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What Are The Most Popular New Baby Names In London, By Borough: 2018

What's the commonest name for a new baby in your borough?

The Office for National Statistics has released its annual data on newborn naming across the country. The spreadsheets break the data down by local authority, including the London boroughs.

We can see, therefore, which names are most commonly given to newborn boys and girls across London. The results are plotted on the map above.

We don't see any radical shifts from the 2017 data (see map here). The biggest change for boys is the rise of the Leo. In 2017, only one borough (Camden) had an outright majority of Leos. Now, the parents of four boroughs favour that name. Muhammed remains the commonest top name, with eight boroughs recording this as the most popular registration.

For girls, Olivia and Amelia are by far the most popular choices. The names Isla (Sutton) and Lily (Lambeth) are newcomers to our map.

It should be noted that the numbers recorded here are quite small. So, for example, while the top girl's name in Kensington & Chelsea is Mia, that reflects just 13 births. The second and third-placed names are only narrowly behind. Still, plotting the names out like this offers an interesting snapshot of trends across the capital.

List of changes between 2017 and 2018 data

Six boroughs recorded no change: Ealing, Hackney, Harrow, Newham, Tower Hamlets and Wandsworth.

Barking & Dagenham: Amelia -> Olivia

Barnet: Alexander/David jointly -> David; Olivia -> Maya

Bexley: Amelia -> Olivia

Brent: David -> Adam; Maya -> Sofia

Bromley: Oliver -> Jack

Camden: Leo -> Alexander; Ella -> Amelia

Croydon: Joshua -> Muhammad

Enfield: Amelia -> Sophia

Greenwich: Noah -> David

Hammersmith & Fulham: Alexander -> Leo; Sophia -> Olivia

Haringey: Alexander/Joshua jointly -> Leo; Maya -> Sophia

Havering: Oliver -> George; Olivia -> Amelia

Hillingdon: Olivia -> Sophia

Hounslow: Olivia -> Amelia

Islington: Alexander -> Henry

Kensington & Chelsea: Alexander/James/Noah jointly -> Alexander; Isabella -> Mia

Kingston-upon-Thames: Joshua -> Leo; Charlotte/Emily/Isla/Sophia jointly -> Olivia

Lambeth: Alexander -> Leo; Olivia -> Amelia/Lily/Sophia

Lewisham: Oliver -> Noah

Merton: Alexander/Oliver -> Alexander; Isabella/Olivia -> Olivia

Redbridge: Maryam -> Sophia

Richmond-upon-Thames: George/Leo -> Oliver; Sophie -> Olivia

Southwark: Jack -> Leo; Olivia -> Isabella

Sutton: Olivia -> Isla

Waltham Forest: Amelia -> Olivia

Wandsworth: Arthur -> Oscar; Sophia -> Olivia

Westminster: Sophia -> Maya/Mia