Thirty years of Syed
Syed in numbers
Syed has held steady for thirty years: never fewer than 205 boys a year and never more than 414. Its biggest three-year rise came between 2021 and 2024, from 279 to 391. On average it was given to 233 boys a year in the late 1990s, 305 in the 2000s, 346 in the 2010s and 332 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-1%391 to 389
- 5 years+26%308 to 389
- 10 years+5%372 to 389
- 20 years+37%284 to 389
- Since 1996+66%234 to 389
- Total, 1996 to 20259,439boys
† 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 126 · ONS · 391 in 2024
Rank 400 · NRS · 15 in 2024
Fewer than 3 babies, or not published · 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 | =126 | 389 | -1% | 1 in 773 |
| 2024 | 136 | 391 | +24% | 1 in 780 |
| 2023 | 164 | 316 | +3% | 1 in 959 |
| 2022 | 166 | 308 | +10% | 1 in 1,008 |
| 2021 | 195 | 279 | -9% | 1 in 1,147 |
| 2020 | 171 | 308 | -3% | 1 in 1,021 |
| 2019 | 170 | 318 | -1% | 1 in 1,035 |
| 2018 | 171 | 321 | -4% | 1 in 1,052 |
| 2017 | 166 | 333 | +13% | 1 in 1,045 |
| 2016 * | =191 | 294 | -21% | 1 in 1,211 |
| 2015 | 156 | 372 | -1% | 1 in 963 |
| 2014 | 148 | 375 | +1% | 1 in 951 |
| 2013 | =156 | 370 | -11% | 1 in 969 |
| 2012 | =142 | 414 | +19% | 1 in 904 |
| 2011 | 165 | 349 | +10% | 1 in 1,063 |
| 2010 | 175 | 317 | -7% | 1 in 1,170 |
| 2009 | 163 | 342 | -11% | 1 in 1,059 |
| 2008 | =145 | 383 | +14% | 1 in 948 |
| 2007 | 158 | 337 | -1% | 1 in 1,052 |
| 2006 | 147 | 341 | +20% | 1 in 1,004 |
| 2005 | 163 | 284 | -8% | 1 in 1,164 |
| 2004 | 150 | 308 | +1% | 1 in 1,066 |
| 2003 | 149 | 305 | +14% | 1 in 1,044 |
| 2002 | 151 | 267 | +6% | 1 in 1,146 |
| 2001 | =152 | 253 | +9% | 1 in 1,204 |
| 2000 | =156 | 232 | -8% | 1 in 1,335 |
| 1999 | =136 | 252 | +4% | 1 in 1,267 |
| 1998 | =146 | 242 | +18% | 1 in 1,347 |
| 1997 | 168 | 205 | -12% | 1 in 1,608 |
| 1996 | 148 | 234 | 1 in 1,425 |
* 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 Syed
Draws the second name on the chart above, on a shared scale.
Share and download
Syed 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