LONDON: Khan, Ahmed and Ali have entered the top 10 most common surnames among newborns in England and Wales, reflecting a major shift in naming trends over the past three decades, according to a Daily Mail report.
Data compiled by the UK’s Office for National Statistics (ONS) show that traditional British surnames have lost ground since 1996, when Smith, Jones and Williams were among the most common names recorded for newborns.
The top 10 at the time also included Taylor, Brown, Davis, Evans, Thomas, Johnson and Wilson.
The latest list comprises Smith, Khan, Ahmed, Ali, Jones, Hussain, Singh, Williams, Patel and Kaur.
Jones remains among the top 10 but has seen its popularity decline by 43%. Williams, ranked eighth, has recorded a similar drop, while several other surnames that were common in the 1990s have fallen to positions between 11th and 17th.
According to the report, the popularity of Khan, Ahmed and Ali has doubled over the past three decades.
The figures cover births registered in England and Wales and exclude surnames recorded two times or fewer.
The findings come after data released earlier this summer showed that Muhammad was the most popular name for boys born in England and Wales for the third consecutive year.
