Thirty years of Hazel
Hazel in numbers
Hazel is still climbing: from 141 girls in 1996 to 638 in 2025, its highest count so far. Its biggest three-year rise came between 2021 and 2024, from 350 to 629. It ranked 266th in 1996 and reached 71st in 2025, its best place so far. On average it was given to 114 girls a year in the late 1990s, 106 in the 2000s, 215 in the 2010s and 489 in the 2020s so far.
† Shapes, averages and turning points are Baby Data calculations from the ONS counts.
Similar spellings in the 2025 list†: Hazal (12), Haizel (9), Hezal (4), Haezal (3). Matched by their letters, not by meaning or origin. ONS counts each spelling separately, so these are not added to Hazel.
Milestones
First year in each bandChange
- On last year+1%629 to 638
- 5 years+96%326 to 638
- 10 years+168%238 to 638
- 20 years+343%144 to 638
- Since 1996×5141 to 638
- Total, 1996 to 20256,592girls
† 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 71 · ONS · 629 in 2024
Rank 94 · NRS · 43 in 2024
Rank 132 · NISRA · 11 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 | 71 | 638 | +1% | 1 in 446 |
| 2024 | 75 | 629 | +19% | 1 in 461 |
| 2023 | =90 | 527 | +14% | 1 in 547 |
| 2022 | =108 | 463 | +32% | 1 in 637 |
| 2021 | =147 | 350 | +7% | 1 in 871 |
| 2020 | =153 | 326 | -5% | 1 in 919 |
| 2019 | =148 | 343 | +17% | 1 in 907 |
| 2018 | 179 | 293 | +8% | 1 in 1,090 |
| 2017 | 195 | 271 | +6% | 1 in 1,222 |
| 2016 | =207 | 255 | +7% | 1 in 1,330 |
| 2015 | 219 | 238 | +23% | 1 in 1,427 |
| 2014 | =252 | 194 | +32% | 1 in 1,745 |
| 2013 * | =318 | 147 | -6% | 1 in 2,323 |
| 2012 | =308 | 156 | +19% | 1 in 2,278 |
| 2011 | =362 | 131 | +9% | 1 in 2,694 |
| 2010 | =380 | 120 | +13% | 1 in 2,935 |
| 2009 | =398 | 106 | -6% | 1 in 3,246 |
| 2008 | =388 | 113 | -13% | 1 in 3,060 |
| 2007 | 335 | 130 | -2% | 1 in 2,581 |
| 2006 | =328 | 132 | -8% | 1 in 2,479 |
| 2005 | =292 | 144 | +58% | 1 in 2,189 |
| 2004 | =406 | 91 | -9% | 1 in 3,422 |
| 2003 | =369 | 100 | +52% | 1 in 3,030 |
| 2002 | =469 | 66 | -16% | 1 in 4,395 |
| 2001 | =399 | 79 | -18% | 1 in 3,671 |
| 2000 | =349 | 96 | +10% | 1 in 3,071 |
| 1999 | =370 | 87 | -24% | 1 in 3,478 |
| 1998 | =312 | 115 | +4% | n/a |
| 1997 | =316 | 111 | -21% | 1 in 2,824 |
| 1996 | =266 | 141 | 1 in 2,241 |
* ONS’s girls’ 2013 file repeats the May total as April, so the 2013 births total is about 1,360 too high and 1 in X for 2013 is slightly too high. 1 in X is not shown for girls in 1998: one monthly total is missing from the ONS girls’ 1998 file. 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 Hazel
Draws the second name on the chart above, on a shared scale.
Share and download
Hazel 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