The most popular baby names in UK 2023: Lily & Muhammad take top spots - full list

BabyCentre has released their annual mid-year top 100 charts, which reveal the most popular baby names throughout the UK so far for 2023 and provide a preview of current baby naming trends before the complete results are released at the end of the year.

The latest findings show parents are opting for a change when it comes to naming their daughters. Lily has now taken the crown, jumping up one place after knocking Sophia down from first place position.

Lily and Sophie have been neck-and-neck for the past year as Lily, which has been the top choice for mums and dads since 2015, was knocked down by the time the final list was issued in December, which saw Sophia rise from second to first.

While Amelia, Freya, and Aria slowly climb two spots to take the fourth, fifth, and sixth positions, respectively, as names ending in A have not lost their appeal. Olivia maintains her position at third on the list.

On the boys’ list, Muhammad, Noah, Theo, Leo, and Oliver are ranked first through fifth, with no changes to the top five since December 2022. However, Arthur, who has moved up five spots to currently occupy sixth position, almost missed a spot in the top five, pushing Jack down to seventh.

According to the research, some of the shifts in baby name trends this year could be caused by controversies in the world of celebrities. For example, BabyCentre found that This Morning presenters Holly Willoughby and Phillip Schofield have both seen the popularity of their namesakes plummet. Holly’s name has completely dropped out of the top 100, and Phillip’s name has only had one registration so far this year.

When it comes to royal influence, the name Harry has also taken a plummet in the rankings, falling 10 places from 13 to 23. Additionally, the name Meghan - as well as the variant spelling, Megan - has also seen a dip in registrations.

On-screen drama is a completely different thing, with names inspired by TV dramas like Succession and Bridgerton soaring in popularity this year. While parents have been moving away from certain names due to real-life scandal, on-screen drama is a whole other tale.

The research says: “Popular films and TV have been strong influences in our previous baby naming charts, and this year is no exception. Following the release of its fourth and final series earlier in the year, the drama Succession continues to be a hit with parents-to-be.

“Roy family patriarch Logan leapt up six places landing at number 48, while wayward son Roman flew up 9 places to number 47. Frankie (right-hand man Frank) debuted as a new entry to the top 100, Hugo (Waystar Royco’s slippery spindoctor) soared 47 places to 43, while Kendal (number one boy Kendall) saw its first registrations in BabyCentre’s data.”

Charlotte has also been a popular choice this year, said the study, with the name soaring up to number 25 in the top 100 possibly due to the release of Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story on Netflix.

Other Bridgerton-inspired names that parents have been loving this year include Violet, up 19 places to 47th position, Penelope, up 14 places to number 60 and Theo, which has held on firmly to its third-place position.

Names inspired by the release of Disney’s The Little Mermaid have also made a splash in the half-year charts. New entry Ariella (Ariel) dove straight into the top 100, landing in at 86th place. Sebastian has also made a lasting impression on parents as it climbs 24 places to number 38.

Most popular baby names so far in the UK 2023

Boys

1. Muhammad +0

2. Noah +0

3. Theo +0

4. Leo +0

5. Oliver +0

6. Arthur +5

7. Jack -1

8. Freddie +2

9. George -2

10. Luca -2

11. Henry +4

12. Ethan -3

13. Oscar +1

14. Jude +28

15. Alfie +7

16. Archie +1

17. Jacob +9

18. Liam +7

19. Charlie -3

20. Thomas -1

21. Jayden +18

22. Teddy -4

23. Harry -10

24. Aiden -3

25. James +15

26. Lucas +1

27. Tommy +16

28. Ezra +19

29. Jaxon +2

30. Louis -7

31. Elijah +3

32. Daniel -4

33. Finley -9

34. Isaac -1

35. Max -3

36. Ryan -24

37. Theodore -1

38. Sebastian +24

39. Yusuf +12

40. Nathan +9

41. Albie +5

42. Alexander +6

43. Hugo +47

44. Ahmed (new)

45. Arlo -7

46. David +23

47. Roman +9

48. Logan +6

49. William -8

50. Caleb -21

51. Dylan -1

52. Hudson +22

53. Rory +0

54. Harrison +11

55. Mason -11

56. Reuben -19

57. Adam -37

58. Gabriel +17

59. Zain -24

60. Joshua -30

61. Kai -9

62. Mateo (new)

63. Abdul +22

64. Alex +2

65. Grayson +5

66. Luke +20

67. Joseph +21

68. Michael -10

69. Myles -9

70. Zion +27

71. Ali -26

72. Samuel -15

73. Toby -18

74. Benjamin -2

75. Jason -7

76. Axel (new)

77. Hunter -4

78. Musa (new)

79. Oakley +5

80. Reggie +11

81. Sam (new)

82. Austin (new)

83. Cody (new)

84. Edward +8

85. Asher -6

86. Hamza (new)

87. Jesse -20

88. Rowan -11

89. Frankie (new)

90. Harvey (new)

91. Felix (new)

92. John (new)

93. Levi -22

94. Abdullah +5

95. Ayaan -34

96. Eddie (new)

97. Eli -14

98. Elias (new)

99. Jake (new)

100. Junior (new)

Girls

1. Lily +1

2. Sophia -1

3. Olivia +0

4. Amelia +2

5. Freya +2

6. Aria +2

7. Ava -2

8. Isabella +4

9. Isla -5

10. Mila +31

11. Grace +3

12. Layla +34

13. Maryam +23

14. Willow +9

15. Elsie +7

16. Ivy -6

17. Ella +1

18. Evelyn +16

19. Evie -4

20. Mia -7

21. Maya -12

22. Daisy -2

23. Emily -12

24. Sienna +5

25. Charlotte +8

26. Florence +6

27. Isabelle +0

28. Luna -4

29. Poppy -4

30. Aurora +22

31. Fatima +6

32. Matilda +23

33. Millie -16

34. Phoebe +5

35. Eliana +10

36. Zara -20

37. Zoe -11

38. Eva +12

39. Ayla +1

40. Darcie +22

41. Harper -3

42. Rosie -21

43. Ayzal (new)

44. Hannah -25

45. Maisie -3

46. Scarlett +46

47. Violet +19

48. Emilia -13

49. Nur -18

50. Sophie -22

51. Chloe -8

52. Esme +38

53. Aisha +32

54. Alice -3

55. Bonnie +25

56. Hallie -12

57. Lottie +6

58. Sarah (new)

59. Imogen +16

60. Penelope +14

61. Ellie +12

62. Maeve +5

63. Ruby -9

64. Lyra (new)

65. Maria +6

66. Delilah (new)

67. Jasmine +28

68. Nora -9

69. Talia +8

70. Eleanor -6

71. Erin -22

72. Hazel (new)

73. Riley (new)

74. Robyn -9

75. Thea -17

76. Bella -19

77. Mabel +22

78. Maddison -9

79. Ada -49

80. Clara (new)

81. Niamh (new)

82. Rose -4

83. Nova +1

84. Orla +3

85. Arabella -15

86. Ariella (new)

87. Emma -39

88. Abigail -5

89. Olive +7

90. Ophelia (new)

91. Zahra (new)

92. Anaya -24

93. Athena (new)

94. Cora (new)

95. Lucy -19

96. Amelie (new)

97. Gabriella -9

98. Lara -1

99. Leah -43

100. Amber (new)