Visual Summary
Noah remains the most popular boys’ name.
After returning to the top spot in 2024, Noah was once again the most popular boys’ name in 2025. Noah first entered the top 100 in 2005 and has been in the top three names since 2020.
Freya becomes the most popular girls’ name for the first time.
Freya became the most popular girls' name in 2025, rising to the top spot for the first time and replacing Olivia. Freya first entered the top 10 in 2019, and has been getting steadily more popular since then, having been in the top three since 2022.
Variation across Scotland
Freya was most or joint most popular girls’ name in seven of Scotland’s council areas. Noah, was the most or joint most popular boys’ name in seven areas. Aberdeenshire was the only council area where both Noah and Freya were the top names.
Contains Ordnance Survey data © Crown copyright and database right 2026
Please note that only names given to three or more babies are included.
Shetland Islands had no names given to three or more baby girls, and Orkney Islands had no names given to three or more baby boys.
Key findings
- Noah and Freya were the most popular names for boys and girls in Scotland in 2025.
- Noah continued to be the top name for baby boys after returning to the top spot in 2024.
- Noah has been in the top three most popular names every year since 2020.
- Freya has become top name for baby girls for the first time. Freya was the third most popular name for baby girls in 2022, 2023, and 2024, and has been in the top ten since 2019.
- Within the top 10, Grace rose by eight places to fifth within the top girls’ names, and Rosie moved up six places to be tenth most popular. Luca rose by four places to second place in the top boys’ names.
- Names beginning with the letter A were the most popular for both boys and girls, with 14.0% of girls and 11.7% of boys being born in 2025 being given first names starting with A. A has been the most popular initial for girls’ names since 2004, and for boys since 2017.
- Names ending in -ie have become steadily more popular for both girls and boys over time. In 2025, 13.4% of baby girls and 8.0% of baby boys had names ending in -ie, compared to 4.5% of girls and 0.5% of boys born in 1974.
- In the top 100 girls’ names, notable changes from 2024 were for Lilly and Matilda, which each rose 55 places to 83rd and 93rd respectively, Darcy, which rose 52 places to 100th, and Margot, which rose 45 places to 79th.
- For boys, Vinnie, Cooper, and Ruaridh rose by the largest number of places from 2024 in the top 100 for 2025. Vinnie rose 70 places to join the top 100 at 95th, Cooper rose 42 places to 79th, and Ruaridh rose 33 places to 52nd .
- Freya and Noah were the most popular names for girls and boys born to mothers aged under 25. For mothers aged 40 and over, the most popular names were Sophie and Alexander.
- The number of different names given to boys has continued to increase, reaching a new all-time high in 2025. The number of unique names, names not given to any other boys that year, has also continued to increase. Numbers of different names and unique names given to girls have decreased slightly since 2024, but the variety of names given to girls is still larger than for boys.
- The top girls’ name, Freya, was the most or joint most popular girls’ name in seven of Scotland’s council areas. Noah, the top boys’ name, was the most or joint most popular boys’ name in seven areas. Aberdeenshire was the only council area where both Noah and Freya were the top names.
Most common names
The most common names for girls and boys in Scotland in 2025 were Freya and Noah.
Noah continued to be the top boys’ name after returning to the top spot in 2024. Noah arrived in the top 10 boys’ names in 2014 and first rose up to first place in 2022.
Freya first entered the top 100 girls names list in 2001, and has steadily been increasing in popularity since. Freya entered the top 20 most popular names for girls in 2010, the top 10 in 2019, and was the third most popular name for three years starting in 2022.
Table 1a: Top 20 most popular names for boys in 2025, and changes in ranking from 2024.
