2021

Isla overtakes Olivia as the top name for baby girls for the first time, with Olivia taking the second spot and Emily now being the third most popular name, according to the full lists of 2020 baby names published by National Records of Scotland (NRS) today.

Jack remains the most popular boy's name, holding on to the top spot for the 13th consecutive year. Noah is now the second most popular boy's name, having jumped from 7th place last year, and meanwhile James stays in 3rd place.

The girl's name Maeve made a massive leap of 130 places from last year, up to 86th place, and Ayda, the second highest climber in the girls' top 100 list, rose 63 places to the 91st spot.

The biggest increases in the top 100  boys' list were Roman, which jumped up 68 places to 33rd, and Finley, which rose 48 places to 88th.

2020 saw the highest ever level of different names, a trend that has continued for some time now.

Of the 23,968 girls registered in Scotland last year, there were 4,347 different names, whilst more boys shared the same name. Of the 22,387 boys registered, there were only 3,375 different names. Children nowadays are much less likely to share a name with classmates than their grandparents were.

Julie Ramsay, Vital Events Statistician, said: 

“We can see from the 2020 names lists that different generations of parents have different preferences for naming their babies.

"Isla, the most popular name for girls in 2020, was the most popular name with mothers aged 35 and over, but it only ranked 7th  with mothers aged under 25. However, Olivia, the most popular girls name of 2019, was ranked 1st by younger mothers and 6th by older mothers.

"Jack, the most popular name for boys in 2020, was the 2nd most popular name with mothers aged 35 and above, and only 17th with mothers aged under 25. James was the most popular name for boys with older mothers while Noah was ranked 1st for younger mothers.

"Popular culture often affects how people name their babies. The name Billie rose in popularity by 79% in the past two years with 34 baby girls being given this name in 2020. In the same time, Google searches in the UK for “Billie” and “Billie Eilish” spiked, with the singer having her first number one single in the UK in early 2020.

"Tommy, a name occurring in the popular TV shows Peaky Blinders and Love Island, has doubled in popularity in the last two years, with 148 boys being given this name. Our data shows it is more popular with younger mothers than with older mothers."

You can explore the popularity of first names in Scotland over the years with NRS’s interactive app here.

Today, NRS also published a list of the most common surnames in the Birth, Marriage and Death registers for 2020.  Smith, Brown, and Wilson have been the three most popular surnames since the first list, which is for 1975, and remained the top three in 2020.

The Babies' First Names, 2020 (Full List) and the Most Common Surnames in Birth, Marriage and Death registers are available on the NRS website.

As at 14th March, 9,831 deaths have been registered in Scotland where the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) was mentioned on the death certificate, according to statistics published by National Records of Scotland (NRS) today. 

In the week 8-14 March 104 deaths were registered that mentioned COVID-19 on the death certificate, a decrease of 38 deaths from the previous week.

Over 80% of deaths this week occurred in hospital, representing 86 deaths, 14 deaths occurred in care homes and 4 at home or in non-institutional settings.

Deaths from all causes are below average for this time of year, this week there were 90 fewer deaths when compared with the five year average.

This is the first time since October that deaths have been below average, apart from the week of 11 – 17 January when the statistics were affected by the Christmas holiday period.

Pete Whitehouse, Director of Statistical Services, said:

“Over the last year, COVID-19 has had a devastating impact on communities across the country, my heartfelt sympathies go out to all those who have lost someone to this virus.

“The latest statistics show that for the seventh consecutive week, we have seen a welcome reduction in the number of deaths. This is the lowest number of weekly deaths since the week of 19th to 25th October.

“We also published monthly statistics reporting on mortality by deprivation, occupation and pre-existing health conditions. Between March 2020 and February 2021, 93% of those who died had at least one pre-existing condition.  The most common main pre-existing condition was dementia and Alzheimer’s, accounting for 25% of all deaths involving COVID-19.”

The publication Deaths involving coronavirus (COVID-19) in Scotland is available on the NRS website.

