Most Popular Baby Boy Names in England & Wales (2024)
This report is based on official Office for National Statistics (ONS) birth records for 2024. It reflects the actual number of babies given each name and provides a data-driven snapshot of current baby naming patterns in England & Wales. Popular names reflect cultural familiarity and social recognition. Rankings illustrate national-level usage patterns, while individual name choice remains highly personal and often influenced by regional, cultural, and family factors.
Key insights
- Top name: Muhammad with 5,721 births
- #1 share of top 100: 5.9%
- Gap #1 vs #10: 2.2x
- Gap #1 vs #50: 5.6x
- Top 10 share: 35.5% of births in the ranking
- Total births in top 100: 96,466
Distribution commentary
The ranking is moderately diversified: the top 10 names account for 35.5% of all births within the top 100. This indicates that popularity is distributed across multiple leading names rather than dominated by a single outlier.
The gap between #1 and #10 is 2.2x, indicating measurable but not extreme separation among leading names. The top name is 1.7x the average of the top 10, suggesting competitive density within the upper tier.
The ranking shows a clear dominant leader significantly ahead of the rest.
Visual overview
Top 10 by births
How the ranking works
Names are ranked by the total number of babies who received the name in England & Wales for 2024. The ranking reflects how common the name was during that year.
Full ranking
The table below includes the complete ranking of the most popular baby boy names in England & Wales for 2024, based on official Office for National Statistics (ONS) birth data.
| # | Name | Births in 2024 |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Muhammad | 5,721 |
| 2 | Noah | 4,139 |
| 3 | Oliver | 3,492 |
| 4 | Arthur | 3,368 |
| 5 | Leo | 3,324 |
| 6 | George | 3,257 |
| 7 | Luca | 2,814 |
| 8 | Theodore | 2,761 |
| 9 | Oscar | 2,747 |
| 10 | Archie | 2,575 |
| 11 | Jude | 2,540 |
| 12 | Theo | 2,387 |
| 13 | Freddie | 2,369 |
| 14 | Henry | 2,360 |
| 15 | Arlo | 2,220 |
| 16 | Alfie | 2,020 |
| 17 | Charlie | 1,956 |
| 18 | Finley | 1,886 |
| 19 | Albie | 1,820 |
| 20 | Harry | 1,765 |
| 21 | Mohammed | 1,760 |
| 22 | Jack | 1,711 |
| 23 | Elijah | 1,661 |
| 24 | Rory | 1,588 |
| 25 | Lucas | 1,550 |
| 26 | Thomas | 1,543 |
| 27 | William | 1,517 |
| 28 | Louie | 1,516 |
| 29 | Teddy | 1,506 |
| 30 | Jacob | 1,484 |
| 31 | Edward | 1,461 |
| 32 | Roman | 1,454 |
| 33 | Reuben | 1,442 |
| 34 | Oakley | 1,432 |
| 35 | Adam | 1,410 |
| 36 | Alexander | 1,365 |
| 37 | Isaac | 1,360 |
| 38 | Ezra | 1,339 |
| 39 | Tommy | 1,324 |
| 40 | James | 1,252 |
| 41 | Rowan | 1,246 |
| 42 | Hudson | 1,216 |
| 43 | Reggie | 1,194 |
| 44 | Max | 1,140 |
| 45 | Sebastian | 1,116 |
| 46 | Hugo | 1,094 |
| 47 | Louis | 1,092 |
| 48 | Ethan | 1,086 |
| 49 | Ronnie | 1,059 |
| 50 | Joshua | 1,027 |
Click any name above to explore its historical ranking, meaning, origin, regional variations, and full popularity timeline.
Interpretation for parents
Popular names are socially familiar — they tend to be widely recognized, easy to pronounce, and culturally established. A higher ranking does not automatically mean a name is overused; even top-ranked names typically represent only a modest share of total births within a given year.
If uniqueness is important to you, reviewing the birth counts (not just rank) can provide better perspective on how common a name truly is. Consider regional variation: national data may differ from local naming patterns in your area.
About the data
This analysis is based on official Office for National Statistics (ONS) birth statistics for 2024. National data does not reflect regional or local naming differences. We periodically refresh the report as new official data becomes available.