Popular names of last century no longer in fashion

Names such as Margaret, Rebecca, Paul and John were among the most popular names of the last 100 years but have since fallen out of favour, figures show.

Historic lists from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) show that Margaret was the number one girls’ name in 1924, 1934 and 1944 while Susan topped the list in 1954 and 1964.

But the latest data shows Margaret has dropped to 357th most popular girls’ name in 2020 in England and Wales with just 124 babies given the name.

Susan is ranked at 2,042nd position on the list, with a total of 13 baby girls named Susan in 2020.

In the list of boys’ names, John was top in 1914, 1924, 1934 and 1944 but has fallen to 150th in 2020.

Paul was the top name for boys in 1974, but sits at 384th on the 2020 list.

Rebecca was the number one name for girls in 1994, but is ranked 236th in 2020.

Thomas was the top name for boys in 1994, and is placed at 15th in last year’s list.

Sarah topped the lists for girls in 1974 and 1984, but in 2020 is ranked 115th.

Back in 1904 and 1914, the top name for girls was Mary, a name that sits at 291st on the most recent list.

In 1954 and 1964, David was the number one name for boys, but in 2020 is ranked 60th.

The top names for boys in 1984 was Christopher, which in 2020 was in 179th place.