Highlights
Baby names in England and Wales: 2018
What's in the bulletin?
- Oliver remained the most popular name for boys in England and Wales for the sixth year in a row, while Olivia remained the most popular name for girls for the third year in a row.
- Arthur was the only new entry into the top 10 names for boys in 2018, replacing Jacob, while Sophia and Grace replaced Poppy and Lily in the top 10 names for girls.
- Grayson, Jasper, Rowan, Tobias, Sonny and Dominic entered the top 100 names for boys in 2018; Grayson, Rowan and Tobias have previously never featured in the top 100.
Births in England and Wales: 2018
What's in the bulletin?
- There were 657,076 live births in England and Wales in 2018, a decrease of 3.2% since 2017 and a 9.9% decrease since the most recent peak in 2012.
- The total fertility rate (TFR) decreased from 1.76 to 1.70 children per woman in 2018; this is lower than all previous years except 1977 and 1999 to 2002.
- The crude birth rate (CBR) decreased from 11.6 to 11.1 live births per 1,000 total population in 2018; this is the lowest rate since records began in 1938.
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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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 2018 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: 2018 bulletin.
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Birth characteristics
Annual live births in England and Wales by sex, 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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Parents’ country of birth
Annual data on live births in England and Wales by parents' country 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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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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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.
Publications related to Live births
Statistical bulletins
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Birth characteristics in England and Wales: 2018
Annual live births by sex, 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: 2018
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: 2018
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: 2018
Most popular first names for baby boys and girls in 2018 using birth registration data.
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Births in England and Wales: 2018
Live births, stillbirths and the intensity of childbearing, measured by the total fertility rate.
Articles
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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.