Thirty years of Romeo
Romeo in numbers
Romeo has climbed from 3 boys in 1998 (its first published year) to 260 in 2025, close to its peak of 270 in 2024. Its biggest three-year rise came between 2009 and 2012, from 78 to 168. On average it was given to 56 boys a year in the 2000s, 142 in the 2010s and 233 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-4%270 to 260
- 5 years+34%194 to 260
- 10 years+95%133 to 260
- 20 years+271%70 to 260
- Since 1998 (first published)×873 to 260
- Total, 1996 to 20253,379boys
† 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 198 · ONS · 270 in 2024
Rank 174 · NRS · 16 in 2024
Rank 314 · NISRA
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 | 198 | 260 | -4% | 1 in 1,157 |
| 2024 | =185 | 270 | +24% | 1 in 1,130 |
| 2023 | 223 | 218 | -10% | 1 in 1,390 |
| 2022 | =211 | 242 | +13% | 1 in 1,284 |
| 2021 | =234 | 214 | +10% | 1 in 1,496 |
| 2020 | =243 | 194 | +13% | 1 in 1,621 |
| 2019 | =283 | 172 | +38% | 1 in 1,913 |
| 2018 | =360 | 125 | -1% | 1 in 2,701 |
| 2017 | =365 | 126 | -10% | 1 in 2,762 |
| 2016 * | 338 | 140 | +5% | 1 in 2,544 |
| 2015 | =346 | 133 | -4% | 1 in 2,693 |
| 2014 | 330 | 138 | -17% | 1 in 2,585 |
| 2013 | =278 | 167 | -1% | 1 in 2,146 |
| 2012 | =279 | 168 | +32% | 1 in 2,228 |
| 2011 | =341 | 127 | +4% | 1 in 2,921 |
| 2010 | =343 | 122 | +56% | 1 in 3,041 |
| 2009 | =461 | 78 | -14% | 1 in 4,643 |
| 2008 | =405 | 91 | +5% | 1 in 3,988 |
| 2007 | =412 | 87 | +24% | 1 in 4,074 |
| 2006 | =458 | 70 | +0% | 1 in 4,892 |
| 2005 | =417 | 70 | +6% | 1 in 4,723 |
| 2004 | =417 | 66 | +35% | 1 in 4,975 |
| 2003 | =490 | 49 | +63% | 1 in 6,498 |
| 2002 | =656 | 30 | +200% | 1 in 10,202 |
| 2001 | =1,379 | 10 | +67% | 1 in 30,461 |
| 2000 | =1,889 | 6 | +100% | 1 in 51,602 |
| 1999 | =2,943 | 3 | +0% | 1 in 106,415 |
| 1998 | =2,901 | 3 | 1 in 108,632 | |
| 1997 | n/a | under 3 | ||
| 1996 | n/a | under 3 |
* 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 Romeo
Draws the second name on the chart above, on a shared scale.
Share and download
Romeo 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