15 baby names that have stayed in fashion for the last 100 years

When it comes to choosing your child's name, lots of factors need to be considered other than just whether you like the sound of it. Does the name suit? Will it go out of fashion or be cause for other kids to make fun of in the future?

And while all these things need to be considered, when it comes to naming your new born, there are some names that never go out of fashion. A study of baby names by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) reveals the names that have stood firm despite the fickle fortunes of popularity over the last century.

A study of the data revealed 15 names made it into the top 100 most popular names every decade since the 1920s, Chronicle Live previously reported. The list includes a number of traditional British names favoured by the monarchy such as George, Charles, and Elizabeth.

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What may have come as a bit of a surprise is that 13 boys' names made the list, compared to just two girls' names. This could suggest parents are more daring in their name choices for baby girls while adopting for more traditional choices for boys.

In fact, 339 different girls' names appeared in the top 100 of each decade between the 1920s and 2010s, compared to just 276 boys' names. But what the data suggests is that girls' names don’t stand the test of time with parents in the same way that boys' names do.

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For instance, Gwendoline, Doris, and Vera were all staples of the 1920s, before being replaced by names such as Robyn, Harriet, and Zoe in later decades. The analysis of the data by leading name label manufacturer, mynametags.com, also reveals a shift in parents' attitudes towards nicknames throughout the generations.

For instance, Alexander is one of the most consistently popular names, appearing in the charts every decade since the 1920s. In contrast, the shortened version of Alex didn't become popular in its own right until the 1980s. A similar trend can be seen with Anthony, Daniel, and Joshua, with their shortened versions – Tony, Danny, and Josh – all making appearances as given names later in the records.

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The ONS also points out: "The appearance of Mohammed in the top 100 is not such a new phenomenon – the first time this name entered the top 100 was in 1924 when it ranked as the 91st most popular name for baby boys. This was not a blip as the name has featured in the top 100 most popular names for baby boys every ten years from 1924 to 1994 and every year since 1996."

Meanwhile, the preference for nicknames as chosen names shows parents are becoming more informal with their name choices, especially when it comes to boys' names. In the 1920s, just three nicknames appear in the top 100 boys' chart - 'Harry', 'Roy', and 'Fred'. This is compared to 15 in the 2010s chart, including 'Teddy', 'Ollie', and 'Freddie'.

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The Most Popular Baby Names: 1921-2021

1. Alexander

2. Charles

3. Daniel

4. David

5. Edward

6. Elizabeth

7. George

8. James

9. Joseph

10. Michael

11. Mohammed

12. Robert

13. Sarah

14. Thomas

15. William

My Nametags analysed baby name data for registered births in England and Wales from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) between the 1920s and 2010s.