Office for National Statistics reveals most popular baby name predictions for 2026

Baby names (opens in new tab) are always changing with the times and trends - so which ones will be popular ten years from now?

Well, now we can give our crystal balls a rest and satisfy our curiosity with official predictions, thanks to the Office for National Statistics - and we can't say we're surprised to see a big royal influence on both lists.

The name predicted to be the most popular (opens in new tab) for girls in 2026 is Charlotte, with many babies probably being named after Princess Charlotte (opens in new tab), who was born in 2015.

The top name for boys on the other hand is - drum roll please - George, just like Will and Kate's firstborn Prince George (opens in new tab).

Charlotte is tipped to be the most popular name for girls in 2026, like little Princess Charlotte

Other names on the list likely to have been influenced by celeb babies include Harper, after Victoria and David Beckham's only daughter; Penelope after Kourtney Kardashian and Scott Disick's little girl; as well as Beyonce and Jay-Z's daughter Ivy and John Legend and Chrissy Teigen's Luna.

Here are the two lists in full...

Top baby girls' names in 2026

1. Charlotte

2. Harper

3. Aria

4. Alice

5. Penelope

6. Ivy

7. Aurora

8. Luna

9. Paisley

10. Hallie

11. Margot

Top baby boys' names in 2026

1. George

2. Arlo

3. Jaxon

4. Grayson

5. Hunter

6. Ezra

7. Albie

8. Arthur

9. Reggie

10. Louie

11. Wilf

The predictions were made by Nick Stripe, head of life events at the ONS, and follows the release of the lists of names given to babies in 2016.

Last year, Oliver remained the most popular name for boys while Olivia regained the top spot for girls, which it hadn't since 2010.

Writing in a blog post for Huffington Post UK, Nick wrote: 'In terms of numbers, the biggest risers for girls are: Amelia, Isla, Ava, Olivia, Evie, Isabella, Mia, Sophia, Lily and Poppy.

'Whilst for boys it's Noah, Oscar, Muhammad, Leo, Freddie, Alfie, Oliver, Archie, Henry and Charlie. All of these names were given to over 2,000 more babies last year than they were in 1996. And all are currently in the top 20 names for girls and boys. They are the names on tomorrow's school pegs.'

Given the huge influence that Kate and Wills' children have had on the list, we wonder if the name given to the royal baby (opens in new tab) that's on the way - boy or girl - will also make the list? Time will tell...

What do you think of these predictions? Let us know in the comments!