English names

Whether you are trying to choose an English name for yourself to use in English class or you're deciding what to name your characters in a story set in England, picking a good English name is important. For non-native English speakers, it's best to stick with the classic names. More unusual names are trickier to choose, and may end up attracting unwanted attention. The lists below give you the most popular English first names for boys and girls in different countries, both for babies born today and for the entire last century. The last table gives you the most common English family names in different countries based on recent census data from those countries. Using one of these English names, you can't go wrong, because they are all very common.

The most common boys' first names in English

rank England 2015 England past 100 years USA 2014 USA past 100 years
1 Oliver Jake Noah James
2 Jack Connor Liam John
3 Harry Callum Mason Robert
4 Jacob Jacob Jacob Michael
5 Charlie Kyle William William
6 Thomas Joe Ethan David
7 George Reece Michael Richard
8 Oscar Rhys Alexander Joseph
9 James Charlie James Charles
10 William Damian Daniel Thomas

 

The most common girls' first names in English

Rank England 2015 England past 100 years USA 2014 USA past 100 years
1 Amelia Margaret Emma Mary
2 Olivia Samantha Olivia Patricia
3 Isla Bethany Sophia Jennifer
4 Emily Elizabeth Isabella Elizabeth
5 Poppy Joanne Ava Linda
6 Ava Megan Mia Barbara
7 Isabella Victoria Emily Susan
8 Jessica Lauren Abigail Margaret
9 Lily Michelle Madison Jessica
10 Sophie Tracy Charlotte Sarah

 

The most common family names in English

rank England Ireland USA
1 Smith Murphy Smith
2 Jones O'Kelly Johnson
3 Williams O'Sullivan Williams
4 Brown Walsh Brown
5 Taylor Smith Jones
6 Davies O'Brien Miller
7 Wilson Byrne Davis
8 Evans O'Ryan Garcia
9 Thomas O'Connor Rodriguez
10 Roberts O'Neill Wilson

 

rank Canada Australia New Zealand
1 Li Smith Smith
2 Smith Jones Wilson
3 Lam Williams Williams
4 Martin Brown Brown
5 Gelbero Wilson Taylor
6 Roy Taylor Jones
7 Tremblay Morton Singh
8 Lee White Wang
9 Gagnon Martin Anderson
10 Wilson Anderson Li