British Names: the Ultimate Guide

Updated Sun Sep 12 2021

British names are beloved far beyond the British Isles. But even Anglophiles will find a lot of new information in this ultimate guide to British names.

If you happily lose yourself in The Telegraph’s birth announcements, dream of hyphenated combinations, and know every name of the Queen’s great-grandchildren (and all 22 Radford children), this guide to British boy names and British girl names is for you.

Read on for the most popular British names, plus more on distinctly British baby name trends like double-barrel names and sweet vintage diminutives, and a look at local favorites in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.

Top 10 British Names

The regions of Britain publish their baby name statistics separately. This means that the most popular names in Scotland and Northern Ireland don’t get swamped by England and Wales — which together have a much larger population — so we can see local favorites more clearly.

Olivia, Amelia, Isla, Oliver and Noah are in the Top 10 in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, making these all-round British favorites.

These are the most recent Top 10 name popularity lists from around Britain.

Popular Names in England

Popular Names in Wales

The top Welsh names show some difference from the overall British name list. The most popular Welsh girl names and Welsh boy names are:

Popular Names in Scotland

Popular Names in Northern Ireland

Popular British Names Uncommon in the USA

While British and American parents share many of their top names, there are some unique British baby names that haven’t crossed the pond yet, or have a very different image depending on your country.

For example, Nancy in Britain is a cute, old-fashioned comeback that reminds you of your great-granny, or the Oliver Twist character. In the States, Nancy is a mid-century lady who’s friends with Barbara and Susan.

Meanwhile, Harley is unisex in both countries, but it leans more boy in Britain and more girl in the US.

The names below are popular in the UK (and some also in Australia, New Zealand and Canada), but much less so in the USA.

Rare and Refined British Names

Think British names, and you might think of those associated with the upper classes and found in such places as The Telegraph birth announcements: the posh names, if you will.

These names are often long and sometimes playful nicknames; sometimes from surnames or from history. They’re by no means common, but they still have a quintessentially British feel. To name but a few:

Multicultural British Names

Popular British names reflect the various cultural and linguistic communities in the UK, and the charts contain many Arabic names (especially Muhammad, the best-used Muslim name of all, in several spellings) as well as Polish, Romanian, Indian, Yoruba, Turkish and more.

We can’t do justice to the full range, but here are some from near the top of the rankings.

Uniquely British Nicknames

The Brits love nicknames as first names like no one else: even Prince Harry’s children are called Archie and Lilibet, not Archibald and Elizabeth. They can be cute and vintage like Dottie and Ned, and modern-sounding like Ellie and Theo.

You’ll have seen some above among the most popular British names. Here are even more that are commonly used as full names on birth certificates (though we love them as short for longer names too).

British Double-Barrel Names

Britons’ love of hyphenated names is legendary, and because the national statistics include punctuation marks, we can see exactly how popular they are.

Double-barrel names move with the fashions, so while previous generations wore names like Sarah-Jane and Katie-Louise, today’s best-loved double names have a young, fresh feel.

For girls, the most common double-barrel names combine a popular first name, usually with two syllables, with a short second name, usually Rose, Grace, Mae (or May or Mai), Rae or Leigh. Popular combinations include:

Ava-Grace
Amelia-Rose
Ella-Louise
Ellie-May
Gracie-Leigh
Harper-Rae
Isla-Rose
Lily-Mae

Double names for boys are less common, but still a notable British trend. As with girls, they usually combine a two-syllable first name, often a diminutive, with a one-syllable second names: James, Lee and Jay are the most frequent. Sometimes they are used to make “junior” names, like Jack-Junior. Some popular boy names in this style:

Alfie-Jay
Billy-Joe
Harley-Jay
Hunter-Lee
John-Paul
Noah-James
Riley-James
Tommy-Lee

Some Arabic names for both sexes are also hyphenated, like Fatima-Zahra, Abdul-Hadi and Abu-Bakr.

