Are we in for a ‘Nigel’ revival?

Once the popularity of politicians was judged by how many babies they were asked to kiss – now it’s by how many kids are named after them. The Office for National Statistics has today revealed the most popular baby names for last year, with Olivia remaining the top girls’ name and Muhammad overtaking Noah to take the top spot. Celebrity names such as Billie, Lana, Reign and Saint were on the rise too.

‘Rishi’ kept his place at the political names top spot, going from 36 babies last year to 37 thus year. ‘Boris’, perhaps surprisingly, held strong too, keeping level at 28. ‘Keir’ languished around the count of three, where ONS statisticians suppress the results if less than three babies are given that particular name. Having suffered that humiliation last year, ‘Nigel’ crept back above the cut-off though, with five being born. Perhaps Farage will start a comeback.