Baby name ranks for boys, Scotland, 2025
| Rank |
Name |
Number |
Change in Ranking 2024-25 |
| 1 |
Noah |
318 |
0 |
| 2 |
Luca |
302 |
4 |
| 3 |
Rory |
301 |
0 |
| 4 |
Muhammad |
291 |
-2 |
| 5 |
Oliver |
269 |
2 |
| 6 |
Theo |
243 |
-2 |
| 7 |
Leo |
236 |
-2 |
| 8 |
Archie |
222 |
2 |
| 9 |
Finlay |
216 |
2 |
| 10 |
Harris |
211 |
-1 |
| 11 |
Jude |
206 |
1 |
| 12 |
Freddie |
201 |
13 |
| 13 |
Jack |
200 |
-6 |
| 14 |
James |
199 |
0 |
| 15 |
Brodie |
194 |
1 |
| 16 = |
Charlie |
167 |
3 |
| 16 = |
Alfie |
167 |
-1 |
| 18 |
Finn |
159 |
-1 |
| 19 |
Arthur |
158 |
5 |
| 20 |
Oscar |
157 |
2 |
Table 1b: Top 20 most popular names for girls in 2025, and changes in ranking from 2024.
Baby name ranks for girls, Scotland, 2025
| Rank |
Name |
Number |
Change in Ranking 2024-25 |
| 1 |
Freya |
268 |
2 |
| 2 |
Isla |
253 |
0 |
| 3 |
Olivia |
251 |
-2 |
| 4 |
Amelia |
204 |
3 |
| 5 |
Grace |
200 |
8 |
| 6 |
Emily |
196 |
1 |
| 7 |
Millie |
195 |
-2 |
| 8 |
Lily |
193 |
-4 |
| 9 |
Sophia |
181 |
-3 |
| 10 |
Rosie |
177 |
6 |
| 11 |
Maisie |
169 |
7 |
| 12 |
Sophie |
168 |
5 |
| 13 |
Ava |
166 |
-2 |
| 14 = |
Ella |
164 |
-5 |
| 14 = |
Charlotte |
164 |
-4 |
| 16 |
Ivy |
144 |
-2 |
| 17 |
Sofia |
142 |
5 |
| 18 |
Evie |
141 |
-4 |
| 19 |
Hallie |
137 |
12 |
| 20 |
Maya |
136 |
-1 |
Within the top 100 girls’ names, there were 14 names that rose by 25 places or more –Lilly, Matilda, Darcy, Margot, Quinn, Florence, Evelyn, Eloise, Nina, Billie, Mollie, Sadie, Summer, and Mabel. Five of these names were in the top 100 last year: Florence, Nina, Sadie, Summer, and Mabel.
Within the top 100 boys’ names, there were five names that rose by 25 places or more – Vinnie, Cooper, Ruaridh, Nico, and Joey. Vinnie had the largest increase in popularity, moving up 70 places and into the top 100 this year.
Names by age of mother
Noah, the most popular name for boys in 2025, was the most popular boys’ name among mothers under 25, the same as in 2024. For mothers aged 40 and over, Noah was the fifth most popular name. Rory, the third most popular name for boys overall, was the most popular name for baby boys with mothers in their thirties. Muhammad was the most popular boys’ name among mothers aged 25 to 29, and Alexander was the name most popular among mothers aged 40 and over.
Figure 1a: Noah continued to be the most popular name for baby boys with mothers aged under 25, while Alexander is the most popular boys' name among mothers aged 40 and over.
Boys' names ranked by mothers' age group (selected names), 2025
Freya, the most popular name overall for girls in 2025, was the most popular name with mothers aged 29 and under, the third most popular name among mothers in their thirties, and the 13th most popular name among mothers aged 40 and over. Sophie was the most popular girls’ name among mothers aged 40 and over, and was 140th for babies with mothers aged 25 and under. Isla was the most popular girls’ name for babies among mothers aged 30 to 35, and Emily was the most popular girls’ name among mothers aged 35 to 39.
Figure 1b: The most popular name for baby girls with mothers aged under 30 is Freya. Sophie is the most popular girls’ name among mothers aged 40 and over.
