Name ‘Keir' dies out after Starmer takes office
For the first time on record, no parent decided to name their newborn after the Labour leader last year, coinciding with Sir Keir Starmer's election as Prime Minister.
On Thursday morning, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) released its annual baby-name data revealing the most popular names for boys and girls in England and Wales.
Four baby Keirs were born in 2023, but none were given the name last year.
The figures, which cover last year using birth registration data, show that the names of other Labour figures remain popular.
Rachel was chosen 114 times by parents, while 28 Angelas were welcomed into the world.
Three Yvettes were born, while 70 babies were called Wesley and 35 newborns were named Bridget.
There were 16 babies called Boris, while Nigel continues to defy extinction by matching last year's tally of five.
After he was elected Prime Minister, the number of baby Boris's rose from 39 in 2019 to 43 in 2020. Rishi also jumped, albeit moderately, from 36 in 2022 to 37 in 2023.
Each year, the ONS analyses the latest baby name data, revealing the most popular – and unpopular – names in the UK.
Muhammad retained its title as the most popular baby name for boys, as it stretched its lead ahead of Oliver and Noah which remained second and third.
Most popular boys' baby names
For the ninth year in a row, Olivia was the most popular name for girls, followed by Amelia and Lily.
In last year's release, Muhammad became the most popular name for boys in the UK for the first time.
Data showed 5,721 Muhammads were born across England and Wales in 2024, up nearly a quarter from 4,661 in 2023.
In contrast, 4,139 Noahs were born in 2024, down from 4,382 the previous year.
Arthur jumped up two places to overtake both Leo and George after 3,368 babies were given the name.
Most popular girls' baby names
Perhaps linked to the Israel Palestine conflict, the top 10 rising names for boys included Lael, which jumped from nine babies in 2023 to 48 in 2024.
Last year's release saw Harry fall out of the top-10 baby names for the first time in nearly 20 years.
And despite an initial boost in popularity in the name Meghan following the engagement of Prince Harry to Meghan Markle, it saw an 83 per cent decrease, from 101 babies to 17, last year.
Previous analysis by The Telegraph also found that for girls' names, the biggest declines have been for babies named Alexa, which has dropped rapidly since 2018 amid the rise of Amazon's virtual assistant.
In 2018, the influence of BBC drama Peaky Blinders was also felt as Arthur – of the character played by Paul Anderson in the TV show – was a new entry in the top 10 names, replacing Jacob.
Meanwhile Grace and Ada – who are names of lead women in the show – entered the top 10 and re-entered the top 100 baby names for girls, respectively.
While some names, such as George, William, Edward and Elizabeth have consistently featured in the top 100 since the early 20th century, most fluctuate in popularity over time.
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