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Our names say a lot about us. Perhaps yours has been carried down through generations, perhaps you’re named after your parents’ fave musician, maybe they just liked the way a name sounded. Whatever your name, some are undoubtedly more popular than others – but which names are Londoners’ favourites right now?
New data from the Office of National Statistics (ONS) reveals just that, showing which baby names were the most favoured in each London borough in 2023.
For male names, David was a clear fave in Hackney, while Leo trumped the top of the list in Richmond, Camden and Southwark (although it was joint with Noah there). Noah was also a top pick in Islington and Greenwich, while Theodore managed to sneak onto the list in Lambeth.
When it came to girls, Olivia was the most popular in Islington and Greenwich, while Leah and Miriam were joint faves in Hackney. Maya bagged top spot for Southwark, while Richmond had a clear preference for the name Grace. Sofia was the favourite in Camden.
And not that this is a competition, but there were two names that came out as more popular than the rest in London in 2023, with Muhammed and Amelia appearing to be most popular baby names in the capital.
But it wasn’t just in London that they were in demand. Muhammed also proved the leading choice for boy’s names across England and Wales, while Amelia was the second-most picked out name for girls in the country after Olivia.
The ONS also observed some newbies on the list, with Hazel, Lilah, Autumn, Nevaeh and Raya being picked for girls and Jax, Enzo and Bodhi for boys. Muhammed has remained in the top 10 most popular names for boys since 2016.
Here’s a full list of the most popular baby names in London in 2023:
The most popular baby for boys name in every London borough
- City of London - Muhammad
- Barking and Dagenham - Muhammad
- Barnet - Leo
- Bexley - George
- Brent - Muhammad
- Bromley - George
- Camden - Leo
- Croydon - Muhammad
- Ealing - Adam
- Enfield - Noah
- Greenwich - Noah
- Hackney - David
- Hammersmith and Fulham - Noah
- Haringey - Noah
- Harrow - Noah
- Havering - Noah
- Hillingdon - Muhammad
- Hounslow - Muhammad
- Islington - Noah
- Kensington and Chelsea - Alexander
- Kingston upon Thames - Oliver
- Lambeth - Theodore
- Lewisham - Leo
- Merton - Muhammad
- Newham - Muhammad
- Redbridge - Muhammad
- Richmond upon Thames - Leo
- Southwark - Leo, Noah
- Sutton - Arthur, Noah, Oliver, Theodore
- Tower Hamlets - Mohammed
- Waltham Forest - Muhammad
- Wandsworth - Leo
- Westminster - Adam
The most popular baby for girls name in every London borough
- City of London - Olivia
- Barking and Dagenham - Sofia
- Barnet - Maya, Olivia
- Bexley - Mia
- Brent - Sofia
- Bromley - Ava
- Camden - Sofia
- Croydon - Amelia
- Ealing - Olivia, Sophia
- Enfield - Amelia, Maya
- Greenwich - Olivia
- Hackney - Leah, Miriam
- Hammersmith and Fulham - Grace
- Haringey - Lily
- Harrow - Ava, Sofia
- Havering - Amelia
- Hillingdon - Amelia
- Hounslow - Amelia
- Islington - Oliva
- Kensington and Chelsea - Olivia
- Kingston upon Thames - Emilia, Freya, Lily
- Lambeth - Sophie
- Lewisham - Olivia
- Merton - Sofia
- Newham - Maryam
- Redbridge - Maryam
- Richmond upon Thames - Grace
- Southwark - Maya
- Sutton - Olivia
- Tower Hamlets - Maryam
- Waltham Forest - Ayla
- Wandsworth - Olivia, Sienna
- Westminster - Charlotte
You can find the top 10 baby names nationwide for boys and girls here, and check out more info on the most popular names across the country on the ONS website here.
Did you see that the world’s top 100 cities have been crowned – and London isn’t in the top 10?
But not all is lost: this southwest London borough is officially the UK’s second-happiest place to live.
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