2022 new additions! 🇬🇧 plus challenge

The ONS finally provided us with the 2022 [name_f]England[/name_f] & [name_m]Wales[/name_m] popularity list! :england: :wales: The Top 1000 can be found here. I’m intrigued by many of the new additions to the list, and I’d love to hear anyone’s thoughts on them! I no longer live in the UK, so I’m out of the loop and particularly wondering if there are any pop culture influences in the new additions :eyes:


Here are the names:

BOYS :sauropod:
[name_m]Abdulaziz[/name_m], [name_m]Acer[/name_m], Achim, [name_m]Affan[/name_m], [name_m]Akim[/name_m], Alyaan, [name_m]Ambrose[/name_m], [name_m]Ameer[/name_m], [name_m]Aneurin[/name_m], [name_m]Aran[/name_m], [name_m]Ash[/name_m], [name_m]Aslan[/name_m], [name_m]Azan[/name_m], [name_m]Azariah[/name_m], [name_m]Aziah[/name_m], [name_m]Aziel[/name_m], [name_m]Azlaan[/name_m], [name_m]Bohdi[/name_m], [name_m]Brady[/name_m], [name_m]Caio[/name_m], [name_m]Cedric[/name_m], [name_m]Chris[/name_m], [name_m]Cree[/name_m], [name_f]Dara[/name_f], [name_m]Darragh[/name_m], [name_m]Darren[/name_m], [name_m]Denzel[/name_m], [name_f]Devon[/name_f], [name_m]Elvis[/name_m], [name_m]Enoch[/name_m], [name_m]Eren[/name_m], [name_m]Etienne[/name_m], [name_m]Griff[/name_m], [name_m]Hamdan[/name_m], [name_m]Hasnain[/name_m], Hunter-Lee, [name_m]Hussein[/name_m], [name_m]Jacques[/name_m], [name_m]Juan[/name_m], [name_m]Kaison[/name_m], [name_m]Kayan[/name_m], [name_m]Kenan[/name_m], [name_m]Khari[/name_m], [name_m]Knox[/name_m], [name_m]Kodi[/name_m], [name_m]Krishiv[/name_m], [name_m]Leif[/name_m], [name_m]Luciano[/name_m], [name_m]Mack[/name_m], [name_m]Mahir[/name_m], [name_m]Manraj[/name_m], [name_m]Mateusz[/name_m], [name_m]Mehmet[/name_m], [name_m]Moise[/name_m], [name_m]Musab[/name_m], [name_f]Nana[/name_f], [name_m]Nathanael[/name_m], [name_m]Nayel[/name_m], Noah-James, [name_m]Nuh[/name_m], [name_m]Oaklen[/name_m], [name_m]Owain[/name_m], [name_m]Pedro[/name_m], [name_m]Percival[/name_m], [name_m]Raffi[/name_m], [name_m]Raja[/name_m], [name_m]Rehan[/name_m], [name_m]Reyansh[/name_m], [name_m]Rodrigo[/name_m], [name_m]Rowen[/name_m], [name_m]Rudra[/name_m], [name_m]Saleh[/name_m], [name_m]Saxon[/name_m], [name_m]Shaun[/name_m], [name_m]Simeon[/name_m], [name_m]Sol[/name_m], [name_m]Sully[/name_m], [name_f]Sydney[/name_f], Theo-James, [name_m]Torin[/name_m], [name_m]Viraj[/name_m], [name_m]Wali[/name_m], [name_m]Wolf[/name_m], [name_m]Yanis[/name_m], [name_m]Younes[/name_m], [name_m]Younis[/name_m], [name_m]Zakariyah[/name_m], [name_m]Zaki[/name_m], [name_m]Zavier[/name_m], [name_m]Zaydan[/name_m], [name_m]Zephaniah[/name_m], [name_m]Ziyad[/name_m]

