Highlights
Baby names in England and Wales: 2017
What's in the bulletin?
- Oliver remained the most popular first name given to baby boys in England and Wales in 2017, a position held since 2013; Harry and George have remained in second and third places respectively since 2016.
- Olivia remained the most popular first name given to baby girls in 2017, a position held since 2016; Amelia remained in second place and Isla moved up to third.
- Leo replaced Thomas in the top 10 for boys, whilst Hunter and Ralph replaced Aaron and Jasper in the top 100 in 2017.
Births in England and Wales: 2017
What's in the bulletin?
- There were 679,106 live births in England and Wales in 2017, a decrease of 2.5% from 2016 and the lowest number of live births since 2006.
- In 2017, the total fertility rate (TFR) declined for the fifth consecutive year to 1.76 children per woman, from 1.81 in 2016.
- Fertility rates decreased for every age group in 2017, except for women aged 40 years and over, where rates increased by 1.3% to 16.1 births per 1,000 women in that age group, reaching the highest level since 1949.
Baby names: where you live could shape what you call your baby
Analysis shows that names given to babies differ by local authority within England and Wales.
Datasets related to Live births
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Births in England and Wales: summary tables
Annual summary statistics on live births and stillbirths, by sex, age of mother, whether inside marriage or civil partnership, percentage of non-UK-born mothers, birth rates and births by mothers' area of usual residence.
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Births by mothers’ usual area of residence in the UK
Live births in the UK by area of usual residence of mother. The tables contain summary data for local authorities and local health boards (within Wales) including figures by age of mother.
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Baby names for girls in England and Wales
Rank and count of the top names for baby girls, changes in rank since the previous year and breakdown by country, region and month of birth.
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Baby names for boys in England and Wales
Rank and count of the top names for baby boys, changes in rank since the previous year and breakdown by country, region and month of birth.
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Birth characteristics
Live births by sex, ethnicity and month. Maternities by place of birth and with multiple births. Stillbirths by age of parents and quarter.
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Births by parents’ characteristics
Live births in England and Wales by age of mother and father, type of registration, median interval between births, number of previous live-born children and National Statistics Socio-economic Classification (NS-SEC).
Publications related to Live births
Statistical bulletins
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Births in England and Wales: 2017
Live births, stillbirths and the intensity of childbearing, measured by the total fertility rate.
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Baby names in England and Wales: 2017
Most popular first names for baby boys and girls in 2017 using birth registration data.
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Births by parents’ country of birth, England and Wales: 2017
Annual statistics on live births. Includes countries of birth for non-UK born mothers and fathers.
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Childbearing for women born in different years, England and Wales: 2016
The changing composition of families over time, comparing the fertility of women of the same age and the number of children they have had.
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Births by parents’ characteristics in England and Wales: 2016
Live births by age of mother and father, type of registration, median interval between births, number of previous live-born children and National Statistics Socio-economic Classification (NS-SEC).
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Birth characteristics in England and Wales: 2016
Live births by sex, ethnicity and month. Maternities by place of birth and with multiple births. Stillbirths by age of parents and quarter.
Articles
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How popular is your birthday?
A peak in births in late September show that more babies are conceived in the weeks leading up to and days after Christmas than at any other time of the year.
Methodology related to Live births
Looking for local statistics?
A handy guide to let you know where to find local statistics.