Researchers reveal the UK’s most unpopular baby names

Oliver and Olivia are the UK’s most popular baby names, with unusual monikers and Game of Thrones-inspired titles such as Khaleesi on the rise. 

But as quirky names become more common, traditional choices such as Ian and Anita are being pushed out. 

According to Baby Centre no baby boy was given the name Ian in the UK last year, while Frank and Clarence are second and third respectively when it comes to the most unpopular boys’ names. 

Cilla is the least popular choice for a girl, followed by Bertha and Cynthia.  

Previously, researchers from Nameberry revealed some of the slightly more unusual names that nobody is using anymore. 

Researchers compared all the baby names recorded by the Social Security Administration in the US in 2016 against their own database of 10,000 names, to find those that have fallen out of favour.

On the girls list, there were some choices that should be reasonably familiar to most people such as Franny, Hester, Venetia, Letitia and Ianthe.

Boys’ names that might ring a bell include Auberon, Nat and Raoul.

On the more unusual side, the girls’ names Puck, Season, Undine and Whimsy are not in vogue with parents, while there are few boys called Rancher, Scorpio, Trout or Kermit running about.

Last year in the UK, names such as Jaxon, Muhammad, Charlotte and Willow surged in popularity.

Oliver was the most popular boy’s name for the fourth year in a row – although if all variations of Muhammad are grouped together that is more common.

Amelia lost the top spot for girls born in England and Wales after holding the number one ranking for five years.

Charlotte moved up 13 places to number 12 – probably reflecting the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge’s choice for their daughter in 2015.

Third in line to the throne, Prince George also saw his position reflected in his name’s third-place ranking.

The details emerged in the latest information released by the Office for National Statistics.