Bad news Nigel: Traditionalist names of City grandees slide down the baby-name ranks
Baby names are increasingly being shaped by pop culture, according to the latest data, which has shown more traditional names to slide down the ranks, but win favour with mothers over 35.
It marks a fading out of City grandee names like Emma Walmsley, who’s first name was ranked 60th most popular, Martin Gilbert who came 281st, Andrew Bailey who secured rank 266th, Helena Morrissey who snagged 327th place, Ana Botin who was ranked 419th and lastly Nigel Wilson, who was not ranked at all.
“We continue to see the age of mothers having an impact on the choice of baby name,” statistician for the Office for National Statistics (ONS) Siân Bradford explained. With mothers below the age of 35 also more likely to opt for shorter names.
“Popular culture continues to provide inspiration for baby names, whether it’s characters in our favourite show or trending celebrities. Maeve and Otis, characters from the popular programme Sex Education, have seen a surge in popularity in 2020.
“While the name Margot has been rapidly climbing since actress Margot Robbie appeared in the popular film The Wolf of Wall Street.”
Oliver and Olivia remained the most popular names for boys and girls in England and Wales in 2020 for the fifth year running.