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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.

Emily Sergeant Emily Sergeant - 14th September 2021

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

  1. Emily
  2. Olivia
  3. Jessica
  4. Sophie
  5. Chloe
  6. Charlotte
  7. Grace
  8. Amelia
  9. Ella
  10. Lucy
  11. Lily
  12. Mia
  13. Ellie
  14. Hannah
  15. Holly
  16. Alice
  17. Isabella
  18. Phoebe
  19. Molly
  20. Daisy
  21. Emma
  22. Abigail
  23. Ruby
  24. Megan
  25. Elizabeth
  26. Isabelle
  27. Georgia
  28. Millie
  29. Poppy
  30. Freya
  31. Eleanor
  32. Jasmine
  33. Sophia
  34. Erin
  35. Imogen
  36. Amber
  37. Rosie
  38. Katie
  39. Leah
  40. Amy
  41. Anna
  42. Maisie
  43. Bethany
  44. Evie
  45. Harriet
  46. Sarah
  47. Zoe
  48. Rebecca
  49. Paige
  50. Scarlett
Some names on the top 50 list are so classic that they’ve remained popular for the last two decades / Credit: Flickr

Boys

  1. Jack
  2. Thomas
  3. Harry
  4. Oliver
  5. Joshua
  6. James
  7. William
  8. George
  9. Daniel
  10. Samuel
  11. Joseph
  12. Charlie
  13. Jacob
  14. Benjamin
  15. Alexander
  16. Mohammed
  17. Ethan
  18. Adam
  19. Alfie
  20. Jake
  21. Matthew
  22. Max
  23. Dylan
  24. Luke
  25. Henry
  26. Lewis
  27. Ryan
  28. Edward
  29. Liam
  30. Muhammad
  31. Harrison
  32. Michael
  33. Oscar
  34. Callum
  35. Nathan
  36. Isaac
  37. Archie
  38. Tyler
  39. David
  40. Connor
  41. Jamie
  42. Harvey
  43. Charles
  44. Lucas
  45. Toby
  46. Louis
  47. Aaron
  48. Alex
  49. Mason
  50. 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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The Chestergate pub in Stockport is at it again with some of the most wonderfully Manc scenes you’ll ever see

Danny Jones Danny Jones

The legendary Chestergate pub in Stockport is back with another belter of a video, following on from their viral belly-flashing clip of 2022.

The Mersey Square boozer has painted yet another quintessentially Northern depiction of UK pub culture with the latest Manc scenes they’ve captured around the karaoke machine.

If you’ve never had the pleasure of stumbling into The Chestergate in Stockport town centre, the long-standing boozer currently operated by publican chain Blind Tiger Inns, you’re seriously missing out.

While it might not be the flashiest of pubs, when it comes to entertainment, it always delivers.

Whether it’s stunts like renaming themselves ‘The Southgate’ whenever the Euros or World Cup rolls around, or the locals just genuinely having a whale of a time no matter what day of the week it is, it really sums up the best of pub culture.

The Chestergate went viral for some of the most British footage ever caught on film back in 2022 and the videos saw a huge wave of love and support flooding in for the pub, as well as a healthy amount of chuckles. Safe to say we were chuffed to see them pop back up on our feed again recently.

Karaoke night at The Chestergate literally never disappoints.

Forget ‘Livin’ on a Prayer’ or ‘Champagne Supernova’ for karaoke songs – we’ll take a cacophony of inaudible throwback pop music, whilst another bloke and his hype man try and MC over a totally ill-fitting beat any day of the week.

And that’s handy because you’ll find those kinds of shenanigans happening at this place all the time.

Be it hens and stags, St George’s Day celebrations; a safe-cracking-themed competition, a ‘Texas Hold ‘Em Hoedown’ dance-off, or simply the matchday crowds when the footy’s on, there’s always something going on here.

It’s simultaneously one of the most no-nonsense and somehow a non-stop shenanigan-filled paradise. They also look after their own and consider their regulars part of the family. Case and point: they threw their very own ‘Dancing Queen’ Molly a big bash for her 86th birthday and it’s such wholesome viewing.

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At this point, it’s worth flagging that we have nothing but envy for these folks and anyone who’s just out there having the time of their lives on any random weeknight.

Yes, it produced plenty of laughs for those watching online in recent times but this lot won’t mind one bit – not only is the pub seeing more and more new faces through the door but that’s the whole point of a pub, isn’t it? Going for a pint with your nearest and dearest and having a laugh.

Not only is it very Manchester but it’s Britain at its very best.

We hope to see you at The Chestergate pub in Stockport for a pint or two sometime soon and we’re making a bit of a prat of ourselves, don’t worry, we’re sure they’ll have the cameras ready for you.

For all the latest news, events and goings on in Greater Manchester, subscribe to The Manc newsletter HERE.

Featured Images — The Chestergate (via Facebook)

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Tailgaters and middle lane hoggers warned to change their ‘dangerous’ driving style

Emily Sergeant Emily Sergeant

A warning has been issued to tailgaters and motorway middle lane hoggers urging them to change their ‘dangerous’ driving style.

Do you find yourself guilty of two of the biggest driving sins from time to time?

Well, according to the latest figures released by National Highways, one in three motorists have admitted to middle lane hogging in their lives, while one in four have committed acts of tailgating on some of the UK’s fastest roads.

These shocking survey findings – which were released back in early March as the Government-owned road management company launched a new campaign – showed that lane hogging was among the behaviours that are most likely to cause motorists and passengers to feel ‘frustrated’, and tailgating was most likely to cause feelings of unease, stress, and anxiety.

Nearly a third (32%) of drivers admitted to lane hogging ‘at least occasionally’ while driving on England’s motorways and major A roads, according to the survey – which polled 2,500 adults between the ages of 16-75.

On top of this, almost seven in ten adults in England (67%) said close following or tailgating is a ‘serious problem’ on these types of roads, but nearly a quarter (23%) admitted to doing it from time to time.

Tut-tut.

Tailgaters and middle lane hoggers have been warned to change their ‘dangerous’ driving style (Credit: IPTC/Ronald Hudson)

It’s these very statistics which have led National Highways to issue an urgent warning that calls on these motorists to “carefully consider” their driving habits, as “little changes can change everything”.

Lane hogging and tailgating both fall under the offence of ‘careless driving’ in England, with the country’s police forces having the power to hand out on-the-spot fines of £100 and three penalty points to those who commit such offences.

“Middle lane hogging and tailgating are far more than mere annoyances for drivers,” warned RAC road safety spokesperson, Rod Dennis, adding that these actions “put everyone on the roads at risk.”

He continued in his reaction to the release of the latest National Highways figures: “Closely following another motorist could easily result in a serious collision should the driver ahead need to brake sharply for any reason, so the fact nearly one in four drivers admitted to doing so on some of England’s fastest and busiest roads is frightening”.

Mr Dennis said he understands that offenders “might find these habits hard to kick”, but that’s why the urgent calls for motorists to make changes are “so important”.

“By understanding that how we choose to drive affects others, we can each make a real difference to the safety of our roads,” he concluded.

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For all the latest news, events and goings on in Greater Manchester, subscribe to The Manc newsletter HERE.

Featured Images – AA

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