UK girl's name
Summer
A feminine name derived from the English word referring to the warmest season.
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.
Summer is a girl's name in the UK records. People looking for Summer popularity in 2026 should use the latest official release, which is 2024 in this profile. In that release it ranked #112, with 429 babies registered with the name. Its strongest year in the published records was 2008, with 2,276 births.
This profile covers 24,167 England and Wales registrations across 29 recorded years from 1996 to 2024. The figures come from ONS England and Wales, NRS Scotland and NISRA Northern Ireland, 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.
The latest count is about 19% of the recorded peak, which gives a quick read on how the name has moved since its high point.
We estimate that about 26,304 living people in the UK are called Summer. 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
- • Summer ranked #112 for girls in England and Wales in 2024, with 429 registrations.
- • The name peaked in 2008, when 2,276 girls were registered as Summer.
- • Summer ranks best in Scotland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #96 in 2024.
- • About 26,304 living people in the UK are estimated to have Summer as a first name, after adjusting past birth registrations with ONS life tables.
Latest rank (E&W)
#112
2024
Births in 2024
429
Latest year
Peak year
2008
2,276 births
Estimated living
26,304
2026
Meaning
What does Summer mean?
The name Summer has its origins in the Old English word "sumor," which referred to the warmest season of the year. This word is derived from the Proto-Germanic "sumur," which ultimately traces back to the Proto-Indo-European root "sam-" meaning "summer."
In ancient times, the name was likely used as a descriptive term or nickname for children born during the summer months. The earliest recorded use of Summer as a given name dates back to the late 16th century in England.
One of the earliest known individuals with the name Summer was Summer Bowditch, an English mathematician and astronomer born in 1766. He made significant contributions to the fields of navigation and celestial mechanics.
In the 19th century, Summer West (1824-1909) was an American educator and women's rights advocate who played a pivotal role in establishing the first public high school for girls in San Francisco.
Another notable figure with the name Summer was Summer Aysoun (1887-1964), a British painter and sculptor known for her vibrant landscapes and portraiture works.
The name Summer also has ties to literature, with Summer Solstice being the protagonist in Edith Wharton's 1917 novel of the same name, which explores themes of love, societal expectations, and the pursuit of happiness.
In more recent history, Summer Sanders (born 1972) is an American former competitive swimmer who won two gold medals at the 1992 Olympic Games in Barcelona.
Throughout its history, the name Summer has been associated with warmth, brightness, and the joyful spirit of the summer season, making it a popular choice for parents seeking a name with a positive and uplifting connotation.
Sourced from namecensus.com.
Popularity
Summer over time
The chart below shows babies named Summer registered in England and Wales in the years where the name appears in the published records, 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 Summer, the clearest high point is 2008. The latest England and Wales figure is 429 births in 2024, compared with 2,276 at the peak.
Babies born per year
Decades
Summer by decade
Decade totals smooth out the yearly jumps and make it easier to see whether Summer 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 | #95 | 2,622 | 5 |
| 2010s | #60 | 10,808 | 10 |
| 2000s | #82 | 9,659 | 10 |
| 1990s | #170 | 1,078 | 4 |
Geography
Where Summer is most common
The bars show the latest published local birth counts for Summer. They are useful for spotting where the name is showing up in real numbers, while the rank beside each bar shows how strongly it performs inside that region.
Summer ranks best in Scotland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #96 in 2024.
Across the UK
Summer in Scotland and Northern Ireland
Scotland (NRS)
#96 in 2024
32 years of NRS records, 1,862 total registered
Northern Ireland (NISRA)
#161 in 2024
26 years of NISRA records, 410 total registered
Notable bearers
Famous people named Summer
-
Summer Strallen
actor; singer; dancer
British actress
1985-
-
Summer Watson
opera singer
opera singer
1980-
Related
Names similar to Summer
- Sophie 103,803
- Sophia 46,936
- Scarlett 34,261
- Sienna 32,418
- Sofia 29,136
- Sarah 27,961
- Shannon 25,510
- Sara 14,205
- Skye 13,654
- Samantha 12,697
- Stephanie 9,309
- Savannah 8,846
FAQ
Summer: questions and answers
How popular is the name Summer in the UK right now?
In 2024, Summer was ranked #112 for girls in England and Wales, with 429 births registered.
When was Summer most popular?
The peak year on record was 2008, with 2,276 babies registered as Summer in England and Wales.
What is the meaning and origin of Summer?
A feminine name derived from the English word referring to the warmest season.
How many people are called Summer in the UK?
A total of 24,167 babies have been registered as Summer across the 29 years of ONS England & Wales records shown here, plus 1,862 more in Scotland and 410 in Northern Ireland.
Where is Summer most common?
In the latest published local rankings, Summer ranks best in Scotland, where it placed #96 in 2024. The regional bars on this page use birth counts, so they also reflect the size of each region.
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.