Thousands of volumes of historical records from the collections of National Records of Scotland (NRS) are now available online for the first time.

Images of more than a million pages from the kirk session and other court records of the Church of Scotland, containing details of key events in communities across the country between 1559 and 1900, have been added to ScotlandsPeople, NRS’s online research service.

These records offer remarkable insights into the everyday lives of ordinary Scots, recording important moments such as births, marriages and deaths. The church also adjudicated on paternity of children and provided basic education, as well as disciplining parishioners for what could be called anti-social behaviour – drunkenness, cursing and breaking the Sabbath.

The newly added records also include accounts of how people dealt with exceptional historical events such as wars, witchcraft trials, epidemics, crop failures and extreme weather.

Paul Lowe, NRS Chief Executive and Keeper of the Records of Scotland, said:

“We are delighted to make the kirk session records available online for the very first time, bringing ScotlandsPeople users closer than ever to our past.

“This release has been eagerly anticipated by many who use our services. It is part of our ambitious and ongoing programme to use digital approaches to provide access to more of our historic records for the people of Scotland and indeed audiences across the world.”

Fiona Hyslop, Cabinet Secretary for Economy, Fair Work and Culture, said:

“The kirk session records are a wonderful free resource for amateur and professional historical researchers. Spanning almost 350 years and including both notable historical events and incidents from the everyday lives of ordinary people, they offer a great insight into Scotland’s past.

“The addition of these records to ScotlandsPeople is an opportunity for anyone who has an interest in Scottish history to delve into NRS records and discover more about our fascinating heritage.”

Rev Dr George Whyte, Principal Clerk of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland, said:

“I am delighted that National Records of Scotland are making available Church of Scotland material in this digitised form. This will allow many more people to look into Scotland’s past through the eyes of those in the Kirk who carefully recorded the everyday life of our parishes and wider communities.”

The new record set is digitised and unindexed, presented as individual volumes for users to browse. The images are free to view with a small charge for users who want to save images.

The records of kirk sessions and of higher church courts, such as presbyteries and synods, are the first in a series of digitised record sets NRS will make available via ScotlandsPeople throughout 2021 and beyond.

Background:

A new system was introduced to run church affairs, education and poor relief following the Scottish Reformation in 1560: the General Assembly, synods, presbyteries, and kirk sessions. The records created by church courts are very useful for family history, local history and academic social history research.

Deposited since 1960, church court records are cared for by NRS and by local archives under charge and superintendence of the Keeper of the Records of Scotland.

The ScotlandsPeople website is administered by NRS, which cares for Scotland’s national archives. These records have been digitised and added to the site in partnership with the Church of Scotland.

As at 7th March, 9,725 deaths have been registered in Scotland where the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) was mentioned on the death certificate, according to statistics published by National Records of Scotland (NRS) today. 

In the week 1-7 March 141 deaths were registered that mentioned COVID-19 on the death certificate, a decrease of 89 deaths from the previous week.

Over 80% of deaths this week occurred in hospital, representing 119 deaths, 14 deaths occurred in care homes and 8 at home or in non-institutional settings.

In the last six weeks deaths in all locations have fallen, the fastest decrease has been in care homes which now accounts for 10% of all COVID-19 deaths. Apart from one week in August when there were only 2 deaths in total,  this is the lowest proportion of deaths occurring in care homes since March 2020.  

Pete Whitehouse, Director of Statistical Services, said: 

“Almost a year ago NRS began to produce these statistics in response to the spread of Coronavirus. Behind these statistics are people who have suffered loss and my thoughts are with all those who have been impacted by this virus.

“For the sixth consecutive week, we have seen a welcome reduction in the number of deaths. We now have the lowest number of weekly deaths since the week of 19th to 25th October.

“In recent weeks we have seen a decrease in the number of deaths occurring in care homes and amongst the oldest age groups in our society. This trend is continuing, with the latest statistics showing that the over 75 age groups now account for just over half of COVID-19 related deaths, when six weeks ago they accounted for almost three quarters of deaths.

