We think of “British names” as a category of their own, and so each year we look across the pond at the United Kingdom’s baby name trends to learn what’s posh — and what’s not.
Baby girl names with a British sound appeal to American ears for several reasons. They tend to exude femininity and wealth and remind us of Jane Austen novels. Many lists of British baby girl names rely on literary works and regal names, overlooking the fact that British naming trends are as varied as those in the U.S.
Like the United States Social Security Administration, the United Kingdom’s Office for National Statistics releases data each year revealing the top names given to baby girls and boys. We perused the latest stats and figured out where the Brits are turning for baby name inspiration, and we love what we found.
When it comes to the Top 20 names for girls in England, most of them have held strong in the Top 20 —merely moving up or down a few spots — over the last decade. A lot of the names are classics on both sides of the pond. Names like Olivia, Amelia, Isabella, Ava, Mia, and Emily are on the American Top 20 too.
As we continued past the Top 20, one trend caught our attention immediately: British parents are definitely taking inspriation from the natural world — especially florals. You probably already noticed that in the Top 20 (Lily, Ivy, Willow, Poppy, Rosie), and the love held steady:
Believe it or not, the British have grown fond of the hyphen. The combination of Ivy-Rose alone was given to 224 girls. Many of the names combine the most commonly used names with middle name classics like Mae, Grace, and Rose. If you like the sound but not the punctuation, consider one of these pairings as separate first and middle names. Here are a few popular combos in England and Wales:
From Ivy to Emerson, here are a few distinctive and dignified college-inspired baby names.
