Thirty years of Spencer
Spencer in numbers
Spencer peaked in 2003 with 617 boys and has fallen since, to 298 in 2025. Its biggest three-year rise came between 2000 and 2003, from 134 to 617. It ranked 239th in 1996, reached 90th in 2003 and ranks 170th now. On average it was given to 164 boys a year in the late 1990s, 286 in the 2000s, 348 in the 2010s and 271 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+25%239 to 298
- 5 years-4%310 to 298
- 10 years-20%374 to 298
- 20 years+27%235 to 298
- Since 1996×2124 to 298
- Total, 1996 to 20258,631boys
† 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 170 · ONS · 239 in 2024
Rank 178 · NRS · 28 in 2024
Rank 395 · NISRA · 7 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 | =170 | 298 | +25% | 1 in 1,009 |
| 2024 | 210 | 239 | -5% | 1 in 1,276 |
| 2023 | 198 | 252 | -2% | 1 in 1,203 |
| 2022 | =200 | 256 | -6% | 1 in 1,213 |
| 2021 | =199 | 273 | -12% | 1 in 1,173 |
| 2020 | 170 | 310 | -7% | 1 in 1,014 |
| 2019 | =160 | 334 | -3% | 1 in 985 |
| 2018 | 163 | 345 | +6% | 1 in 979 |
| 2017 | 170 | 325 | -18% | 1 in 1,071 |
| 2016 * | =145 | 396 | +6% | 1 in 899 |
| 2015 | =153 | 374 | +11% | 1 in 958 |
| 2014 | 170 | 336 | -4% | 1 in 1,062 |
| 2013 | 160 | 349 | -11% | 1 in 1,027 |
| 2012 | 150 | 394 | +28% | 1 in 950 |
| 2011 | 183 | 307 | -5% | 1 in 1,208 |
| 2010 | 170 | 322 | +7% | 1 in 1,152 |
| 2009 | 177 | 302 | +9% | 1 in 1,199 |
| 2008 | 178 | 278 | -6% | 1 in 1,306 |
| 2007 | 171 | 295 | +21% | 1 in 1,202 |
| 2006 | 182 | 243 | +3% | 1 in 1,409 |
| 2005 | 184 | 235 | -38% | 1 in 1,407 |
| 2004 | 131 | 382 | -38% | 1 in 859 |
| 2003 | 90 | 617 | +149% | 1 in 516 |
| 2002 | 159 | 248 | +91% | 1 in 1,234 |
| 2001 | 229 | 130 | -3% | 1 in 2,343 |
| 2000 | =223 | 134 | -24% | 1 in 2,311 |
| 1999 | 188 | 176 | -11% | 1 in 1,814 |
| 1998 | =169 | 198 | +25% | 1 in 1,646 |
| 1997 | =207 | 159 | +28% | 1 in 2,073 |
| 1996 | =239 | 124 | 1 in 2,689 |
* 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 Spencer
Draws the second name on the chart above, on a shared scale.
Share and download
Spencer 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