are the names similar to the names of anyone disliked in your family, or perhaps a controversial or historical figure that you might not want them to be associated with?
  7. Say the name out loud to hear how it sounds (and not just in your head). Consider how it flows, its rhythm, and if it's easy to pronounce. Remember, your family and (eventually) your newborn will be saying this name for a lifetime, so you want it to feel comfortable and pleasant.
  8. Ask friends and family. Having a third-party perspective can be invaluable, as they may be able to point out new baby name ideas, or downsides to names on your existing list that you may not have already considered.

What are the most popular baby girl names?

 

So, what are the most popular baby girl names in the country? According to the most recent data from the Office of National Statistics, the most popular baby girl names in England and Wales are Olivia, Amelia, Isla, Ava, Ivy, Freya, and Lily. These are followed by the other baby girl names listed in the table below.

Rank

Name

Count

1

Olivia

3,649

2

Amelia

3,164

3

Isla

2,683

4

Ava

2,576

5

Ivy

2,245

6

Freya

2,187

7

Lily

2,182

8

Florence

2,180

9

Mia

2,168

10

Willow

2,067

11

Rosie

2,028

12

Sophia

2,019

13

Isabella

2,010

14

Grace

1,992

15

Daisy

1,873

16

Sienna

1,869

17

Poppy

1,841

18

Elsie

1,840

19

Emily

1,797

20

Ella

1,756

21

Evelyn

1,729

22

Phoebe

1,678

23

Sofia

1,671

24

Evie

1,670

25

Charlotte

1,654

26

Harper

1,480

27

Millie

1,472

28

Matilda

1,437

29

Maya

1,433

30

Sophie

1,375

31

Alice

1,359

32

Emilia

1,353

33

Isabelle

1,304

34

Ruby

1,300

35

Luna

1,261

36

Maisie

1,229

37

Aria

1,202

38

Penelope

1,194

39

Mila

1,133

40

Bonnie

1,121

41

Eva

1,091

42

Hallie

1,070

43

Eliza

1,064

44

Ada

1,058

45

Violet

1,057

46

Esme

1,013

47

Arabella

1,012

48

Imogen

998

49

Jessica

997

50

Delilah

981

51

Lottie

954

52

Chloe

932

53

Thea

917

53

Layla

917

55

Eleanor

915

56

Aurora

910

57

Margot

892

58

Mabel

885

59

Erin

884

60

Elizabeth

862

61

Emma

860

62

Scarlett

858

63

Harriet

810

64

Lola

807

65

Nancy

797

66

Orla

794

67

Ayla

793

68

Rose

787

69

Zara

773

70

Iris

746

71

Robyn

739

72

Bella

730

73

Molly

729

74

Olive

691

75

Maria

682

76

Lyla

667

77

Maeve

654

78

Ellie

638

79

Gracie

632

80

Lyra

630

81

Darcie

623

82

Maryam

621

83

Edith

613

84

Heidi

610

85

Lucy

607

86

Myla

602

87

Amelie

598

88

Amber

594

89

Hannah

588

90

Summer

586

91

Eden

585

92

Jasmine

583

93

Elodie

576

94

Clara

574

95

Holly

568

96

Lilly

551

97

Anna

545

98

Lara

539

99

Beatrice

515

100

Sara

511

 

    What are the most popular baby boy names?

     

    So, what are the most popular baby boy names in the country? According to the most recent data from the Office of National Statistics, the most popular baby boy names in England and Wales are Noah, Oliver, George, Arthur, Muhammed, Leo, Harry, and Oscar. These are followed by the other baby boy names listed in the table below.

