Most popular baby names in England and Merseyside revealed - did yours make the list?

The most popular baby names for boys and girls in England and Wales have been revealed, with Noah and Olivia taking the top spots in 2021, according to The Office for National Statistics (ONS).

Last year, 4,525 baby boys were named Noah, and 3,649 girls were named Olivia.

Noah is the first name to knock Oliver from the top spot for boys for the eight years, while Olivia is standing strong in the girls’ number one spot for the sixth year in a row.

It’s also the first time Jack has not been in the top ten since the Office for National Statistics’ series began in 1996.

New entries to the top 100 names nationally included Lara, Beatrice and Sara for girls, and Blake, Brody, Kai, Rupert, Tobias and Nathan for boys.

But, does Merseyside follow the national trend?

Merseyside’s most popular baby names

Merseyside’s top girls’ name was indeed Olivia, as was every region other than the East Midlands. However, one local authority area in the region did break the trend.

While Liverpool, Sefton, Knowsley and St Helens all went with nation’s favourite, in Wirral, Isla and Penelope came joint first with Olivia, each with 23 newborns being given the name.

When it comes to boys names, Merseyside eschewed Noah to stick with last year’s favourite Oliver, except for Wirral, where the top boys name was Archie - given to 27 newborns.