Deciding on a name for your baby is one of the most important decisions you will make as a parent, and the thankfully the Office for National Statistics (ONS) may be able to provide you with some inspiration.

The ONS has revealed the latest list of the most popular boys’ and girls’ names in England and Wales.

ONS data always reflects the previous year, with the latest announcement coming a year later than usual.

As a result, the latest list from the ONS reflects the most popular baby names for England and Wales in 2022.

Noah was the most popular boys' name in England and Wales for the second year in a row, while Olivia remained the top name for girls for the seventh year in a row. 

Isabella replaced Willow in the top 10 names for girls, while Theodore, Theo and Freddie replaced Harry, Archie and Henry in the top 10 names for boys. 

Muhammad was the most popular boys' name in four out of nine English regions. Olivia was the top girls' name for every English region and Wales, except London where Amelia was the most popular girls' name. 

Leon, Elias, Musa, Axel and Ibrahim were new entries to the top 100 for boys in 2022. Meanwhile, Charles, Harvey, Ollie and Nathan all dropped out of the top 100. 

New entries to the top 100 for girls were Ophelia, Ottilie, Eloise, Nova and Fatima, while Beatrice, Anna, Holly, Heidi and Amber all left the top 100.

Baby names of Welsh origin featured among the most popular in Wales in 2022, with Mali, Seren and Eira among the top 50 for girls and Arthur, Osian, Elis, Harri and Jac among the top 30 for boys. 

Top 10 boys' names England and Wales

  1. Noah 
  2. Muhammad 
  3. George 
  4. Oliver 
  5. Leo 
  6. Arthur 
  7. Oscar  
  8. Theodore 
  9. Theo  
  10. Freddie 

Top 10 girls' names England and Wales

  1. Olivia
  2. Amelia
  3. Isla
  4. Ava
  5. Lily
  6. Ivy
  7. Freya
  8. Florence
  9. Isabella
  10. Mia

James Tucker from the Office for National Statistics said: "Noah was the most popular name for boys in 2022, for the second year in a row, having replaced Oliver at the top in 2021. Oliver has now slipped to fourth most popular boys' name, behind Muhammad and George.    

"Olivia remained the most popular girls' name in 2022, having held the top spot since 2016. In second and third place for the girls it's Amelia and Isla, both unchanged from 2021. 

"Theodore, Theo and Freddie are three new entries into the top 10 boys' names in 2022. Isabella is the only new entry into the girls' top 10."