    Rank

    Name

    Count

    1

    Noah

    4,525

    2

    Oliver

    4,167

    3

    George

    4,141

    4

    Arthur

    3,766

    5

    Muhammad

    3,722

    6

    Leo

    3,465

    7

    Harry

    3,089

    8

    Oscar

    3,071

    9

    Archie

    2,928

    10

    Henry

    2,912

    11

    Theodore

    2,889

    12

    Freddie

    2,873

    13

    Jack

    2,847

    14

    Charlie

    2,674

    15

    Theo

    2,514

    16

    Alfie

    2,338

    17

    Jacob

    2,319

    18

    Thomas

    2,302

    19

    Finley

    2,283

    20

    Arlo

    2,154

    21

    William

    2,093

    22

    Lucas

    1,965

    23

    Roman

    1,923

    24

    Tommy

    1,901

    25

    Isaac

    1,888

    26

    Teddy

    1,875

    27

    Alexander

    1,830

    28

    Luca

    1,807

    29

    Edward

    1,806

    30

    James

    1,772

    31

    Joshua

    1,737

    32

    Albie

    1,729

    33

    Elijah

    1,657

    34

    Max

    1,650

    35

    Mohammed

    1,619

    36

    Reuben

    1,534

    37

    Mason

    1,517

    38

    Sebastian

    1,516

    39

    Rory

    1,483

    40

    Jude

    1,482

    41

    Louie

    1,461

    42

    Benjamin

    1,423

    43

    Ethan

    1,398

    44

    Adam

    1,367

    45

    Hugo

    1,325

    46

    Joseph

    1,307

    47

    Reggie

    1,287

    48

    Ronnie

    1,285

    49

    Harrison

    1,254

    50

    Louis

    1,240

    51

    Ezra

    1,226

    52

    Jaxon

    1,210

    53

    Logan

    1,192

    54

    Daniel

    1,150

    55

    Zachary

    1,146

    56

    Samuel

    1,123

    57

    Dylan

    1,099

    58

    Albert

    1,091

    59

    Hudson

    1,069

    60

    Hunter

    1,042

    61

    Frederick

    1,017

    62

    David

    961

    63

    Rowan

    938

    64

    Jesse

    929

    65

    Frankie

    920

    66

    Toby

    918

    67

    Oakley

    908

    68

    Grayson

    903

    69

    Carter

    825

    70

    Riley

    817

    71

    Felix

    807

    72

    Finn

    788

    73

    Bobby

    772

    74

    Blake

    771

    75

    Sonny

    762

    76

    Caleb

    758

    77

    Gabriel

    749

    77

    Michael

    749

    79

    Jasper

    742

    80

    Alfred

    739

    81

    Otis

    737

    82

    Stanley

    724

    83

    Milo

    719

    83

    Mohammad

    719

    85

    Ralph

    692

    86

    Liam

    690

    87

    Chester

    680

    88

    Ellis

    670

    89

    Elliot

    664

    90

    Brody

    645

    91

    Charles

    639

    91

    Kai

    639

    93

    Rupert

    631

    94

    Yusuf

    628

    95

    Harvey

    627

    96

    Ollie

    613

    97

    Jackson

    607

    98

    Tobias

    596

    99

    Nathan

    595

    100

    Myles

    592

      

    Gender neutral baby name ideas

     

    Increasingly, parents are considering gender neutral clothing, nurseries, and names for their children. If you’d prefer to give your newborn a unisex or gender-neutral name, then we have plenty of inspiration for you. While there are no official statistics on the most popular gender-neutral baby names, we’ve brainstormed and put together a list of our favourite 100 gender neutral baby name ideas for you to consider below.
    1. Addison
    2. Adrian
    3. Ainsley
    4. Alex
    5. Andy
    6. Ari
    7. Ash
    8. Aspen
    9. Aubrey
    10. Avery
    11. Bailey
    12. Bay
    13. Blaine
    14. Blair
    15. Blake
    16. Bobbie
    17. Bowie
    18. Brett
    19. Brook
    20. Caelan
    21. Cameron
    22. Campbell
    23. Carroll
    24. Casey
    25. Cassidy
    26. Charlie
    27. Chris
    28. Clay
    29. Corey
    30. Dakota
    31. Dale
    32. Dana
    33. Daryl
    34. Devin
    35. Dorian
    36. Drew
    37. Echo
    38. Eddie
    39. Eden
    40. Eli
    41. Elliott
    42. Ellis
    43. Emory
    44. Ezra
    45. Finley
    46. Frances
    47. Frankie
    48. Gabriel
    49. Glenn
    50. Gray
    51. Greer
    52. Harley
    53. Harlow
    54. Harper
    55. Hayden
    56. Indigo
    57. Jamie
    58. Jean
    59. Jesse
    60. Jordan
    61. Jules
    62. Julian
    63. Kaden
    64. Kai
    65. Kelly
    66. Kendal
    67. Kennedy
    68. Kit
    69. Lake
    70. Lee
    71. Logan
    72. Max
    73. Morgan
    74. Parker
    75. Pat
    76. Peyton
    77. Quinn
    78. Ray
    79. Reed
    80. Remy/Remi
    81. Riley
    82. River
    83. Roan
    84. Rowan
    85. Rudy
    86. Ryan
    87. Sage
    88. Sam
    89. Sean
    90. Shawn
    91. Stevie
    92. Tanner
    93. Taylor
    94. Teagan
    95. Terry
    96. Toby
    97. Tyler
    98. Val
    99. West
    100. Winter
     