“Our report also shows that deaths from all causes are 3% above average for this time of year, representing a continuing fall in the number of excess deaths.”

The publication Deaths involving coronavirus (COVID-19) in Scotland is available on the NRS website.

16,626 deaths were recorded in October to December 2020, which is 12.5% more than the five year average for quarter 4.

Coronavirus (COVID-19) was the underlying cause of 2,093 deaths.

Today’s quarter 4 figures when compared with the five year average for that time of year show:

• Deaths from cancer decreased by 1.1%
• Deaths from coronary heart disease remained unchanged
• Deaths from dementia and Alzheimer’s disease decreased by 7.3%
• Deaths from respiratory diseases decreased by 30.3%
• Deaths by cerebrovascular disease (including stroke) decreased by 4.3%

Julie Ramsay, Vital Events statistician, said:

“After the significantly high number of deaths we saw in April to June last year, the number then returned to broadly average levels in July to September.

“As the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic developed, deaths increased again in October to December.

"The age-standardised mortality rate, which takes into account the growing and ageing population, was 8.9% higher than at the same point in the previous year.

Today’s statistics also show that 13,263 births were registered between October and December 2020, although this does not reflect the actual numbers of births which occurred in this period. Registrars in some areas are still clearing the backlog caused by birth registration being postponed between mid-March and late June.

5,056 marriages took place in quarter 4 compared with an average of 6,066 for quarter 4 of the previous five years. Ceremonies have only been able to take place on a restricted basis since late June.

Same-sex marriage numbers have also decreased, with 183 taking place in 2020 compared with a five-year average of 238 for this time of year.

However, there were 27 civil partnerships registered in quarter 4 compared to an average of 20 in that time for the previous five years.

The publication Births, Deaths and other Vital Events - Quarterly Figures and an infographic summary is available on this website.

As at 28th February, 9,580 deaths have been registered in Scotland where the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) was mentioned on the death certificate, according to statistics published by National Records of Scotland (NRS) today. 

In the week 22-28 February, 227 deaths were registered that mentioned COVID-19 on the death certificate, a decrease of 64 deaths from the previous week.

The majority of deaths occurred in hospitals, representing 187 deaths, with 26 deaths in care homes and 14 at home or in non-institutional settings.

Around two thirds of deaths were people aged 75 and over, representing 148 deaths and there were 32 deaths among those aged under 65.

There were 69 more deaths registered in the latest week compared with the average for the period 2015 to 2019, representing an excess of 6%.

Pete Whitehouse, Director of Statistical Services, said: 

“Today’s figures continue to show a welcome reduction in the number of COVID-19 related deaths, but I am keenly aware that for families across Scotland each and every death represents a tragic loss.

 “This is the fifth consecutive week that we have seen a fall in the number of deaths involving COVID-19, and this week there is also a fall in the number of excess deaths.”

The publication Deaths involving coronavirus (COVID-19) in Scotland is available on the NRS website.

As at 21st February, 9,347 deaths have been registered in Scotland where the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) was mentioned on the death certificate, according to statistics published by National Records of Scotland (NRS) today. 

In the week 15 – 21 February, 290 deaths were registered that mentioned COVID-19 on the death certificate, this is a decrease of 35 deaths from the previous week.

Over 80% of deaths this week occurred in hospital, representing 235 deaths, 34 deaths occurred in care homes, 20 at home or in non-institutional settings and 1 in another institution.

Care home deaths involving COVID-19 continue to fall at a faster rate than other locations, showing a 19% decrease in the latest week and a 69% decrease over the last four weeks.

Deaths from all causes remain higher than usual for this time of year, with 157 excess deaths recorded across all locations in the latest week, showing a 12% increase when compared with the average for the period 2015 to 2019.

Pete Whitehouse, Director of Statistical Services, said: 

“My thoughts and condolences are with all the families and wider communities who have lost loved ones as a result of this virus.

