The figures for the most popular names in the UK in 2011 have just been released by the Office for National Statistics, containing plenty of surprises and interesting tidbits.  For one thing, it seems that despite a lot of cross-pollination, there is still a considerable divide in name popularity across the Atlantic.  Just looking at the two top names–which replaced last year’s Olivia and Oliver—there is Amelia, which is #30 in the US, and Harry, which is way down at Number 709 here—although with all those captivating shots of the ebullient prince as a spectator at the Olympics, this could change.

　　As usual, there is a generous infusion of celebrity influence, from the royal realm, show biz and sports.  Amelia for example, was quite probably given a bounce by the 2011 X-Factor finalist Amelia Lily.  Led by Alfie in the top five, the nickname name trend continues for both girls and boys—Evie, Ellie, Millie, Rosie, Archie, Tommy, Ollie, and Bobby being among the hottest.

　　Here are the new Top 20 names in England and Wales:

　　 Amelia                      Harry

　　Olivia                         Oliver

　　Lily                             Jack

　　Jessica                       Alfie

　　Emily                         Charlie

　　Sophie                       Thomas

　　Ruby                          Jacob

　　Grace                         James

　　Ava                             Joshua

　　Isabella                     William

　　Evie                           Ethan

　　Chloe                         George

　　Mia                            Riley

　　Poppy                        Daniel

　　Isla                             Noah

　　Ella                             Oscar

　　Isabelle                      Joseph

　　Sophia                       Mohammed

　　Freya                          Max

　　Daisy                          Dylan

　　Of these, seven names are not even in the US Top 200, while three of them—Alfie, Poppy and Freya–are not to be found on our top thousand roster AT ALL!  Further down in the Brit Top 50 are four more names that haven’t gotten their US green cards—Archie, Maisie, Imogen and Florence.

　　In the UK, there were several names new to the Top 100: Bella, Willow, Elsie and Kayla for girls and Tommy, Frankie (those nickname names keep coming!), Blake, Elijah and Jackson for boys.

　　Names that have risen most sharply are Eliza, Evelyn, Sofia and Harriet; and Jenson (directly influenced by British race car driver Jenson Button), Dexter (Dexter is also a hit show in the UK), Arthur and Riley.

　　Separate listings are also given for the top names in Wales, headed by Lily, Amelia, Ava, Ruby and Olivia, and Oliver, Jack, Jacob, Riley and Ethan.  Some native names are found on Wales list as well—Seren, Ffion, Cerys, Carys and Lowri, and Iestyn, Ioan, and Iwan.

　　The most popular names in Scotland are Jack—for the seventh year running—and Sophie, exactly the same top pair ruling in Northern Ireland.

　　One trivia tidbit from the British Office for National Statistics: there are seasonal factors as well: Holly was the second most popular name for girls born in December and the name Summer reached the height of its popularity in August.

　　So—are you surprised?