GIRLS :cherry_blossom:
[name_f]Aaira[/name_f], [name_f]Adela[/name_f], [name_f]Afiyah[/name_f], [name_f]Aira[/name_f], Airah, [name_f]Aleeza[/name_f], [name_f]Alyana[/name_f], [name_f]Amaira[/name_f], [name_f]Amalie[/name_f], [name_f]Andrea[/name_f], [name_f]Angelica[/name_f], [name_f]Annika[/name_f], [name_f]Ariadne[/name_f], [name_f]Asia[/name_f], Avaani, [name_f]Birdie[/name_f], Bonnie-Rae, Bonnie-Rose, [name_f]Caitlyn[/name_f], [name_f]Calliope[/name_f], [name_f]Cassia[/name_f], [name_f]Chimamanda[/name_f], [name_f]Daisie[/name_f], [name_f]Davina[/name_f], [name_f]Eileen[/name_f], [name_f]Elaia[/name_f], [name_f]Elaina[/name_f], [name_f]Elowyn[/name_f], [name_f]Eshal[/name_f], [name_f]Esmai[/name_f], [name_f]Esmay[/name_f], [name_f]Esmeralda[/name_f], Gracie-May, [name_f]Ilinca[/name_f], Isla-Rae, Ivy-Grace, [name_f]Janelle[/name_f], [name_f]June[/name_f], Larosa, [name_f]Leen[/name_f], Lilah-Rose, [name_f]Loretta[/name_f], [name_f]Madelyn[/name_f], [name_f]Maha[/name_f], [name_f]Mahi[/name_f], [name_f]Mallory[/name_f], [name_f]Mannat[/name_f], [name_f]Marni[/name_f], [name_f]Marta[/name_f], [name_f]Matilde[/name_f], [name_f]Mavis[/name_f], [name_f]Medeea[/name_f], [name_f]Meera[/name_f], [name_f]Milani[/name_f], Millie-Rose, [name_f]Miraal[/name_f], [name_f]Muntaha[/name_f], Myla-Mae, Nevaeh-Rose, [name_f]Nila[/name_f], [name_f]Nura[/name_f], [name_f]Nyah[/name_f], Olivia-Grace, [name_f]Olympia[/name_f], [name_f]Opal[/name_f], [name_f]Posie[/name_f], [name_f]Princess[/name_f], [name_f]Renesmee[/name_f], [name_f]Roxy[/name_f], [name_f]Rumaisa[/name_f], [name_f]Ryleigh[/name_f], [name_f]Safiyya[/name_f], [name_f]Sianna[/name_f], [name_f]Sloane[/name_f], [name_f]Star[/name_f], [name_f]Sumaya[/name_f], [name_f]Talia[/name_f], [name_f]Taya[/name_f], Tayah, [name_f]Tiara[/name_f], [name_f]Tiaraoluwa[/name_f], [name_f]Trixie[/name_f], [name_f]Valeria[/name_f], [name_f]Willa[/name_f], [name_f]Zaira[/name_f], [name_f]Zaya[/name_f], [name_f]Zenaya[/name_f], [name_f]Zunairah[/name_f], Zunaisha


Trends I’m noticing:

