UK name, mostly boys
Baby
Diminutive of babe, referring to a very young child.
For 2026, the newest official UK baby-name figures on this page are from 2024. That release is the current official benchmark rather than a forecast.
Also recorded as a girls' name in the UK, with 253 girls.
Baby is mostly registered for boys in the UK records. People looking for Baby popularity in 2026 should use the latest official release, which is 2024 in this profile. In that release it ranked #981, with 31 babies registered with the name. Its strongest year in the published records was 2024, with 31 births.
This profile covers 349 England and Wales registrations across 25 recorded years from 1998 to 2024. The figures come from ONS England and Wales, so the page is a view of published baby-name registrations rather than a forecast or a live count of people using the name today.
Baby is at its recorded peak in the England and Wales series.
We estimate that about 347 living people in the UK are called Baby. This uses published birth registrations from England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, then applies ONS national life tables to estimate how many are likely still alive. It does not forecast extra births for 2025 or 2026.
Key insights
- • Baby ranked #981 for boys in England and Wales in 2024, with 31 registrations.
- • The name peaked in 2024, when 31 boys were registered as Baby.
- • Baby is also recorded for girls, but the boys side is the larger UK variant in these records.
- • About 347 living people in the UK are estimated to have Baby as a first name, after adjusting past birth registrations with ONS life tables.
- • Across the England and Wales records shown here, 58.0% of Baby registrations are for boys.
Latest rank (E&W)
#981
2024
Births in 2024
31
Latest year
Peak year
2024
31 births
Estimated living
347
2026
Gender
Boy and girl registrations for Baby
In England and Wales birth records, Baby has been registered for both boys and girls. Across the years shown here, 58.0% of registrations are for boys and 42.0% are for girls.
These figures use the sex categories in the published baby-name files. They are useful for spotting how the name is used at registration, but they are not a live measure of gender identity or everyone living with the name today.
Baby registered for boys
- Ranked #981 in 2024
- 31 boys registered in 2024
- Peak: 2024 (31 births)
Baby registered for girls
- Ranked #1,819 in 2024
- 16 girls registered in 2024
- Peak: 2018 (18 births)
Meaning
What does Baby mean?
The name Baby is a modern English word derived from the Middle English babi, which itself came from the Old French babe, meaning "infant" or "toddler." The word's origins can be traced back to the Latin word babatus, meaning "to stammer" or "to babble," reflecting the babbling sounds made by young children.
While the name Baby is not commonly found in historical records or ancient texts, it has been used as a nickname or pet name for infants and young children throughout history. One of the earliest recorded uses of the term "baby" dates back to the 16th century, when it appeared in William Tyndale's English translation of the Bible.
In more recent times, the name Baby has been used as a given name, although it remains relatively uncommon. One notable example is Baby Sandz, a Jamaican dancehall artist born in 1980, whose real name is Tanesha Beckford. Another is Baby Bash, an American rapper and record producer born in 1975, whose real name is Ronnie Ray Bryant.
Other individuals who have borne the name Baby include Baby Woolmore, a British actress born in 1899 who appeared in several films in the 1920s and 1930s. Baby Esther, born in 1914, was a famous American child singer and actress during the 1920s, appearing in several films and on Broadway.
In the realm of sports, Baby Arizmendi was a Mexican boxer who competed in the 1960s and 1970s, winning the WBC and WBA bantamweight titles. Baby Joe Townsend, born in 1925, was an American professional boxer who held the NBA featherweight title in the late 1940s.
While the name Baby may seem unusual as a given name, its origins reflect the endearing nature of childhood and the universal love and affection bestowed upon infants and young children throughout human history.
Sourced from namecensus.com.
Popularity
Baby over time
The chart below compares boys and girls registered as Baby in England and Wales, from 1996 to 2024. Empty years are left out so rare names are not stretched across long periods where the published files do not show any registrations.
For Baby, the clearest high point is 2024. The latest England and Wales figure is 31 births in 2024, compared with 31 at the peak.
Babies born per year
Decades
Baby by decade
Decade totals smooth out the yearly jumps and make it easier to see whether Baby was a short-lived spike or a name that stayed in regular use. Average rank is calculated only from years where a published rank exists.
| Decade | Average rank | Total births | Years covered |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020s | #1532 | 95 | 5 |
| 2010s | #1362 | 188 | 10 |
| 2000s | #2310 | 60 | 8 |
| 1990s | #2922 | 6 | 2 |
Notable bearers
Famous people named Baby
-
Baby Kitten
pornographic actor
British pornographic actress
1999-
Related
Names similar to Baby
- Benjamin 90,412
- Ben 36,356
- Bradley 30,230
- Brandon 26,411
- Billy 18,608
- Bobby 16,904
- Blake 16,337
- Bailey 16,014
- Brody 7,230
- Beau 6,722
- Barnaby 5,284
- Brodie 4,801
FAQ
Baby: questions and answers
How popular is the name Baby in the UK right now?
In 2024, Baby was ranked #981 for boys in England and Wales, with 31 births registered.
When was Baby most popular?
The peak year on record was 2024, with 31 babies registered as Baby in England and Wales.
What is the meaning and origin of Baby?
Diminutive of babe, referring to a very young child.
How many people are called Baby in the UK?
A total of 349 babies have been registered as Baby across the 25 years of ONS England & Wales records shown here.
Which records is this page based on?
The England and Wales timeline uses ONS baby-name records. Scotland figures come from NRS and Northern Ireland figures come from NISRA. Counts are registrations in published baby-name files. The living estimate uses those birth registrations with ONS national life tables.