    What are some unique baby name ideas?

     

    When it comes to sourcing the right name for your newborn baby, it’s important that you settle on a decision that both you and your partner are happy with. If you're not keen to follow the crowd, or are looking for something a little more unique, then you may be interested in our more modern or unique baby name ideas. These are listed below to give you some baby names inspiration.
    1. Aelin (Girls)
    2. Ajax (Boys)
    3. Alden (Boys)
    4. Allegra (Girls)
    5. Amberlyn (Girls)
    6. Amity (Girls)
    7. Arden (Boys)
    8. Arrow (Unisex)
    9. Aspen (Boys)
    10. Astraeus (Boys)
    11. Astrid (Girls)
    12. Atticus (Boys)
    13. Aurea (Girls)
    14. Aurelia (Girls)
    15. Baldwin (Boys)
    16. Bay (Boys)
    17. Berkely (Girls)
    18. Berlin (Girls)
    19. Billie (Girls)
    20. Blade (Boys)
    21. Blaze (Unisex)
    22. Blossom (Girls)
    23. Boaz (Boys)
    24. Bowie (Girls)
    25. Bram (Boys)
    26. Brendan (Boys)
    27. Bridget (Girls)
    28. Brioni (Girls)
    29. Bronwyn (Girls)
    30. Bryn (Boys)
    31. Bryony  (Girls)
    32. Caius (Boys)
    33. Calantha (Girls)
    34. Calliope (Girls)
    35. Calloway (Boys)
    36. Caspian (Boys)
    37. Cedar (Boys)
    38. Celestino (Boys)
    39. Cerese (Girls)
    40. Clarke (Unisex)
    41. Codi (Girls)
    42. Colby (Girls)
    43. Cormac (Boys)
    44. Cove (Unisex)
    45. Crimson (Girls)
    46. Danni (Girls)
    47. Dashiell (Boys)
    48. Delphine (Girls)
    49. Dulaney (Boys)
    50. Dune (Unisex)
    51. Echo (Unisex)
    52. Electra (Girls)
    53. Elias (Boys)
    54. Ellington (Boys)
    55. Elowen (Girls)
    56. Emmanual (Boys)
    57. Emrys (Boys)
    58. Etta (Girls)
    59. Eulalie (Girls)
    60. Fable (Unisex)
    61. Finnian (Boys)
    62. Flynn (Boys)
    63. Forrest (Boys)
    64. Foster (Unisex)
    65. Fox (Boys)
    66. Francesca (Girls)
    67. Freya (Girls)
    68. Garner (Boys)
    69. Gideon (Boys)
    70. Grove (Unisex)
    71. Guinevere (Girls)
    72. Haven (Unisex)
    73. Hopper (Boys)
    74. Huxley (Boys)
    75. Indigo (Unisex)
    76. Isolde (Girls)
    77. Ivy (Girls)
    78. Jazz (Boys)
    79. Jeanne (Girls)
    80. Jett (Unisex)
    81. Jianna (Girls)
    82. Joss (Boys)
    83. Jovan (Boys)
    84. Juniper (Girls)
    85. Kaida (Girls)
    86. Kalliope (Girls)
    87. Katniss (Girls)
    88. Koa (Boys)
    89. Lark (Unisex)
    90. Leif (Boys)
    91. Linnea (Girls)
    92. Lucifer (Boys)
    93. Lux (Girls)
    94. Lyra (Girls)
    95. Magnus (Boys)
    96. Maximillian (Boys)
    97. Mesa (Unisex)
    98. Min-soo (Boys)
    99. Mireille (Girls)
    100. Monet (Boys)
    101. Moon (Boys)
    102. Moxie (Girls)
    103. Naveen (Boys)
    104. Nebula (Girls)
    105. Niamh (Girls)
    106. Nova (Unisex)
    107. Nyx (Boys)
    108. Oberon (Boys)
    109. Olive (Girls)
    110. Ondine (Girls)
    111. Onyx (Unisex)
    112. Orelia (Girls)
    113. Orion (Boys)
    114. Paxon (Boys)
    115. Persephone (Girls)
    116. Quilla (Girls)
    117. Rain (Boys)
    118. Rakesh (Boys)
    119. Rayne (Boys)
    120. Rebel (Boys)
    121. Reyes (Boys)
    122. Rhiannon (Girls)
    123. River (Unisex)
    124. Ronan (Boys)
    125. Rosalinda (Girls)
    126. Rowan (Boys)
    127. Rune (Boys)
    128. Sage (Unisex)
    129. Salome (Girls)
    130. Shepherd (Boys)
    131. Sonnet (Girls)
    132. Stellan (Boys)
    133. Stevie (Girls)
    134. Storm (Unisex)
    135. Thisbe (Girls)
    136. Thorn (Boys)
    137. Ulric (Boys)
    138. Vadim (Boys)
    139. Vale (Unisex)
    140. Valkyrie (Girls)
    141. Vandelia (Girls)
    142. Vashti (Girls)
    143. Vesper (Girls)
    144. Vivianne (Girls)
    145. Wilder (Boys)
    146. Willow (Unisex)
    147. Winslet (Girls)
    148. Wisteria (Girls)
    149. Woody (Boys)
    150. Xanthe (Girls)
     

