Top UK Baby Names in England, Wales

English and Welsh names have a big impact on US trends, and names such as Benjamin and Lily are gaining popularity in 2010. Here's a look at the top UK baby names in England and Wales and how they compare with the top names in the US.

Top Girl Names in the UK

Some of the top female names in England and Wales match up closely with American favorites. Three of the top 5 baby girl names in the US (Isabella, Olivia and Ava) appeared in the United Kingdom's top 20 as well. However, Emma, the second most popular name in the US, is not a favorite in the UK even though it originated there. And while Sophia is in fourth place in America, it's ranked low in the United Kingdom where Sophie is preferred.

The most popular name for a baby girl in England and Wales is Olivia, followed by Ruby, Emily and Grace, all names of English origin. Emily and Grace are also hugely popular in the US, but Ruby hasn't been used much in America since 1945. Like Olivia, Emily and Grace, these names are popular in both the United Kingdom and the United States: Lily, Chloe, Hannah, Isabella, Mia, Ella and Brianna. There are a number of differences, too. Names that are on the top 25 list in England and Wales but not  in the US include Amelia, Charlotte, Daisy, Ellie, Evie, Jessica, Katie, Lucy, Megan, Millie and Summer.

Interestingly, however, is that the following names of English and Welsh origin are more popular in the US than in the UK: Madison, Addison, Alexis, Alyssa, Ashley, Elizabeth, Hailey, and Taylor. Holly ranks #20 in the UK but moves to the top spot when its various spellings (Hollie, Hollee, etc.) are combined. The US hasn't jumped on the Holly bandwagon though. In fact, in the United States, Holly's popularity peaked in the mid 1970s and hasn’t even made the top 100 since 1992.

Top 10 UK Girl Names

Here is the most recent list (released in 2009) of top girl names in the UK, according to the Office for National Statistics:

Check out the top 100 baby girl names in the US here!

Top Boy Names in the UK

The top 5 English and Welsh names for baby boys are Jack, Oliver, Thomas, Harry and Joshua. Compare these to the top male names in the US: Jacob, Ethan, Michael, Alexander and William. Jacob, which has been #1 in the US for more than a decade, is not even in the top 20 in England and Wales!

A number of English and Welsh names are more popular in the US than in the United Kingdom, such as Andrew, Anthony, Christian, Christopher, David, Jackson and  Jayden. On the flip side, names that rank higher in the UK than in America are Charlie, Dylan, George, Jake, Lewis, Liam, Luke, Max, Mohammed and Samuel.

Baby boy names that are popular in both the US and the UK are Alexander, Daniel, Ethan, James, Joseph, Joshua, Ryan and William. According to the UK website Bounty.com, the country's top male moniker, Jack, has a bit of a bad reputation: it's cited as one of the names most associated with disruptive behavior! Compare that to the top boy name in the US, which thanks to the Twilight saga, it's associated with werewolves!

Top 10 UK Boy Names

According to the Office for National Statistics, here is the most recent list (released in 2009) of top boy names in the UK:

Check out the top 100 baby boy names in the US here!

More Baby Name Ideas:

Popular English Baby Names 

Popular Welsh Baby Names

Unique Baby Names and Meanings

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