From Gwenllian to Elizabeth

Top British names and regional differences

This week, we shared an A-Z Guide to the Top British Baby Names, revealing some of the most popular options in each of the four regions of the UK. Names such as Charlotte, Bonnie, and Daisy were universally popular for girls, while for boys, Noah, Isaac, and William were unanimous favorites.

A closer look at the Top 100 names in Scotland, Northern Ireland, Wales, and England respectively reveals even more choices that unite the regions. In fact, there are 50 girl names and 50 boy names that appear in all four Top 100s, ranging from modern picks like Arlo and Harper, to nickname choices like Albie and Elsie, to classics like Amelia and George, and to Irish options like Orla and Rory.

But what about the names that divide the United Kingdom?

It turns out there are plenty of those too – 149 of them! Drawn from traditional Celtic languages and from around the globe, these names feature on only one of the four Top 100 lists, and while they may be used nationally , they are uniquely popular in one regions of the UK.

Exclusive to England

England’s Top 100 features the least number unique options, but those that do appear reflect the diversity of the population. Several Arabic names including Musa, Fatima and Maryam chart highly in England, while other international favorites include Maria, Gabriel, and Enzo.

There’s also a noticeable preference for old-fashioned, “grandparent” names in England, especially those with royal connections. Favorites include Albert, Elizabeth, Rupert, and Harriet.

The full list: Elizabeth, Elodie, Fatima, Harriet, Jasmine, Lilah, Maria, Maryam, and Olive for girls, and for boys: Albert, Alfred, Elias, Enzo, Felix, Frederick, Gabriel, Ibrahim, Jasper, Mohammad, Mohammed, Musa, Ralph, Rupert, Stanley, and Yusuf.

Winning only in Wales

The Wales Top 100 features 36 unique names, many of which come from the Welsh language. While some of these options have become more global in recent years, including Emrys (EHM-ris) and Seren (SEH-rehn), others such as Gwenllian (gwehn-SHEE-an) and Gruffydd (GRI-fith, th as in then) remain rare outside of Wales, likely because the pronunciations are unfamiliar to non-Welsh ears.

Also on the list are a number of Welsh variants of familiar names, like Alys (Alice), Mabli (Mabel), and Tomos (Thomas), along with a handful of multi-cultural options including Idris and Eira.

The full list: Alys, Amara, Cadi, Connie, Efa, Eira, Eleri, Eloise, Ffion, Gwenllian, Harlow, Indie, Lili, Mabli, Maddison, Mali, Nansi, Seren, and Tilly for girls; and for boys, Elis, Emrys, Evan, Gruffydd, Harri, Idris, Ioan, Jac, Macsen, Morgan, Nico, Noa, Osian, Rhys, Tobias, Tomi, Tomos

Special to Scotland

Scottish place names do remarkably well in the Scottish Top 100, with Alba, Iona, Arran and Skye joining the international Isla in the charts. There are also a number of distinctly Scottish options in the Top 100, including the sunny Eilidh (ay-lee) and the ruggedly handsome Hamish and Angus.

Another set of names that stand out in Scotland are unisex options. Derived from Scottish origins and borrowed from elsewhere, Rowan (g), Remi (g), Cameron (b), and Blair (b) are uniquely popular in Scotland.

The full list: Alba, Amber, Callie, Eilidh, Hope, Iona, Maeva, Marnie. Remi, Romi, Romy, Rowan (g), and Skye for girls; Angus, Arran, Blair (b), Callan, Cameron, Carson, Cole, Connor, Finlay. Hamish, Harris, Lachlan, Lewis, Lochlan, Murray, Robbie, Robert, Ruairidh, and Ruaridh for boys.

Notable in Northern Ireland

The Top 100 Names in Northern Ireland is the most distinctive list of all and includes 54 unique options! Many of these may be unfamiliar outside of the region, such as Croia (KREE-uh), Clodagh (KLAW-duh or KLO-duh), Daithi (DAH-hee), and Aoibheann (EE-van), while others may feel more familiar in their anglicized forms, like Meabh (Maeve) and Fionn (Finn).

Short and sweet names are also uniquely popular in Northern Ireland, with one syllable options like Eve, Faye, Seth, and Zach starring alongside nickname-style gems such as Maggie and Danny.

The full list: Aoibheann, Cadhla, Caoimhe, Cara. Cassie, Clodagh, Croia, Darcy, Eabha, Eimear, Eve, Faye, Katie, Leah, Lydia, Maggie, Meabh, Mollie, Rebecca, Rhea, Roise, Saoirse, and Sarah for girls; and for boys, Aodhan, Caolan, Cian, Conan, Conor, Cormac, Daire, Daithi, Danny, Dara, Darragh, Donnacha, Eoin, Fionn, Jake, Jonah, Levi, Lorcan, Odhran, Oisin, Patrick, Rian, Ruairi, Ryan, Sean, Senan, Seth, Shea, Tadhg, Tom, and Zach.

Would you use any of these uniquely popular names? Did any of them surprise you? Share your thoughts down below!