    Traditional baby name ideas

     

    If you prefer more traditional baby names, there are plenty of classics to choose from, such as James, Victoria, Edward, Thomas, David, and Elizabeth. We’ve provided a fuller list of our favourite 25 classic baby name ideas for you to choose from below.
    1. Elizabeth (Girls)
    2. James (Boys)
    3. Katherine (Girls)
    4. William (Boys)
    5. Margaret (Girls)
    6. Thomas (Boys)
    7. Victoria (Girls)
    8. Edward (Boys)
    9. Charlotte (Girls)
    10. Henry (Boys)
    11. David (Boys)
    12. Rebecca (Girls)
    13. Jacob (Boys)
    14. Abigail (Girls)
    15. Tobias (Boys)
    16. Lucy (Girls)
    17. Benjamin (Boys)
    18. Nathaniel (Boys)
    19. Gabriel (Boys)
    20. Aaron (Boys)
    21. Isaac (Boys)
    22. Leah (Girls)
    23. Daniel (Boys)
    24. Anna (Girls)
    25. Mary (Girls)
     

    When do babies recognise their own name?

    One popular question that new parents have about their baby’s name is how long it will be before they are able to recognise it. Some research suggests that this is often around 6 to 7 months of age, however, this will vary from baby to baby. Each newborn will develop at their own pace. That said, by about 9 to 12 months, most babies will be able to consistently respond to their own name.

    Are you looking for the perfect gift with your baby’s name on it? 

     

    baby name on dressing gown
    At Bumbles and Boo, we understand the importance of choosing the perfect name for your little one. That's why we offer a range of adorable, soft, and high-quality gifts for babies, including blankets and toys that you can customise with their name. These personalisable baby gifts are not only practical but also make for a thoughtful and meaningful present for new parents. Whatever you decide to call your baby, the most important thing is that it's special to you and your family.
    Take your time, consider your options, and choose a name that you and your little one will love for years to come. Enjoy the process and happy baby naming!

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    About the Author

    Emma Weldon

    Emma Weldon is a mum, photographer & small business owner. She is passionate about helping babies and families have the best possible start in life.

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