Visual Summary
Noah becomes the most popular boys’ name.
Noah overtook Luca and returns as the most popular name in 2024, after becoming number one in 2022. Noah first entered the top 100 in 2005 and has been in the top three names since 2020.
Olivia becomes the most popular girls’ name.
Olivia became the most popular girls' name for the seventh time in 2024 replacing Isla. Olivia has been in first or second place since 2016. Olivia first entered top 100 in the early 1990s and has been steadily gaining popularity every year until it entered top five in 2008.
Variation across Scotland
Olivia, was the most or joint most common girls’ name in five of Scotland’s council areas. Noah, was the most or joint most common boys’ name in nine areas. Only two of the council areas, Falkirk and South Lanarkshire, had both Noah and Olivia as the top names.
Note that names are only calculated for those given to three or more babies.
Shetland had no names with three or more baby girls.
Key findings
- Noah and Olivia were the most popular names for boys and girls in Scotland in 2024.
- Noah returned to the top name for baby boys again after its rise to first place in 2022. Noah has been in the top three most popular names every year since 2020.
- Olivia has overtaken Isla as the top name for baby girls. Olivia was the second most popular name in 2023 and has been in the top three most popular names for baby girls since 2008.
- Within the top 10, Muhammad rose by nine places to second in the top boys’ names, and Sophia rose by ten places to sixth within the top girls’ names.
- David and Emma were the most popular names for boys and girls in Scotland during the period 1974 to 2024. Over the past five decades, more than 40,000 boys were named David, and over 24,000 girls were named Emma.
- In the top 100 girls’ names, notable changes were for Eliza, which rose 118 places to joint 79th, Romy, which rose 89 places to joint 63rd, and Nora, which rose 80 places to joint 72nd.
- For boys, Reggie, Myles and Callan rose by the largest number of places in the top 100. Reggie rose 57 places to joint 91st, Myles rose 41 places to 35th and Callan rose 36 places to joint 36th .
- Olivia and Noah were the most common names for girls and boys to mothers aged under 25. For mothers aged 35 and over, the most common names were Finn and Emily.
- The number of different names given to boys has been increasing year-to-year with a new all-time high in 2024. The number of unique names, names not given to any other boys that year, has been increasing. The same pattern was observed for girls’ names and the variety of names given to girls remains much greater that boys.
- The top girls’ name, Olivia, was the most or joint most common girls’ name in five of Scotland’s council areas. The top boys’ name, Noah, was the most (or joint most) common name in nine areas. Only two of the council areas, Falkirk and South Lanarkshire had both Noah and Olivia as the top names.
Most common names
The most common names for girls and boys in Scotland in 2024 were Olivia and Noah.
Noah returned to top boys’ name after being overtaken by Luca last year. Noah arrived in the top 10 boys’ names in 2014 and it rose up to first place in 2022. Olivia first entered the top 100 girls name list in 1993 and has steadily been increasing in popularity since, until it entered top five most popular names in 2008. It has been in the top three every year since 2006.
Table 1a: Top-20 most popular names for boys compared with previous year ranking.
Baby name ranks, Scotland, 2024
| Rank |
Name |
Number |
Change in Ranking 2023-24 |
| 1 |
Noah |
366 |
1 |
| 2 |
Muhammad |
293 |
9 |
| 3 |
Rory |
275 |
3 |
| 4 |
Theo |
270 |
4 |
| 5 |
Leo |
260 |
-2 |
| 6 |
Luca |
255 |
-5 |
| 7 |
Jack |
247 |
-3 |
| 7 |
Oliver |
247 |
No change |
| 9 |
Harris |
243 |
-4 |
| 10 |
Archie |
228 |
-1 |
| 11 |
Finlay |
220 |
-1 |
| 12 |
Alexander |
208 |
3 |
| 12 |
Jude |
208 |
5 |
| 14 |
James |
203 |
-2 |
| 15 |
Alfie |
196 |
4 |
| 16 |
Brodie |
195 |
-3 |
| 17 |
Finn |
190 |
-4 |
| 18 |
Arlo |
177 |
4 |
| 19 |
Charlie |
159 |
5 |
| 20 |
Thomas |
154 |
-4 |
| 20 |
Tommy |
154 |
5 |
Table 1b: Top-20 most popular names for girls compared with previous year ranking.
