Thirty years of Harley
Harley in numbers
Harley peaked in 2012 with 1,543 boys and has fallen since, to 366 in 2025. Its biggest three-year rise came between 2003 and 2006, from 312 to 1,092. It ranked 177th in 1996, reached 45th in 2014 and ranks 145th now. On average it was given to 162 boys a year in the late 1990s, 712 in the 2000s, 1,202 in the 2010s and 446 in the 2020s so far.
† Shapes, averages and turning points are Baby Data calculations from the ONS counts.
Milestones
First year in each bandChange
- On last year+3%356 to 366
- 5 years-38%594 to 366
- 10 years-69%1,175 to 366
- 20 years-62%959 to 366
- Since 1996+97%186 to 366
- Total, 1996 to 202522,461boys
† All changes and totals are Baby Data calculations from ONS counts. A total adds only the published years.
Across the three nations, 2025
Each from its own statistics office, never added togetherRank 145 · ONS · 356 in 2024
Rank 441 · NRS · 10 in 2024
Rank 270 · NISRA · 6 in 2024
England and Wales (ONS) count births in the calendar year; Scotland (NRS) and Northern Ireland (NISRA) count births registered in the year. Each comes from its own statistics office and they are never added together.
Year by year, 1996 to 2025 Show all 30 yearsHide the table
| Year | Rank | Babies | Change† | 1 in X† |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | =145 | 366 | +3% | 1 in 822 |
| 2024 | 148 | 356 | -10% | 1 in 857 |
| 2023 | 136 | 396 | -15% | 1 in 765 |
| 2022 | 119 | 465 | -7% | 1 in 668 |
| 2021 | 115 | 501 | -16% | 1 in 639 |
| 2020 | 97 | 594 | -23% | 1 in 529 |
| 2019 | 77 | 771 | -24% | 1 in 427 |
| 2018 | 64 | 1,011 | -19% | 1 in 334 |
| 2017 | 53 | 1,246 | +15% | 1 in 279 |
| 2016 * | =55 | 1,083 | -8% | 1 in 329 |
| 2015 | 52 | 1,175 | -10% | 1 in 305 |
| 2014 | 45 | 1,303 | +2% | 1 in 274 |
| 2013 | 49 | 1,275 | -17% | 1 in 281 |
| 2012 | 46 | 1,543 | +18% | 1 in 243 |
| 2011 | 55 | 1,308 | +0% | 1 in 284 |
| 2010 | 57 | 1,304 | +1% | 1 in 284 |
| 2009 | 56 | 1,290 | +14% | 1 in 281 |
| 2008 | 63 | 1,135 | +4% | 1 in 320 |
| 2007 | 69 | 1,091 | -0% | 1 in 325 |
| 2006 | 68 | 1,092 | +14% | 1 in 314 |
| 2005 | 70 | 959 | +73% | 1 in 345 |
| 2004 | 102 | 554 | +78% | 1 in 593 |
| 2003 | 145 | 312 | +10% | 1 in 1,021 |
| 2002 | 145 | 284 | +34% | 1 in 1,078 |
| 2001 | 169 | 212 | +14% | 1 in 1,437 |
| 2000 | =183 | 186 | +37% | 1 in 1,665 |
| 1999 | =224 | 136 | -21% | 1 in 2,347 |
| 1998 | =192 | 172 | +11% | 1 in 1,895 |
| 1997 | 211 | 155 | -17% | 1 in 2,126 |
| 1996 | 177 | 186 | 1 in 1,793 |
* ONS’s boys’ 2016 file repeats the October total as September, so the 2016 births total is about 932 too low and 1 in X for 2016 is slightly too low. Rank follows ONS: names with the same count share a rank (shown with =). “Under 3” means the name was given to fewer than 3 babies that year, so ONS did not publish it.
Compare Harley
Draws the second name on the chart above, on a shared scale.
Share and download
Harley is in the free dataset (CSV and JSON), with the method and how to cite it.
Source: Office for National Statistics, Baby names in England and Wales, licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0; National Records of Scotland; NISRA. Exact spellings are counted separately and names given to fewer than 3 babies are not published. Figures marked † are Baby Data calculations. How we calculate