Fears traditional British surnames will die out as Khan, Ahmed and Ali enter top 10 in England and Wales
Fears traditional British names will die out as shocking top 10 list published
TL;DR
- Traditional British surnames are seeing a sharp decline in popularity among newborns in England and Wales.
- Surnames with South Asian and Muslim roots, such as Khan, Ahmed, and Ali, have dramatically risen in the rankings.
- In 1996, Smith, Jones, and Williams were the top three surnames; by 2025, the top 10 includes Smith, Khan, Ahmed, Ali, Jones, Hussain, Singh, Williams, Patel, and Kaur.
- Jones has seen a 43% drop in popularity, and Williams has slipped to eighth place.
- Surnames like Taylor, Brown, Davies, Evans, Thomas, Johnson, and Wilson are no longer in the top 10.
- Khan, Ahmed, and Ali have doubled in frequency since 1996, while Singh and Kaur have risen at least fivefold.
- The total number of distinct surnames recorded among newborns has increased, but the concentration at the top has thinned.
- Smith's numbers have fallen from 7,276 newborns in 1996 to 4,102 in 2025.