Overview

• Craig dropped from 28th place in 1974 to 2,306th in 2023, while Gary fell from 30th to 2,520th over the same period.
• Only nine babies were named Craig and eight were named Gary in England and Wales during 2023, the lowest counts on record.
• Other traditional names such as Lee and Darren have similarly tumbled by over a thousand ranking places since the 1970s.
• Names like Thomas, James and Alexander have held steadier positions, remaining within the top 35 in 2023.
• Paul, once the most popular boys’ name in 1974, slid to 464th place by 2023 with only 86 newborns given the name.