Girls' names ranked by mothers' age group, 2025 (selected names)
Trends in babies’ names
Initials
In 2025, names beginning with the letter A were the most popular for both boys and girls, with 14.0% of girls and 11.7% of boys being born in 2025 being given first names starting with A.
The most popular name for girls beginning with A in 2025 was Amelia, in 4th place overall, and the most popular A name for boys was Archie, in 8th place. 11 of the top 100 names for girls and 11 of the top 100 names for boys started with A.
Boys’ names beginning with A have been the most popular since 2017. From 1992 to 2016, names beginning with J were the most popular, and from 1974 to 1991, S was the most popular first initial for boys.
Figure 2a: Names beginning with A have been the most popular for boys since 2017, following a quarter of a century of J being the most popular initial.
Percentage of baby boys with names starting with each letter of the alphabet, 1974-2025
A has consistently been the most popular initial for girls’ names since 2004. Names beginning with C were the most popular for girls from 1996 to 2001, and from 1974 to 1989, names beginning with L were the most popular.
Figure 2b: Names beginning with A have been the most popular for over 20 years for baby girls, since 2004. Girls’ names starting with L were the most popular in the 1970s and 1980s, and names beginning with C were the most popular from 1996 to 2001.
Percentage of baby girls with names starting with each letter of the alphabet, 1974-2025
Other characteristics
Names ending in -ie, many of which are ‘diminutives’ or ‘nicknames’ for longer names, have become steadily more popular for both girls and boys over time. In 2025, 13.4% of baby girls and 8.0% of baby boys had names ending in -ie, an all-time high for both boys and girls. This is compared to just 4.5% of girls and 0.5% of boys born in 1974 having names ending in -ie. Names ending in -ie experienced a marked increase in popularity for baby girls around the start of the millenium.
This year, six of the top 20 names for girls ended in -ie: Millie, Rosie, Maisie, Sophie, Evie and Hallie, with Hallie rising 12 places from 2024. Five of the top 20 boys’ names in 2025 ended in -ie: Archie, Freddie, Brodie, Charlie, and Alfie. Freddie rose by 13 places to be the 12th most popular boys’ name in 2025, from 25th in 2024.
First names containing hyphens have become more popular since 1974 too. 1.3% of boys born in 2025 were given a first name with a hyphen, an all time high. 3.1% of girls born in 2025 had a hyphen in their first name, a larger share than 0.7% in 1974, but down from a high of 4.2% in 2020.
Figure 3: Names containing hyphens and names ending in -ie have become more popular over time for both boys and girls. Names ending in -ie have reached an all-time high in popularity in 2025.
Percentage of baby boys and baby girls with names containing hyphens and ending in -ie, 1974-2025
Variety of names chosen
In 2025, there were 4,603 different first names given to girls, slightly fewer than 4,673 names in 2024, and 3,957 different first names given to boys, a small increase from 3,925 in 2024. Statistics for 2025 are based on the birth registrations of 21,974 girls and 23,082 boys.
In 2025, 1.2% of baby girls born in Scotland had the most popular name, Freya, and 14.0% had a unique name that no other baby girl was given that year, similar to in 2024. The share of babies being given the most popular name has generally decreased over time, with the share of baby girls being given the top name in 1983 (Laura, 3.9%) being more than twice as large as for Freya in 2025.
The name Noah was given to 1.4% of boys born in 2025, a slightly smaller share than in 2024 (1.6%), while 11.1% of boys did not share their name with another baby boy born last year, the new highest ever percentage. For more information on longer-term trends in popular and unique names, please see our 2024 publication.
Possible name inspirations
Nature
Parents may have been looking to the skies for inspiration in 2025. Spectacular displays of the aurora borealis, or the Northern Lights, seen across Scotland in 2024 and 2025 have occurred alongside record numbers of parents embracing the name Aurora for their babies, which reached 55th place in 2024, and 45th place in 2025. While not quite as popular in 2025 as in 2024, the name Nova has had a stellar performance, remaining in the top 100 this year in joint 74th place. Luna has waned in popularity in the most recent few years since peaking at 60th place in 2022, having been eclipsed by 105 other names in 2025 to come in at joint 106th place.