Baby name ranks, Scotland, 2024
| Rank |
Name |
Number |
Change in Ranking 2023-24 |
| 1 |
Olivia |
266 |
1 |
| 2 |
Isla |
264 |
-1 |
| 3 |
Freya |
244 |
No change |
| 4 |
Lily |
231 |
7 |
| 5 |
Millie |
222 |
3 |
| 6 |
Sophia |
214 |
10 |
| 7 |
Amelia |
198 |
-2 |
| 7 |
Emily |
198 |
-3 |
| 9 |
Ella |
195 |
-3 |
| 10 |
Charlotte |
191 |
-3 |
| 11 |
Ava |
188 |
-1 |
| 11 |
Bonnie |
188 |
13 |
| 13 |
Grace |
183 |
-4 |
| 14 |
Evie |
180 |
5 |
| 14 |
Ivy |
180 |
4 |
| 16 |
Rosie |
167 |
1 |
| 17 |
Sophie |
164 |
-4 |
| 18 |
Maisie |
161 |
-3 |
| 19 |
Maya |
159 |
9 |
| 19 |
Orla |
159 |
-5 |
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Within the top 100 girls’ names, there were four names that rose by 20 places or more –Violet, Arabella, Myla, Chloe. Notably, Eliza entered top 100 this year after rising 118 places.
Within the top 100 boys’ names, there were four names that rose by 20 places or more – Myles, Callan, Ruairidh, Lochlan. Reggie entered top 100 this year after rising 57 places.
Names by age of mother
Noah, the most popular name for boys in 2024, was the most common name with mothers under 25 and aged 30 to 34. For mothers aged 35 and over, Noah was the sixth most common name. Luca, which was the boys top name in 2023, was the second most popular name for babies to mothers under the age of 25. Muhammad was the most popular name for mothers aged 25 to 29. Finn was the most common name for mothers aged 35 and over, but but was less popular among younger mothers, placing 58th for babies with mothers under 25.
Arlo and Mason only appeared in the top 10 boys' names for mothers aged under 25 years. Alfie and James only featured in the top 10 boys' names for mothers aged over 35 years
Figure 1a: Noah is the most popular name to mothers aged under 25 while Finn is the most popular name to mothers aged 35 and over.
Ranked boys’ names by mothers’ age group (selected names)
Olivia, the most popular name for girls in 2024, was the most common name with mothers aged 25 to 29 and the second most popular name for mothers under 25. It was the fourth most popular name for older mothers aged 30 and over. For mothers in the oldest age group, Emily was the most popular name with, but was 39th for babies with mothers in the youngest age group. Amelia was the most popular girls’ name for babies with mothers aged 25 and under, but was 20th for babies with mothers in the oldest age group.
Ava, Aria, and Harper only appear in the top 10 leading girls’ names chosen by mothers aged under 25. Traditionally popular names, such as Charlotte and Sophie, only appear in the top 10 for mothers aged 35 and older.
Figure 1b: The most popular name to mothers aged under 25 is Amelia. Emily is the most popular name to mother aged 35 and over.
Ranked girls’ names by mothers’ age group (selected names)
Variety of names chosen
In 2024, there were 4,673 different first names given to girls and 3,925 different first names given to boys in Scotland. These statistics are based on the birth registrations of 22,329 girls and 23,422 boys.
Figure 2: Girls have more different names than boys. The rate of different names is increasing for both boys and girls. In 2024 the rate of different names for boys is fivefold the 1974 value.
Rate of different names per 1,000 births
A random selection of 1,000 baby girls born in 2024 would have 209 different names among them, meaning that any one baby girl would be likely to share her name with five others. For boys, this figure is six, as there were 168 different names per 1,000 babies.
