Co-host of ITV’s This Morning, Ben Shephard, paused the show to deliver “breaking” news with the arrival of the 2025 trending baby names list, perfect for expectant parents searching for inspiration.
Ben shared that, according to recent statistics, Olivia continues to be the most cherished name for baby girls in England and Wales, while Mohammed retains the prime spot for boys’ names.
Ben interrupted regular programming to reveal the latest baby name favourites, saying: “Now then, breaking naming news. The UK’s top baby names have been revealed. Olivia is the most popular name for baby girls in England and Wales for the eighth year in a row.”
He couldn’t hide his surprise as he continued, “Amelia and Isla came in second and third,” while Cat informed the audience that Mohammed had triumphed in the boys’ rankings.
The Tipping Point anchor then delightedly shared with fans: “Mohammed knocked Noah off the top spot, having been the most second popular name the year prior.”
Not left out of the conversation, the TV personality boasted, “I’m in the top 100,” leading to an amusing exchange where Cat questioned, “Are you? ” He confirmed, “Yeah, Benjamin came in at 53rd on the list.”
Cat, unfazed by her own name’s lesser popularity, joked back after Ben highlighted: “There’s some bad news for Catherine’s though, you didn’t make the top 100.”
She said: “I’m just rare; I’m like a rare exotic bird,” Ben replied, half-joking about the rarity, speculating, “I think you’re going the same way as the Nigels. There were only 78 Catherines named last year.”
Cat and Ben had been discussing the data published on 5 December by the Office of National Statistics (ONS), which revealed that Olivia was the most popular name in five regions across England and Wales, with Mohammed taking the top spot in four out of nine regions.
The report indicated Noah had now slipped to second place on the list. Muhammad had been the second most popular boys’ name in 2022 after ranking up from fifth place in 2021 but has been a top ten staple since 2016.
Ahead of the official data being announced, there had been lots of hype about vintage names making a comeback. Baby name consultant Colleen Slagen, working in partnership with baby retailer JoJo Maman Bébé, predicted that classic baby names would be popular in 2025.
Colleen said: “Look out for Margot in 2025 as people are looking for feminine, classic-sounding [names like] Margot, Eloise, and Vivian. I think we’ll start seeing more traditional male names being chosen for girls such as Drew, Noah and Dylan.”
This Morning airs weekdays on ITV1, from 10am.
View news Source: https://www.ok.co.uk/tv/ben-shephard-halts-morning-breaking-34253648
