FOI reference: FOI-2024-2487
You asked
I would like to request information under the Freedom of Information Act regarding the number of babies named Gary, Barry, Bob, Jeff, Tracy, Sharon, Leon, Margaret, Mary, Maggie, Philip, Donna, Carol, Louis and Muhammad in England and Wales from 2000 to current.
We said
Thank you for your request.
Our Baby Names in England and Wales publication provides the rank and count of baby names given to babies born in England and Wales from 1996 to 2023. We have not provided numbers of names with a count of 3 or less in total within England and Wales. These figures have been redacted to protect the confidentiality of individuals. This is consistent with the disclosure control methodology used for births. Section 39 of the Statistics and Registration Service Act 2007 (SRSA) which renders it an offence to disclose information held by the Statistics Board for statistical purposes that would identify an individual or a body corporate.
2024 data is in the collection process and will be published at a later date. Current estimates for this release are that it will be available in the Autumn of 2025.
As such, the information you have requested is considered exempt under Section 22(1) of the Freedom of Information Act 2000, whereby information is exempt from release if there is a view to publish the information in the future. As a central government department and producer of official statistics, we need to have the freedom to be able to determine our own publication timetables. This is to allow us to deal with the necessary preparation, administration and context of publications. It would be unreasonable to consider disclosure when to do so would undermine our functions.
This exemption is subject to a public interest test. We recognise the desirability of information being freely available and this is considered by ONS when publication schedules are set in accordance with the Code of Practice for Statistics. The need for timely data must be balanced against the practicalities of applying statistical skill and judgement to produce the high quality, assured data needed to inform decision-making. If this balance is incorrectly applied, then we run the risk of decisions being based on inaccurate data which is arguably not in the public interest. This will have an impact on public trust in official statistics in a time when accuracy of official statistics is more important to the public than ever before.
Our release calendar shows upcoming publications and is updated regularly.
For further information please contact health.data@ons.gov.uk.