  • Boys - underused Biblical names: This intrigues me… Achim, [name_m]Azariah[/name_m] and [name_m]Aziel[/name_m] appear in the top 1000 for the first time. Other less common Biblical names such as [name_m]Enoch[/name_m], [name_m]Nathanael[/name_m], [name_m]Simeon[/name_m] & [name_m]Zephaniah[/name_m] make a return to the top 1000 in 2022!
  • Boys - [name_m]French[/name_m] names: As a lover of all things [name_m]French[/name_m], it’s so exciting to see [name_m]Etienne[/name_m] and [name_m]Jacques[/name_m] make a return :heart_eyes: Also, [name_m]Yanis[/name_m] is a Greek name that is particularly popular in [name_f]France[/name_f]!
  • Boys - Welsh names: [name_m]Aneurin[/name_m] and Owain?!?! I’m in love.
  • Cultural influences: These generally reflect the demographics of the UK. The most prominent of these are names of Arabic origin (e.g. [name_m]Abdulaziz[/name_m], [name_f]Eshal[/name_f], [name_m]Hussein[/name_m], [name_f]Maha[/name_f], [name_m]Musab[/name_m], [name_f]Sumaya[/name_f], [name_m]Younis[/name_m], Ziyad). Other notable representations include [name_f]Indian[/name_f] (e.g. [name_m]Krishiv[/name_m], [name_f]Meera[/name_f], [name_f]Nila[/name_f], Viraj), Romanian (Ilinca & Medeea) and Turkish (Eren, [name_m]Mehmet[/name_m], Nuh). There also seems to be some sort of Spanish or Portuguese influence (Caio, [name_f]Esmeralda[/name_f], [name_m]Juan[/name_m], [name_m]Luciano[/name_m], [name_m]Pedro[/name_m], [name_m]Rodrigo[/name_m], [name_f]Valeria[/name_f], Zaira).
  • Girls - cutesy nicknames: [name_f]Birdie[/name_f], [name_f]Daisie[/name_f], [name_f]Posie[/name_f], Trixie… cottage core and sweet. I wonder how these names will age though.
  • Girls - yn ending: [name_f]Caitlyn[/name_f], [name_f]Elowyn[/name_f] and [name_f]Madelyn[/name_f]. This was a common trend in the US a decade or so ago, and now it seems to be catching on to the UK?
  • Hyphenated names: These seem to be making a comeback in the UK. In the 2022 Top 1000 we have Bonnie-Rae, Hunter-Lee, Lilah-Rose, Myla-Mae and Noah-James, just to name a few.
  • Influences from across the pond: [name_m]Knox[/name_m], [name_f]Mallory[/name_f] and [name_f]Sloane[/name_f] entered the Top 1000 for the first time in 2022 but have been widely used in the US for quite a while!
  • “Mum” and “dad” names: Some notable examples include [name_m]Darren[/name_m] and [name_m]Shaun[/name_m] for boys, and [name_f]Andrea[/name_f], [name_f]Davina[/name_f] and [name_f]Janelle[/name_f] for girls. Also for girls, “grandma” names seem to be appearing in the Top 100 (Eileen, [name_f]June[/name_f], Mavis).
  • Mythological influences: A couple of Arthurian romance names appear on the boys list (Owain, Percival). For girls, Greek mythology appears to be the main influence (Ariadne, Calliope).
  • Notable figures: Some examples include [name_f]Chimamanda[/name_f] (Ngozi Adichie), [name_m]Elvis[/name_m] (Presley) and [name_m]Leif[/name_m] (Eriksson).
  • Word names: These are becoming increasingly common! [name_m]New[/name_m] additions include [name_m]Ash[/name_m] and [name_m]Wolf[/name_m] for boys, and [name_f]Opal[/name_f], [name_f]Princess[/name_f], [name_f]Star[/name_f] and [name_f]Tiara[/name_f] for girls.

Now, I pose you a challenge… what would you name one boy and one girl from the above lists? [name_m]Feel[/name_m] free to choose one or two middles as per your preference!

[name_f]My[/name_f] choices… [name_m]Percival[/name_m] [name_m]Ambrose[/name_m] “Percy” & [name_f]Ariadne[/name_f] [name_f]June[/name_f] :blossom:

7 Likes

[name_f]Marta[/name_f] [name_f]June[/name_f] & [name_m]Sully[/name_m] [name_m]Percival[/name_m] :sunny: :school_satchel: :parasol_on_ground:

1 Like

Theo-James [name_m]Aneurin[/name_m] & [name_f]Olympia[/name_f] [name_f]June[/name_f] :cherry_blossom:

1 Like

Thank you for sharing these!!

It is an intriguing set - in terms of boys, I’m seeing some matching with the US stats, like the names with ‘Zs’, fun, zippy nicknames, international names, gentle names for boys, Irish names, Arabic names

For girls, vintage, nickname-y, mid-century names, Arabic names, creative spellings, bold starry names, mythological names, word names!

A few possible cultural references:

  • weather reporter Owain Wyn Evans?
  • Aneurin Barnard - actor in Peaky Blinders
  • Aneurin Bevan - in prep for the 2023 NHS anniversary?
  • Loretta Lynn - died in 2022
  • Trixie - Call the Midwife?

