Similarly to previous years, royal and high-profile events have influenced parents’ choices when it comes to naming their child.įor girls, Sophia is the second most popular name, while Olivia has fallen to third position after previously securing the top spot.Īmelia and Ava follow in fourth and fifth places respectively.įor boys, Noah is the second most favoured name for British parents to name their child, followed by Jack, Theo and Leo in third, fourth and fifth places. We welcome updates and additions to this Wiki page.According to the team, girls’ names have changed a little compared with previous years, while boys’ names have remained much the same. To learn more about this course or other courses available from the Institute, see our website. Information in this Wiki page is excerpted from the online course English - Understanding Names in Genealogy offered by The International Institute of Genealogical Studies. From northern Europe come Hansine (Hans), Johanna (Johann/John), Larsine (Lars), Nielsine (Niels), Rasmine (Rasmus) and Wilhelmina (Wilhelm/William) and there are dozens more. English examples include Hectorina, Jane, Janet, Joan (these three from John), Michaela, Paula, Petra, Patricia, Roberta. Many girls’ names are feminized versions of boys’ ones. Rosa, Rose, Rosemary, Rosina, Rosimund, Roshanna, Roslynįeminized Versions Wilhelmina, Melinda, Hermione, Ermintrude Note: A girl could be christened with a nickname instead. Some Common English Girls’ Nicknames & Alternate Forms

Alan Bardsley’s First Name Variants should be consulted for a much more extensive selection. Boys’ names, in particular, are frequently abbreviated in the records and these forms have been included as well. North Americans, in particular, may not know the common nicknames used for proper names in England, or may assume that the usage is the same as in North America.

There seem to be more diminutives for girls, but for some male names there are many diminutives perhaps reflecting the fact that there were a lot of men having certain popular names. The Institute offers over 200 comprehensive genealogy courses for a fee ($).ĭuring the 18th century the old pet names for Elizabeth such as Bess, Betty and Liz became established as given names in their own right and they start to be seen in parish registers as official names from about 1750. It is an excerpt from their course English - Understanding Names in Genealogy by Dr. The original content for this article was contributed by The International Institute for Genealogical Studies in June 2012.

Unique british girl names