Old style names for babies born in 2026

Margaret

From the Greek word meaning 'pearl'

According to the Office for National Statistics (ONS) data, Margaret was one of England and Wales most popular names until the mid-1950s. It has steadily regained some of its popularity over the last decade, with 80 babies being registered in latest records.

French variant,[1] Margot, was name to 1,234 babies in 2024, making it the 26th most baby popular name in England and Wales.

Our analysis found Margaret to be the most common name among all of our Bupa care home residents. Over 4% of our female residents are named Margaret. It was the most common name for baby girls born in 1924.

[1] https://www.babycentre.co.uk/babyname/1032207/margot

Patricia

From the Latin word for ‘patrician’, a noble or high-ranking person

The name Patricia was one of the trendiest names in England and Wales in the 1920s, standing at number 31 in 1924’s top names list. After the 1950s, the name fell out of favour. According to the most recent data, 24 babies born in England and Wales were named Patricia.

Just over 40 per cent of Bupa’s Patricias and Pats were born in the 1930s.

Barbara

The name Barbara has ancient Greek origins, first used to refer to strangers or non-Greek speakers.

Barbara topped the top 10 baby names throughout the 1930s and 40s. Barbie inventor, Ruth Handler, even named the doll after her daughter, Barbara! As the popularity of Barbie dolls grew, the name, Barbara, slowly fell out of favour from and has remained rare since the1950s.

Of Bupa’s female care home residents, around one in 10 has the name Barbara. In latest records, 14 parents called their newborn Barbara.

Mary

Derived from the name, ‘Maria’

Mary remained in the top baby names list until the mid-1980s. In 1924, Mary was the second most common name for baby girls. Though more baby Marys have been born in the last decade, it’s fallen out of the top 300 most popular names in England and Wales.

The name is the fourth most popular amongst our female care home residents.

Jean

Last but not least, is Jean. Derived from the male name, ‘John’

A common name for babies in the early 20th century, Jean ranked at number 12 in 1924. However, the Scottish equivalent, Jane, was the name to only 22 babies in the most recent England and Wales record.

Jean is a common name amongst our female care home residents, belonging to just under 3% of them.