British Celebrity Baby Names

British stars can undeniably have an impact on name fashions. For example, take Victoria and David Beckham: their children’s names rose dramatically in popularity as soon as they were born, and are still going strong.

Ok, not every high-profile parent gives their children wildly offbeat names, and not every unusual starbaby name catches on. But here are some stars whose name tastes are noteworthy, fashion-forward, or just beautifully British.

Brooklyn, Romeo James, Cruz, and Harper Seven (Victoria and David Beckham)

Buzz Michelangelo, Buddy Bob, Max Mario (Tom and Giovanna Fletcher)

Dali and Iggy (Noel Fielding and Lliana Bird)

Edie and Delilah (Keira Knightley and James Righton)

Freda Simone (Charlotte Church)

Gaia Romilly (Emma Thompson and Greg Wise)

Lisbon Lion (Dr Zoe Williams)

Olive, Winifred, Doris, Ty and Birdie (David and Georgia Tennant)

Ottilie Rue (Zoe Sugg and Alfie Deyes)

Poppy Honey Rosie, Petal Blossom Rainbow, Daisy Boo Pamela, Buddy Bear Maurice, and River Rocket Blue (Jamie and Jools Oliver)

Sonny, Kit, Ray, Jesse, and Mickey (Sophie Ellis-Bextor and Richard Jones)

Theodora Rose, Charlton Valentine, Colette “Coco” Josephine (Robbie Williams and Ayda Field)

Wulfric “Wolfie” Alexander Fredrik and India Elizabeth (Binky Felstead)

British Royal Names

We can’t talk about the UK without mentioning the royal family. Royal names have both shaped and reflected baby name trends through history, and many are timeless classics. But the new generation of royal parents is breaking new ground with not-quite-so-conservative choices like August, Isla, Savannah, Lucas, and of course Archie and Lilibet.

Here, a sampling of British royal names ancient and modern.

British Icon Names

Celebrate your love of Britain’s culture with an instantly-recognizable tribute name. Here are a few possibilities:

Popular Regional British Names

The names of Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland, Cornwall and the Isle of Man are huge, fascinating topics in their own right. So this is just a tiny taster!

Parents’ tastes in these places are mostly in line with the rest of the British Isles, and many of the top names are internationally popular, like Noah, Luca and Muhammad. But there are also some distinctive local favorites on the popularity lists and in birth announcements.

In Scotland, these include historic family names like Murray and Fraser; place names (especially island names) like Iona and Lewis; Gaelic names like Eilidh and Ruaridh; and certain traditional diminutives like Maisie and Jamie. These are among the most popular now:

Characteristic Northern Irish names come from the Irish language, such as Cillian and Oisin, Fiadh and Aoife (all in the Top 20). Options popular in Northern Ireland include:

Names with a Welsh flavor can include ancient “native” names like Gruffydd, modern vocabulary words like Ffion, diminutives like Cadi, or Welsh respellings of international names, like Alys. These are some currently popular in Wales:

Cornish names fall into similar categories: for example, Jago is the Cornish version of James, and Lowen is a word name meaning “happy”. Many Cornish names come from saints, like Merryn and Piran. Here, a selection of distinctive names from Cornwall:

Manx names from the Isle of Man have a lot in common with Scottish and Irish names. Some found in birth announcements include Finlo and Orry, Dorrin and Alistrina. Some more marvelous Manx names:

British Place Names

Some of the UK’s place names have made it big as first names too — often much to the surprise of residents of Camden, Bristol or Scotland. Here are more city, county and river names straight off the Ordnance Survey map:

About the Author

Clare Green

Clare Green has been writing for Nameberry since 2015, covering everything from names peaking right now to feminist baby names, and keeping up-to-date with international baby name rankings. Her work has featured in publications such as The Independent and HuffPost. Clare has a background in linguistics and librarianship, and recently completed an MA dissertation researching names in multilingual families. She lives in England with her husband and son. You can reach her at clare@nameberry.com

View all of Clare Green's articles