When picking a name for your baby, you'll probably be drawn to those you've heard before - perhaps old school friends you knew, names from films or book characters. So it's no wonder that certain names crop up more often than others. But what are the most popular girls names?
Obviously name trends change with the times, so the most popular baby names change from year to year - the most popular girls names for 2021 will be different frompopular names in 2020 for example.
If you go back in history there's a real range of names that crop up, some that may have become more old-fashioned, but also plenty that we're still using today. The list below looks back over the last 500 years, for the top UK girls names that crop up time and time again.
25 most popular girls names in history
1. Mary
2. Elizabeth
3. Sarah
4. Margaret
5. Ann
6. Jane
7. Alice
8. Ellen
9. Annie
10. Florence
11. Emma
12. Edith
13. Emily
14. Eliza
15. Hannah
16. Susan
17. Martha
18. Dorothy
19. Catherine
20. Ethel
21. Ada
22. Anne
23. Frances
24. Elsie
25. Harriet
26.Matilda
27. Ava
28. Imogen
29. Scarlett
30. Laila
31. Mia
32. Maya
33. Isla
34. Serena
35. Lola
36. Jasmine
37. Abigail
38. Sofia
39. Maisie
40. Molly
41. Ellie
42. Charlotte
43. Ruby
44. Poppy
45. Esme
46. Daisy
47. Elsa
48. Emma
49. Olivia
50. Erin
51. Eve
52. Bella
53. Rosemary
54. Phoebe
55. Toby
56. Isabel
57. Georgia
58. Sienna
59. Grace
60. Ella
Browse our continually updated list of baby names below for the perfect inspiration. Filter by gender or unisex, or if you don't yet know the gender of your baby, why not try our Chinese gender predictor tool? See if this ancient method can predict your baby's gender!
Don’t worry if your due date is fast approaching and you still haven’t found a name that feels like the one. Head to our baby name generator where you’ll find thousands of names to fall in love with, from more traditional sounding names, to unique baby names from all around the world.
Lorna White is the Senior Digital Writer for Mother&Baby. After running the Yours magazine website, specialising in content about caring for kids and grandchildren, Lorna brought her expertise to Mother&Baby in 2020. She has a keen interest in a range of topics from potty training and nutrition to baby names and early development and has a wide range of experienced medical experts and professionals at her fingertips. In her spare time, she enjoys spending time with her two young sisters, dog walking and enjoying the outdoors with her family.