“Today’s statistics show some welcome news, for the fourth consecutive week the number of deaths have fallen and in the latest week the number of deaths have decreased by 11%. Deaths in care homes over the last month have fallen at a faster rate than deaths in other locations.”

The publication Deaths involving coronavirus (COVID-19) in Scotland is available on the NRS website.

An estimated 216 people experiencing homelessness died in 2019, according to experimental statistics published by National Records of Scotland (NRS).

This represents an increase of 21 deaths when compared to 2018 estimates.

Almost three quarters of homeless deaths were males, accounting for 157 deaths. The average age at death in 2019 was 43 years for males and 39 years for females.

More than half of homeless deaths were drug-related.

Scotland had the highest homeless death rate when compared to England and Wales, with a rate of 52.2 per million population aged 15-74 compared to 18.0 in England and 14.3 in Wales.

These statistics include people who were in temporary accommodation at the time of their death as well as those who were sleeping rough.

Head of Vital Events, Julie Ramsay said:

“Given the importance of having information on the number of homeless deaths in Scotland, we worked with ONS to develop this methodology to provide estimates.

“While these statistics help our understanding of this issue, it’s important to understand these figures are currently experimental and the methodology is under development.

“These estimates do provide context and show that homeless deaths have increased for the second consecutive year, with an 11% increase on the estimate in 2018.”

The publication Homeless Deaths, 2019 and an infographic summary is available on the NRS website.

As at 14th February, 9,053 deaths have been registered in Scotland where the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) was mentioned on the death certificate, according to statistics published by National Records of Scotland (NRS) today. 

In the week 8-14 February, 323 deaths were registered that mentioned COVID-19 on the death certificate, this is a decrease of 54 deaths from the previous week.

Over 80% of deaths this week occurred in hospital, representing 266 deaths, 42 deaths occurred in care homes and 15 at home or in non-institutional settings.

In the last three weeks deaths in all locations have started to fall, with the fastest decrease occurring in care homes which has seen a 62% reduction in deaths in a three week period. Care home deaths have fallen to a level last seen around the end of October.

For the first time since November, deaths of those aged 85 and over are now lower than deaths among 75-84 year olds.

Pete Whitehouse, Director of Statistical Services, said: 

“Over 9,000 deaths have now been registered in Scotland where COVID-19 was mentioned on the death certificate and they represent loss and grief for families and communities across the country.

“Today’s statistics show some signs of progress, for the third consecutive week, we have seen a welcome reduction in the number of deaths. Deaths in care homes over the last 3 weeks have fallen at a faster rate than deaths in other locations. The number of deaths in the 85 and over age group have also fallen more steeply than younger age groups.

“There were 146 excess deaths across all locations in the last week, 12 percent above average for this time of year. This figure remains high, but has fallen steadily in recent weeks.”

The publication Deaths involving coronavirus (COVID-19) in Scotland is available on the NRS website.

As at 7th February, 8,726 deaths have been registered in Scotland where the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) was mentioned on the death certificate, according to statistics published by National Records of Scotland (NRS) today. 

In the week 1-7 February, 374 deaths were registered that mentioned COVID-19 on the death certificate, this is a decrease of 70 deaths from the previous week.

Three quarters of deaths this week occurred in hospital, representing 281 deaths, 68 occurred in care homes, 22 at home or in non-institutional settings and 3 in other institutions.

The majority of deaths were of people aged 75 and over representing 275 deaths, and 44 deaths were those aged under 65.

There were 215 more deaths registered in the latest week compared with the five year average. This number of excess deaths is a result of COVID-19 related deaths as the number of excess deaths from other causes including respiratory causes, dementia, and circulatory causes are below average for this time of year.

Pete Whitehouse, Director of Statistical Services, said: 

“As we continue to live with this virus, these figures show the very real consequences facing families and communities across the country who have suffered the loss of a loved one.

“Today’s statistics show a welcome reduction in the number of deaths for the second consecutive week.”

The publication Deaths involving coronavirus (COVID-19) in Scotland is available on the NRS website.