The Office for National Statistics (ONS) has published its latest analysis of baby names in the UK, and one of the most interesting features of the data is the continued rise in unique, gender-independent nicknames.
Each year the ONS publishes the ranking and count of the top names for girls and boys, as well as changes in the ranking since the previous year.
A look at the names with the lowest count or frequency of occurrence highlighted some of the more unusual choices in 2023, after it was revealed that Muhammad was crowned the most popular name for baby boys in England and Wales.
Meanwhile, Zoe emerged as one of the least common boy’s names in the country, with a total of three little boys given what has historically been a girl’s name.
Likewise, in 2023, three baby boys were named Xayvion, Zimchikachim, Woodie, Tyga and Trim.
Other rare male names included Jupiter, Jack-Junior and Jin, and nine babies were each given these nicknames.
ONS data also revealed that nine Peyton children were registered last year.
There were multiple cases where everyday words, such as Blessing and Wisdom, became names for baby boys.
Every year, the ONS publishes the ranking and count of the main names for girls and boys, as well as the evolution of the ranking compared to the previous year.
A look at the names with the lowest count or frequency of appearance highlighted some of the most unusual choices in 2023, after it was revealed that Muhammad was crowned the most popular name for baby boys in England and Wales.
Among the slightly less conventional choices were Hershy – a variation of Hershey that has multiple meanings and origins – and King-David, a hyphenated name given to eight boys born in England and Wales last year.
Six boys each were named Beckham, presumably after former English soccer superstar David Beckham, and Lazer.
Meanwhile, seven babies received the rather confusing ‘Dad’ as their identity.
When it comes to girl names, Zenayda was one of the most unusual: three babies were given what could at first be misinterpreted as a pun on the name of American actress Zendaya.
However, according to American parenting website The Bump, Zenayda or Zenaida is a girl’s name of French and Greek origin that means “the life of Zeus” or “born of Zeus.”
Like Zenayda, there were three registrations each for Zoella, Honor, Gift, Fox and Deja, in a continuing trend of turning words used to describe feelings into quirky, individualistic names.
Dan, Skai, Teal, Winner and Awesome also appeared three times each on the ONS girls’ names list for 2023.
Other unconventional choices included the hyphenated names Skylah-Rae and Skylar-Mae, which appeared five times each, as well as Kit and Lamar.
Names apparently inspired by luxury fashion brands such as Dolce and Dior appeared nine times each in the ONS’s extensive database, while seven newborn girls were given the names Onyx and Rebel respectively.
The list of baby names in 2023 also revealed that Olivia remains the most popular girl’s name, retaining the top spot on the list for the eighth year in a row.
Analysts have spotted a rise in parents choosing names like Margot and Cilian, in a trend believed to be inspired by the ‘Barbenheimer’ phenomenon, which saw fans flocking to cinemas to see Margot Robbie at Barbie and Cilian Murphy at Oppenheimer.
The ONS also noted a “continuing increase” in parents opting for reality TV Kardashian-Jenner family names like Reign, Saint and Stormi in favor of traditional royal nicknames.
There was also an increase in hyphenated girls’ names.
Elsewhere in the celebrity world, ONS data showed that Hollywood still has a huge influence over Brits’ naming habits.
With the releases of blockbusters Oppenheimer and Barbie last summer, Robbie in particular saw a huge boost for its namesakes in England and Wales, almost doubling between February and July 2023.
Cillian also saw a rise from just 12 names in April to 31 in October, three months after the release of Christopher Nolan’s atomic bomb epic.
Musicians also have a proven track record of influencing our children’s names.
Last year was the year of Rita and Dua in certain parts of the UK.
This time, nine-time Grammy winner Billie Eilish got her biggest breakthrough in years, after writing the title song for Margot Robbie’s Barbie movie, a major U.S. tour and a collaboration with Apple Films, and a role leading role in his first television project. .
Although the name choices of A-list celebrities like Kim Kardashian rank relatively low on the frequency scale, their popularity appears to continue to grow.