Preparing for rain? Noah takes the lead for baby boys’ names in Wales

Noah has taken the top spot for baby names for boys in Wales, new data from the Office of National Statistics has revealed.

Oliver, the top name in England, fell to second place. Olivia was once again the top name for girls in Wales, as in England.

The biggest differences with England were the Welsh language names Harri and Osian, which made the top 20 in Wales but were 1,268th and 804th in England. Jac and Tomos were also stand-out Welsh performers, coming in 32nd and 25th place but 2,138th and 1,380th in England.

Mali and Erin also overperformed in Wales, making it into the top 20 despite appearing in the 906th and 62th spot in England. Alys was 30th in Wales but 1,709 in England. Eira was also up 23 places to 46th.

Big climbers among boys’ names in Wales included Finley, up 17 places to 5th, Arlo, up 14 places to 19th, and Roman, up 23 places to 26th.

Among girls’ names, Ivy was up 14 places to 11th, Millie up 20 places to 14th.

Commenting on the trends across Wales and England, Siân Bradford of Office for National Statistics said that there was not much change at the top but some “interesting changes took place beneath them”.

“We continue to see the age of mothers having an impact on the choice of baby name,” she said. “Archie jumped into the top 10 boys’ names for the first time, driven by younger mothers as well as the obvious Royal link. While on the girls’ side Ivy rose to sixth place.

“Popular culture continues to provide inspiration for baby names, whether it’s characters in our favourite show or trending celebrities. Maeve and Otis, characters from the popular programme ‘Sex Education’, have seen a surge in popularity in 2020.

“While the name Margot has been rapidly climbing since actress Margot Robbie appeared in the popular film ‘The Wolf of Wall Street’.”

Siân did not make the top 100 in Wales. Sorry, Siân.