The variety of baby names has steadily increased over the last 50 years. For baby girls born in 1974, there would have been around 58 different names per 1,000 babies; meaning that any one baby would share her name with an average of 17 others. A boy born in 1974 would have likely shared his name with 30 others.
In 2024, 1.2% of baby girls born in Scotland had the most common name, Olivia, and 14% had a name that no other baby girl was given, the highest ever percentage. The popularity of the most common name has generally decreased over time, with the name Laura being given to nearly one in every 26 girls born in 1983 (3.9%), more than twice as common as Olivia is now.
The name Noah was given to 1.6% of boys born in 2024, while 10.8% of boys did not share their name with another baby boy born last year, the highest ever percentage. Up until 1994, more boys were given the most common name for the year than were given unique names. In 1979, nearly 1 in 17 babies born was given the name David (5.7%), while around 1 in every 43 babies was given a unique name (2.3%).
Names and popular culture
Many names become popular due to appearing on TV or film, or due to a celebrity having this name or choosing it for their baby.
Films
The release of Disney tale "Luca" in 2022 may have increased interest in the name, with the number of boys named Luca jumping from 159 in 2021 to 344 in 2023, making it the most popular name for boys that year. However, Luca has fallen back to sixth in the rankings in 2024.
The release of Disney adventure "The Good Dinosaur" in 2015 could be another animation influencing parents. The film, which follows Arlo, an 10-year-old Apatosaurus, coincided with a large and continuous increase in the number of registrations of the name, with the count increasing from 28 boys in 2015 (232nd) to 177 (18th) in 2024, entering for the first time the top 20.
TV character names
The popularity of the name Clara reaching the top 100 names for the first time in 2024 could be linked to “Clara Oswald” one of the companions of Dr Who. Since the first appearance in 2012 the name rose from 16 girls in 2016 to 50 girls in 2024.
The increase in the number of girls named Violet rising 31 places from 72nd last year making it into top 50 baby girl names for 2024 could it be linked to “Violet Baudelaire”, the oldest child in the “A Series of Unfortunate Events” book and Netflix series.
Music
Ezra just entered the top 100 most popular names given to boys in 2024, with 57 registered that year. The name rose in prominence at around the same time that musician George Ezra achieved widespread fame, with an 125% increase in 2015 coming after his debut album “Wanted on Voyage” topped the charts. Parents may also be influenced by the character Ezra Bridger from the television series Star Wars: Ahsoka released in 2023.
Robbie re-entered the top 100 most popular names given to boys after dropping out of it in 2021. The name had a 62% increase in 1994 during the period in which Robbie Williams and Take That had become radio and television stars across Europe. It remained in the top 100 names until 2018 and it has been in and out since. The recent return into the top 100 could be linked to the release of Better Man, a film about Robbie Williams life, in 2024.
Sport personalities
The number of boys called Reggie jumped from 32 in 2023 to 57 in 2024, an increase of 78%, reaching the top 100 boys names for the first time. A potential reason for the rise in popularity of the name in 2024 could be “Reggie” a 2023 documentary film centered on American former professional baseball player Reggie Jackson.
Names by area within Scotland
The top girls’ name, Olivia, was the top or joint most common girls’ name in five of Scotland’s 32 council areas. The top (or joint top boys’ name, Noah, was the top name in nine areas. Only two of the council areas, Falkirk and South Lanarkshire had both Noah and Olivia as the top names. Shetland Islands had no girls names used three or more times in 2024, following a similar pattern to recent years.
A map with the most popular names in each council area is available at the beginning of this report.
Top 100 names for the period 1974 to 2024
The most common names overall for girls and boys between 1974 and 2024 were Emma and David. In the same period, James and Andrew were the second and third most popular names for boys. Laura and Sarah were the second and third most common names for girls. Olivia and Noah, the top names for girls and boys in 2024, appear in the top 100 most common names for the period 1974 to 2024. Olivia was in 20th place and Noah was in 83rd position.
The top 100 most popular names overall for the period 1974 to 2024 is available in Table 7 of the summary tables.
