The most popular names of the last 20 years have been revealed – did yours make the list?
Some names on the top 50 list are so classic, they've remained popular for the last two decades - but there's also a few curveballs that've snuck into the top ten too.
The most popular baby names of the last 20 years have been revealed.
Picking a name for your newborn bundle of joy that will see them through life is no doubt an important and tricky task, but data recently released by the Office of National Statistics (ONS) between 1996 to 2019 shows that some names have really stood the test of time.
Some names on the top 50 list are so classic, they’ve remained popular for the last two decades – but there’s also a few curveballs that’ve snuck into the top ten too.
Emily and Jack took the crown as the most popular names of the last 20 years.
Olivia has proved to be a popular name, topping the charts for girls’ names since 2016, but Emily took the title over the last two decades as it’s featured in the top five every year between 1996 and 2018, and spent several years in the number one spot.
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Jessica, Sophie, and Chloe round out the top five spots for girls, and for boys, Jack, Thomas, Harry, Oliver, and Joshua top the charts.
Top 50 Names of the Last 20 Years
Girls
Emily
Olivia
Jessica
Sophie
Chloe
Charlotte
Grace
Amelia
Ella
Lucy
Lily
Mia
Ellie
Hannah
Holly
Alice
Isabella
Phoebe
Molly
Daisy
Emma
Abigail
Ruby
Megan
Elizabeth
Isabelle
Georgia
Millie
Poppy
Freya
Eleanor
Jasmine
Sophia
Erin
Imogen
Amber
Rosie
Katie
Leah
Amy
Anna
Maisie
Bethany
Evie
Harriet
Sarah
Zoe
Rebecca
Paige
Scarlett
Some names on the top 50 list are so classic that they’ve remained popular for the last two decades / Credit: Flickr
Boys
Jack
Thomas
Harry
Oliver
Joshua
James
William
George
Daniel
Samuel
Joseph
Charlie
Jacob
Benjamin
Alexander
Mohammed
Ethan
Adam
Alfie
Jake
Matthew
Max
Dylan
Luke
Henry
Lewis
Ryan
Edward
Liam
Muhammad
Harrison
Michael
Oscar
Callum
Nathan
Isaac
Archie
Tyler
David
Connor
Jamie
Harvey
Charles
Lucas
Toby
Louis
Aaron
Alex
Mason
Noah
Name expert Pamela Redmond Satran says some names will always be popular, and therefore rarely fall out of favour.
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Speaking to The Sun, Pamela said: “With boy names especially, you see some of the classics holding steady over the whole generation, a trend you’d see if you stretched the chart back a hundred years.
“Names like Thomas, James, William, and Daniel are never really in or out of style [and] they command a top place on baby name popularity lists generation after generation.
“You see more movement with girls’ names, even the classics you might think would be immune to fashion swings.
“Elizabeth barely sneaks onto the top 25 and Sarah has nearly fallen off the top 50.”
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Home Bargains has announced a special two-day closure of all UK stores
Emily Sergeant
Home Bargains has, once again, announced it’ll be closing all its UK stores on both Boxing Day and New Year’s Day this year.
And it’s to make sure staff get a ‘well deserved break’.
After what has been yet another busy year for the retail industry, many workers have been left feeling like they could do with a little extra time off, which is why Home Bargains is following on with what has become a now-annual tradition by shutting up shop on two bank holidays.
All of our stores will be closing for Boxing Day & New Years Day.
Announcing the move in a post on social media, the discount retailer confirmed: “All of our stores will be closing for Boxing Day and New Years Day. We would like to thank all our colleagues for how hard you have worked this past year, and want you to relax and enjoy the Christmas break with your loved ones.”
Of course, this isn’t the first time the retailer has kept its doors shut on bank holidays.
Many shoppers will recall it has made the same decision to give hardworking staff a break every year since 2019.
Explaining a little more about the decision taken to close all its stores, Home Bargains said: “As a family-run business, we know the importance of being together at Christmas with those we care about most, now more than ever.
“This is our way of saying thank you to our colleagues for their continued hard work and dedication.”
Featured Image – Geograph
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Two Greggs in Manchester will be serving their breakfast menu in the evening next week
Emily Sergeant
Who says breakfast has to end at 11am?
In news that’s set to be music to the ears of breakfast lovers in Manchester, Greggs is giving them exactly what they want.
We all know that brunch is a ‘thing’ by now, so now it’s time for brinner to make a name for itself instead, as Greggs has teamed up with Heinz to bring its much-loved breakfast menu back for tea time, kicking off from 4pm onwards.
The move comes as a new survey has found that the majority of Mancs (69%) admit to enjoying eating breakfast food in the evening, saying it’s ‘convenient and comforting’ – even ranking breakfast as a ‘more important’ meal than tea, as well (38% vs 36%).
Two Greggs in Manchester will be serving their breakfast menu in the evening next week / Credit: Greggs (Supplied)
Greggs says it has ‘lost count’ of the amount of customers that have tried to order breakfast items after the usual cut-off time, especially in Greater Manchester.
But luckily for those breakfast-loving Mancs, they can finally get their favourite breakfast and sauce pairing long after the morning rush is over next… but only at two Greggs branches, and only for a very limited time.
On Wednesday 14 and Thursday 15 October, the Heinz x Greggs Brinner collab will be available at Greggs St Mary’s Gate and Greggs Oxford Road, from 4-7pm only.
“We’ve lost count of the number of customers who have tried their luck ordering breakfast after 11am, so when Heinz came to us with the idea of making Brinner a reality, it felt like the perfect excuse to give the people what they want,” explained Zoe Harris, who is the Customer Director at Greggs.
“And let’s be honest, a Greggs Bacon Roll just wouldn’t be the same without a squeeze of Heinz Tomato Ketchup.”
Emily Sergeant -
14th September 2021 
