WHEN it comes to baby names, they typically come and go out of style as each year goes on.
But have you ever stopped to think about how common your middle name is?
A study by Ancestry.co.uk has revealed the most popular middle monikers in the UK – and there is a good chance yours may be on the list.
While first names are often inspired by cultural trends such as famous movie characters or celebs, it was found that middle names are typically more traditional.
Miriam Silverman, the company, explained: “Middle names are less likely to follow popular culture and more likely reflect age-old traditions or names that were popular in our parents’ or grandparents’ generation – hence the very traditional makeup of today’s top 10 middle names.”
The top girls middle name was found to be Louise, followed by Rose and Grace in second and third place.
Meanwhile, there was a joint name for fourth place – Jane and Elizabeth – and this was followed by Anne and May (with various different spellings).
Other names in the top ten included Marie and Mary, along with Catherine, Amy, Victoria and Kate.
The boys middle names list also featured very traditional names.
First up was James, followed by John and William – then it was Thomas, David, Robert and Edward.
In eighth place, Peter and Lee were tied, followed by Christopher and Alexander in joint tenth place.
Middle names boomed in popularity following World War I and II – and this was often to honour a relative who had passed away.
Top 10 most common middle names
GIRLS
- Louise
- Rose
- Grace
- Jane, Elizabeth (tied)
- Anne/Ann
- May/Mae
- Marie
- Mary
- Amy, Catherine (tied)
- Victoria, Kate (tied)
BOYS
- James
- John
- William
- Thomas
- David
- Robert
- Edward
- Peter, Lee (tied)
- Christopher, Alexander (tied)
- Michael, Daniel (tied)
The survey found that in 1911, just one in three (37 per cent) Brits had a middle name.
However, the practice is more commonplace now, with over three quarters of kids (80 per cent) having a second name, and one in 10 (11 per cent) having two or more middle names.
TOP FIRST NAMES
The top baby names in England and Wales have been announced for 2024 – and the number one boy’s name is the same for a second year.
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) has revealed Muhammad has once again taken the top spot.
Over 5,721 boys were called Muhammad, with this specific spelling in 2024, with the second place going to Noah with 4,139 babies.
The other top five boys’ names were Oliver (3,492), Arthur (3,368) and Leo (3,324).
The top 10 also included George, Luca, Theodore, Oscar and Archie.
Meanwhile for girls, Olivia was once again the most popular with 2,761 babies being given the moniker.
Olivia is the long serving champion and has held the crown for the top-ranked baby girl name since 2016.
It hasn’t shaken its popularity for nearly two decades and has remained in the top three girls names every year since 2006.
Second place also hadn’t changed, with 2,448 babies being called Amelia.
This was followed by Lily (2,185), which was fourth last year, Isla (2,056), which dropped from third last year, and Ivy (1,956), which was previously seventh.
The top 10 also featured Florence, Freya, Poppy, Ava and Elsie.
The top 50 boys names in England and Wales in 2024
- 1 – Muhammad – 5,721
- 2 – Noah – 4,139
- 3 – Oliver – 3,492
- 4 – Arthur – 3,368
- 5 – Leo – 3,324
- 6 – George – 3,257
- 7 – Luca – 2,814
- 8 – Theodore – 2,761
- 9 – Oscar – 2,747
- 10 – Archie – 2,575
- 11 – Jude – 2,540
- 12 – Theo – 2,387
- 13 – Freddie – 2,369
- 14 – Henry – 2,360
- 15 – Arlo – 2,220
- 16 – Alfie – 2,020
- 17 – Charlie – 1,956
- 18 – Finley – 1,886
- 19 – Albie – 1,820
- 20 – Harry – 1,765
- 21 – Mohammed – 1,760
- 22 – Jack – 1,711
- 23 – Elijah – 1,661
- 24 – Rory – 1,588
- 25 – Lucas – 1,550
- 26 – Thomas – 1,543
- 27 – William – 1,517
- 28 – Louie – 1,516
- 29 – Teddy – 1,506
- 30 – Jacob – 1,484
- 31 – Edward – 1,461
- 32 – Roman – 1,454
- 33 – Reuben – 1,442
- 34 – Oakley – 1,432
- 35 – Adam – 1,410
- 36 – Alexander – 1,365
- 37 – Isaac – 1,360
- 38 – Ezra – 1,339
- 39 – Tommy – 1,324
- 40 – James – 1,252
- 41 – Rowan – 1,246
- 42 – Hudson – 1,216
- 43 – Reggie – 1,194
- 44 – Max – 1,140
- 45 – Sebastian – 1,116
- 46 – Hugo – 1,094
- 47 – Louis – 1,092
- 48 – Ethan – 1,086
- 49 – Ronnie – 1,059
- 50 – Joshua – 1,027
The top 50 girls names in England and Wales in 2024
- 1 – Olivia – 2,761
- 2 – Amelia – 2,448
- 3 – Lily – 2,185
- 4 – Isla – 2,056
- 5 – Ivy – 1,956
- 6 – Florence – 1,936
- 7 – Freya – 1,929
- 8 – Poppy – 1,888
- 9 – Ava – 1,774
- 10 – Elsie – 1,727
- 11 – Isabella – 1,708
- 12 – Sofia – 1,626
- 13 – Sophia – 1,610
- 14 – Mia – 1,609
- 15 – Maya – 1,592
- 16 – Bonnie – 1,583
- 17 – Phoebe – 1,549
- 18 – Daisy – 1,548
- 19 – Sienna – 1,537
- 20 – Evelyn – 1,512
- 21 – Willow – 1,481
- 22 – Harper – 1,461
- 23 – Charlotte – 1,418
- 24 – Rosie – 1,406
- 25 – Grace – 1,390
- 26 – Maeve – 1,265
- 27 – Millie – 1,255
- 28 – Margot – 1,243
- 29 – Evie – 1,231
- 30 – Arabella – 1,222
- 31 – Matilda – 1,220
- 32 – Hallie – 1,218
- 33 – Delilah – 1,180
- 34 – Emily – 1,170
- 35 – Aria – 1,154
- 36 – Penelope – 1,133
- 37 – Mabel – 1,113
- 38 – Lottie – 1,109
- 39 – Ella – 1,108
- 40 – Ada – 1,049
- 41 – Ruby – 1,020
- 42 – Violet – 1,010
- 43 – Aurora – 1,002
- 44 – Maisie – 992
- 45 – Emilia – 961
- 46 – Mila – 953
- 47 – Ayla – 922
- 48 – Luna – 908
- 49 – Alice – 896
- 50 – Sophie – 886
