Every year the ONS (Office for National Statistics) publishes a report on the most used baby names of the year. The report for 2021 is out now, with new entries into the Top 100 for the first time ever from Brody and Rupert. I’ve photographed newborns pretty much all the names on this Top 10 list. Here’s the Top 10 boy’s names of 2021.
Noah
Of Babylonian origin from the word “nukhu” meaning repose or rest. Noah was at number 4 in 2020 and has risen 15 places since 2011
Oliver
Knocked off the top spot by Noah, Oliver had been at number 1 for 8 years before. Just like Olivia, the origin of this name is from the Latin Oliva, meaning peace.
George
From the Greek name Georgios, a combination of two words meaning earth and work.
Arthur
Possibly derived from the Celtic Artos, meaning Bear.
Muhammad
Also spelled Muhammed or Muhamad or Mohammad or Mohammed or Mohamed or a variety of other ways. An Arabic name meaning Praiseworthy.
Leo
From the Greek word meaning Lion, this name is much older than it first seems. It can also be a shortening of Leopold or Leonard.
You can read other ancient names in my blog here
https://hushabye-photography.co.uk/10-boys-names-inspired-by-the-ancient-world/
Harry
This is a form of the name Henry (at number 10 in this list). It can also be a nickname from Harrison, Harold and Harvey.
Oscar
From the Irish combination of two words: Os for Deer and Car meaning loving or friend.
Archie
This is a shortening of the name Archibald which is from Germanic roots and means Genuine.
Henry
The final name in our top 10 boy’s names of 2021. As you saw above, Harry is also a version of this name, which originally comes from the Germanic name Heimeric. It means House Ruler and indeed many Kings have been named Henry or Harry.
There’s a whole lot of amazing analysis of the birth registration data over on the ONS website here:
https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/birthsdeathsandmarriages/livebirths/bulletins/babynamesenglandandwales/2021#baby-names-by-age-of-mother
including names by region and age of mother.
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.