Closer to Earth, there were a bouquet of botanical names in the top 100 this year. Rowan was the 47th most popular boys’ name. Two floral names reached the top 10 for girls, Lily in 8th place and Rosie in 10th place. These were followed by 13 more botanical names in the top 100 for girls: Ivy in 16th place, Daisy in 26th place, Willow in 27th place, Poppy in 35th place, Violet in joint 64th place, Rose in joint 71st place, Holly in joint 77th place, Lilly in joint 83rd place, Rosa in joint 86th, and Flora and Hazel in joint 94th. Outwith the top 100, Fern saw a spike in popularity this year, rising over 150 places to joint 112th.
Film, TV, and music
Margot leapt 45 places to become the 79th most popular girls’ name in 2025. Parents may have been inspired by actor and producer Margot Robbie, star of the 2023 Barbie movie among many other credits.
Cillian has continued to be a popular name for boys in 2025, coming in at joint 100th place. This is slightly down from a peak of 83rd place in 2024. Cillian is an Irish name which has been getting more popular in Scotland over the last decade. This could be partly inspired by actor Cillian Murphy, who starred in 28 Days Later, Oppenheimer, and Peaky Blinders.
Florence has reached a new high in 2025, at joint 54th place with 74 girls sharing their name with Florence Welch, musician of Florence and the Machine fame, and actor Florence Pugh. Parents could also be paying homage to Florence Nightingale who, in addition to her many pioneering achievements in nursing, was also an innovative statistician.
Vinnie saw the largest leap up the charts of all names in the top 100 this year, moving up 70 places to joint 95th place. This may have been driven by fans of footballer and actor Vinnie Jones, who stars in the Netflix series The Gentlemen.
Billie was more popular than ever in 2025 at joint 100th place. Billie saw an increase in popularity in 2020, the year after musician Billie Eilish released her debut album “When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go?”.
Jude was a very rare name before 1999 but has steadily become more popular since the start of the millennium, reaching an all-time high position of 11th place in 2025. Parents may have been inspired by actor Jude Law, or were perhaps fans of The Beatles’ song “Hey Jude".
Fiction
Dearest gentle reader… we can report that Daphne, Eloise and Penelope have all increased in popularity this year, with the name of each Bridgerton character reaching joint 172nd, 91st, and 71st place respectively, up from 476th, 124th, and 81st in 2024.
Lyra was joint 106th most popular name for girls in 2025. Parents may have been inspired by Lyra Belacqua, the heroine of Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials and Book of Dust trilogies. The final novel in the latter trilogy was published in 2025.
Roman is the 33rd most popular boys’ name for the third time in 2025. After first jumping from 101st place in 2019 to 33rd in 2020, the name has continued to be popular. This jump in popularity occurred while the TV show Succession was airing, which featured a character called Roman.
The girls’ name Hallie is up from joint 31st place in 2024 to 19th, the parents of the 137 baby girls with this name in 2025 may have been inspired by the character of the same name from the children’s animation Doc McStuffins.
There were also some possible Shakesperean influences, with Romeo climbing to a record 174th place for boys, although parents might have been inspired by the Beckham family rather than the Bard. Ophelia also rose to new heights this year, reaching 183rd place. Parents later in the year may have been inspired by Taylor Swift’s song “The Fate of Ophelia” which was released in October. However, this is perhaps a case of art imitating life, as Ophelia has been becoming more popular since 2022.
Names by area within Scotland
The top girls’ name, Freya, was the most or joint most popular girls’ name in seven of Scotland’s council areas. Noah, the top boys’ name, was the most or joint most popular boys’ name in seven areas. Aberdeenshire was the only council area where both Noah and Freya were the top names. Shetland Islands had no names given to three or more baby girls, and Orkney Islands had no names given to three or more baby boys.
A map with the most popular names in each council area is available in the Visual Summary at the beginning of this report.