I’d choose the names…

Sol Aneurin and Opal Mavis!

3 Likes

This is a very interesting list! The only associations I could think of were that Theo-James is likely inspired by actor [name_m]Theo[/name_m] [name_m]James[/name_m], and [name_m]Wolf[/name_m] could be influenced by the original name of [name_f]Kylie[/name_f] Jenner’s baby son. I’m intrigued as to why [name_f]Renesmee[/name_f] is on there! Possibly due to [name_m]Spencer[/name_m] starring [name_f]Kristen[/name_f] [name_m]Stewart[/name_m] being released in late 2021 and The Batman starring [name_m]Robert[/name_m] Pattinson in 2022?

I would choose [name_m]Raffi[/name_m] [name_m]Wolf[/name_m] and [name_f]Cassia[/name_f] [name_f]Esmeralda[/name_f] :white_heart:

2 Likes

[name_m]Cedric[/name_m] [name_m]Etienne[/name_m] & [name_f]Cassia[/name_f] [name_f]June[/name_f]

Almost went with [name_m]Simeon[/name_m] [name_m]Leif[/name_m] & [name_f]Amalie[/name_f] [name_f]Sloane[/name_f]

1 Like

I’d go with [name_m]Percival[/name_m] [name_m]Rowen[/name_m] “Percy” & [name_f]Matilde[/name_f] [name_f]Esmerelda[/name_f] “Tilly” :books:

1 Like

Wow this is interesting! A few possible pop culture references…
• I think the Elvis movie came out in 2022, so that could explain Elvis
• The fourth Hotel Transylvania movie, in which Selena Gomez voices a Mavis, also came out in 2022
• Dara could be for Dara O’Briain, although he’s been around a while now!
• Boris Johnson as PM could explain Cassia - it’s one of his daughters’ names, and the names of David Cameron’s kids spiked massively when he was in office
• Hamilton running on the West End could explain Angelica
• Chimamanda could be for the author Chimamanda Ngozi-Adiche, although I’m not sure if she published anything new that year
• I know someone who named her kid Tommy-Lee inspired by James Norton’s character in Happy Valley, despite the fact that he’s a horrifying villain. I really hope not, but that could be behind the rise in hyphenated names?!
I’d chose Bonnie-Rose Adela (I love Bonnie-Rose!) & Cedric Wolf :rose:

3 Likes

[name_m]Cedric[/name_m] [name_m]Eren[/name_m] and [name_f]Birdie[/name_f] [name_f]Angelica[/name_f]

1 Like

[name_m]Aran[/name_m] is one of [name_m]Cillian[/name_m] Murphy’s sons, so maybe that had some influence? And [name_f]Sophie[/name_f] Turner’s move back to the UK (and the subsequent press) might have increased the usage of [name_f]Willa[/name_f]?

I’d choose [name_m]Darragh[/name_m] [name_m]Etienne[/name_m] (an eclectic fusion!) and [name_f]Adela[/name_f] [name_f]Calliope[/name_f].

1 Like

I wish it was harder to choose, but a few of my shortlist faves, so I’d pretty easily go for [name_m]Ambrose[/name_m] [name_m]Cedric[/name_m] & [name_f]Olympia[/name_f] [name_f]Ariadne[/name_f].

I am happy to see [name_f]Trixie[/name_f] made it. I see so little love for the name, but I adore [name_f]Trixie[/name_f] in Call the Midwife and I feel like it would fit so well here!

1 Like

[name_m]Nathanael[/name_m] [name_m]Raffi[/name_m] & [name_f]Posie[/name_f] [name_f]Sianna[/name_f]

Was a lot harder to pick names than I thought it would be :see_no_evil:

1 Like

[name_m]Leif[/name_m] [name_m]Percival[/name_m]
[name_f]Annika[/name_f] [name_f]Matilde[/name_f]

1 Like

Zephaniah Aneurin and Annika Cassia, who are sometimes called Zephyr and Annie

1 Like