ENGLISH NAMES

Whether you are trying to choose an English name for yourself to use in English class or you're deciding what to name your characters in a story set in England, picking a good English name is important. For non-native English speakers, it's best to stick with the classic names. More unusual names are trickier to choose, and may end up attracting unwanted attention. The lists below give you the most popular English first names for boys and girls in different countries, both for babies born today and for the entire last century. The last table gives you the most common English family names in different countries based on recent census data from those countries. Using one of these English names, you can't go wrong, because they are all very common.

THE MOST COMMON BOYS' FIRST NAMES IN ENGLISH

rank	England 2015	England past 100 years	USA 2014	USA past 100 years
1	Oliver	Jake	Noah	James
2	Jack	Connor	Liam	John
3	Harry	Callum	Mason	Robert
4	Jacob	Jacob	Jacob	Michael
5	Charlie	Kyle	William	William
6	Thomas	Joe	Ethan	David
7	George	Reece	Michael	Richard
8	Oscar	Rhys	Alexander	Joseph
9	James	Charlie	James	Charles
10	William	Damian	Daniel	Thomas

THE MOST COMMON GIRLS' FIRST NAMES IN ENGLISH

rank	England 2015	England past 100 years	USA 2014	USA past 100 years
1	Amelia	Margaret	Emma	Mary
2	Olivia	Samantha	Olivia	Patricia
3	Isla	Bethany	Sophia	Jennifer
4	Emily	Elizabeth	Isabella	Elizabeth
5	Poppy	Joanne	Ava	Linda
6	Ava	Megan	Mia	Barbara
7	Isabella	Victoria	Emily	Susan
8	Jessica	Lauren	Abigail	Margaret
9	Lily	Michelle	Madison	Jessica
10	Sophie	Tracy	Charlotte	Sarah

THE MOST COMMON FAMILY NAMES IN ENGLISH

rank	England	Ireland	USA	Canada	Australia	New Zealand
1	Smith	Murphy	Smith	Li	Smith	Smith
2	Jones	O'Kelly	Johnson	Smith	Jones	Wilson
3	Williams	O'Sullivan	Williams	Lam	Williams	Williams
4	Brown	Walsh	Brown	Martin	Brown	Brown
5	Taylor	Smith	Jones	Gelbero	Wilson	Taylor
6	Davies	O'Brien	Miller	Roy	Taylor	Jones
7	Wilson	Byrne	Davis	Tremblay	Morton	Singh
8	Evans	O'Ryan	Garcia	Lee	White	Wang
9	Thomas	O'Connor	Rodriguez	Gagnon	Martin	Anderson
10	Roberts	O'Neill	Wilson	Wilson	Anderson	Li