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In celebrity circles, naming babies has become something of an art. A-lister offspring are named after inanimate objects, weather patterns, mathematical equations and even cursed kings of ancient Greek mythology (yep, that one). Among the general public, though, the top monikers tend to be more tradish.
Each year the Office of National Statistics (ONS) releases data revealing which baby names were the most popular during the previous year in England and Wales. In 2025, Muhammad was the best-liked boys name, and Olivia topped the list for girls, both retaining their first place position from the previous year. But the data is also broken down by area, thereby telling us which noms are en vogue in different London boroughs.
Muhammad was also the favourite among parents of baby boys in the capital, topping the list in 12 London boroughs, while for girls, Sofia ranked number one. In fact, Sophia and Sofia saw a huge rise in popularity last year, becoming the best-liked name across 10 boroughs between them, up from just two in 2024. For boys, the biggest climber last year is Leo, soaring up the table from just one borough in 2024 to eight last year.
On the other end of the spectrum, Amelia is no longer on trend. An impressive 14 boroughs favoured the name in 2024, now down to just two.
Curious about what new sprogs are being named in your neighbourhood? Here’s the borough-by-borough lowdown.
The most popular baby names for each London borough
- Barking & Dagenham – Ayah or Maryam (girls) / Muhammad (boys)
- Barnet – Sofia / Noah
- Bexley – Elsie / Luca
- Brent – Maryam or Sofia / Adam
- Bromley – Sienna / Leo
- Camden – Sophia / Leo
- Croydon – Sienna / Muhammad
- Ealing – Ayla / Muhammad
- Enfield – Ayla / Leo
- Greenwich – Ayla / Leo
- Hackney – Miriam / Moshe
- Hammersmith & Fulham – Isabella / Noah
- Haringey – Esther or Sofia / Noah
- Harrow – Sofia / Muhammad
- Havering – Sophia / Muhammad
- Hillingdon – Rehmat / Muhammad
- Hounslow – Sofia / Muhammad
- Islington – Isla / Oscar
- Kensington & Chelsea – Sofia / Leo
- Kingston – Amelia or Poppy or Ruby / Oscar
- Lambeth – Isla or Sophia / Leo
- Lewisham – Olivia / Leo
- Merton – Olivia / Muhammad
- Newham – Maryam / Muhammad
- Redbridge – Maryam / Muhammad
- Richmond – Lily / William
- Southwark – Amelia / Noah
- Sutton – Charlotte / Noah
- Tower Hamlets – Maryam / Mohammed
- Waltham Forest – Sophia / Muhammad
- Wandsworth – Sienna / Leo or Oliver
- Westminster – Maya / Noah
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