Top 10 UK Boys Names over the Years

How have favourite names changed over the years?  Some have remained popular however others are now considered ‘old fashioned’ and are rarely used.

There are many influences on the reasons for giving a child their name such as family names, however I suspect that the more recent proliferation of film and TV has a bigger effect on fashions.

Top UK Names 2008

1. Jack
2. Oliver
3. Thomas
4. Harry
5. Joshua
6. Alfie
7. Charlie
8. Daniel
9. James
10. William

Top UK Names 1990

1. Michael
2. Christopher
3. Matthew
4. Joshua
5. Daniel
6. David
7. Andrew
8. James
9. Justin
10. Joseph

Top UK Names 1950

1. James
2. Robert
3. John
4. Michael
5. David
6. William
7. Richard
8. Thomas
9. Charles
10. Gary

Top UK Names 1930

1. John
2. Peter
3. Robert
4. Richard
5. William
6. Anthony
7. David
8. Michael
9. George
10. Patrick

Top UK names 1900

1. John
2. Henry
3. Charles
4. William
5. Arthur
6. Robert
7. Richard
8. George
9. Francis
10. James

Come back Arthur, all is forgiven!

It is a shame that some names such as Arthur, George and John have become less popular, others such as James and William have survived however with Charles surviving in a more modern form.  It looks as if members of the royal family had quite an influence at the start of the 20th Century and while Harry and William remain the royal influence is much reduced.

It will be interesting to see how trends change in the future, perhaps the celebrity influence will continue to increase, how about a top 3 of Satchel, Romeo and Zowie in 10 years time. (Guess the celebrity parents)