Thirty years of Stanley
Stanley in numbers
Stanley peaked in 2015 with 1,078 boys and has fallen since, to 536 in 2025. Its biggest three-year fall came between 2019 and 2022, from 922 to 609. It ranked 265th in 1996, reached 59th in 2015 and ranks 97th now. On average it was given to 125 boys a year in the late 1990s, 344 in the 2000s, 922 in the 2010s and 621 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+2%523 to 536
- 5 years-29%751 to 536
- 10 years-50%1,078 to 536
- 20 years+55%345 to 536
- Since 1996×5108 to 536
- Total, 1996 to 202516,890boys
† 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 97 · ONS · 523 in 2024
Rank 400 · NRS · 6 in 2024
Rank 395 · 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 | =97 | 536 | +2% | 1 in 561 |
| 2024 | 102 | 523 | -10% | 1 in 583 |
| 2023 | 90 | 582 | -4% | 1 in 521 |
| 2022 | 92 | 609 | -16% | 1 in 510 |
| 2021 | 82 | 724 | -4% | 1 in 442 |
| 2020 | =74 | 751 | -19% | 1 in 419 |
| 2019 | 67 | 922 | +5% | 1 in 357 |
| 2018 | 72 | 877 | -4% | 1 in 385 |
| 2017 | 70 | 914 | -10% | 1 in 381 |
| 2016 * | 65 | 1,019 | -5% | 1 in 349 |
| 2015 | 59 | 1,078 | +2% | 1 in 332 |
| 2014 | 60 | 1,059 | +17% | 1 in 337 |
| 2013 | 70 | 904 | +2% | 1 in 396 |
| 2012 | 74 | 890 | +8% | 1 in 421 |
| 2011 | 80 | 824 | +12% | 1 in 450 |
| 2010 | 88 | 737 | +18% | 1 in 503 |
| 2009 | =98 | 627 | +21% | 1 in 578 |
| 2008 | 112 | 519 | +5% | 1 in 699 |
| 2007 | 114 | 496 | +20% | 1 in 715 |
| 2006 | =129 | 413 | +20% | 1 in 829 |
| 2005 | =144 | 345 | +14% | 1 in 958 |
| 2004 | =151 | 303 | +40% | 1 in 1,084 |
| 2003 | =177 | 217 | +23% | 1 in 1,467 |
| 2002 | 194 | 176 | -5% | 1 in 1,739 |
| 2001 | 185 | 186 | +18% | 1 in 1,638 |
| 2000 | =204 | 158 | -1% | 1 in 1,960 |
| 1999 | =200 | 160 | +42% | 1 in 1,995 |
| 1998 | =256 | 113 | -6% | 1 in 2,884 |
| 1997 | =246 | 120 | +11% | 1 in 2,746 |
| 1996 | =265 | 108 | 1 in 3,088 |
* 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 Stanley
Draws the second name on the chart above, on a shared scale.
Share and download
Stanley 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