Spotlight
Baby names in England and Wales: 2020
What's in the bulletin?
- Oliver and Olivia remained the most popular names for boys and girls in England and Wales in 2020 for the fifth consecutive year.
- Ivy and Rosie replaced Grace and Freya in the top 10 girls’ names, while Archie replaced Charlie in the top 10 boys’ names.
- Mothers aged 35 years and over continued to choose more traditional names, while younger mothers opted for more modern and shortened names.
Births in England and Wales: 2020
What's in the bulletin?
- There were 613,936 live births in England and Wales in 2020, a notable decrease of 4.1% from 2019.
- The total fertility rate (TFR) reached a record low in 2020, decreasing to 1.58 children per woman.
- Fertility rates decreased across all age groups.
Baby names explorer
Use our interactive tool to compare changes in the top 100 baby names for boys and girls since 1904.
Datasets related to Live births
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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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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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Parents’ country of birth
Annual data on live births in England and Wales by parents' country of birth.
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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 parents’ characteristics
Annual 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). The associated publication that uses the 2019 data has been combined with the publication for Birth characteristics in England and Wales. Commentary for both publications is covered in the Birth characteristics in England and Wales: 2019 bulletin.
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Birth characteristics
Annual live births in England and Wales by sex, birthweight, gestational age, ethnicity and month, maternities by place of birth and with multiple births, and stillbirths by age of parents and calendar quarter.
Publications related to Live births
Statistical bulletins
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Birth characteristics in England and Wales: 2019
Annual live births in England and Wales by sex, birthweight, gestational age, ethnicity and month, maternities by place of birth and with multiple births, and stillbirths by age of parents and calendar quarter.
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Childbearing for women born in different years, England and Wales: 2019
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’ country of birth, England and Wales: 2020
Annual statistics on live births including countries of birth for non-UK-born mothers and fathers.
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Baby names in England and Wales: 2020
Most popular first names for baby boys and girls in 2020 using birth registration data.
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Births in England and Wales: 2020
Live births, stillbirths and the intensity of childbearing, measured by the total fertility rate.
Articles
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Births in England and Wales explained
An article to explain the impact the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has had on 2020 births data and the differences between birth registration and birth notification data.
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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.
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Childbearing by socio-economic status and country of birth of mother
This article explores the relationship between the socio-economic status of women and their fertility and, in particular, examines how this differs for UK born women compared with non-UK born women. How is a woman’s socio-economic status associated with her childbearing outcomes?
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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.