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Friday, October 30, 2026

Is YOUR name going extinct? Find out with our search tool

The names Jack, Harry and Emily are dying out, according to data that shows how monikers common in the 90s are going out of fashion.

Jack, which sat atop the boys’ names popularity list every year between 1996 and 2008, last year ranked 22nd, with just 1,711 babies being given the name. 

This is a fall of more than 4,000 (70 per cent) compared with 10 years ago, marking the biggest decrease of all 6,000-plus boy names.

Harry, also once top of the charts, has had tumbled by 3,600 (67 per cent) and now sits 20th, with a continuing downward trajectory.

For girls, Emily and Jessica saw the biggest falls in the past 10 years, from 3,991 to 1,170 (-70 per cent) and 2,995 to just 483 (-84 per cent), respectively. Both names were among the most common in the 1990s. 

The Daily Mail has built a new search tool which shows how your name has risen or plummeted in popularity over the last few decades.

To use our interactive below, first select your gender, then search for your name in the box and select it from the dropdown menu.

It will then tell you how many babies of your sex and name were born this year and how popular it is, how it has changed from its heyday, and in what years the name reached its peak position in the charts.

You can then compare your name against up to five more names of any gender. 

Our tool comes as official data yesterday crowned Muhammad as the most popular boys’ name in England and Wales for the second year running.

More than 5,700 boys were given the name in 2024, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS).

This represents a significant 23 per cent rise since the year before – the first time it topped the list – when around 4,660 boys were named after the Islamic prophet. 

It tops our biggest risers list.

In 1996, just 441 baby boys were given the name Muhammad.

Mohammed entered the top 100 boys’ names for England and Wales 101 years ago, debuting at 91st in 1924.

Its prevalence dropped considerably in the lead up to and during WW2 but began to rise in the 1960s.

That particular iteration of the name was the only one to appear in the ONS’ top 100 data from 1924 until Mohammad joined in the early 1980s.

Muhammad, now the most popular of the trio, first broke into the top 100 in the mid-1980s and has seen the fastest growth of all three iterations since – seeing a 12-fold increase in the past three decades.

Another popular name rising the charts is Arlo, an old English word for ‘fortified hill’ which saw a rise from 397 in 2014 to 2,220 in 2024 for a total change of 1,823 (459 per cent).

Olivia held onto the top spot for girls for the ninth year running, with 2,761 girls being given the name by their parents last year.

Despite still being top pick, the name is falling fastly out of fashion – down by 1,963 since 2014 (-42 per cent).

Amelia (2,448) also held on to the second spot for the third year in a row, but Isla (2,056) dropped out of the top three after being replaced by Lily (2,185).

Names inspired by pop culture have proved popular, with Maeve – which surged in popularity after the 2019 debut of Netflix’s Sex Education, starring Emma Mackey as the fiercely intelligent Maeve Wiley – growing the most of all girls’ names.

Just 61 infants were given the name in 2014, compared to 1,264 last year, a rise of 1,204 – or 1,974 per cent.

Otis, the lead from the same show played by Asa Butterfield also saw a rise in popularity at the same time, from 164 in 2014 to 762 in 2024.

Hollywood is also a popular inspiration, with Margot (1,243) – a name shared Australian Barbie actress Margot Robbie – has seen steady rises in popularity over the past few years, peaking this year in 28th place, a rise from 44th in 2023.

Meanwhile, the Prime Minister appears to have killed off his own name for good.

Keir did not appear in the list of names last year. This could mean it has gone extinct completely, although the ONS hides actual figures for names with fewer than three instances.

The name’s peak popularity was in 1998 when 74 infant boys were given the name of the future Labour party leader.

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