Smith Surname Falls in Popularity as Khan and Ahmed Rise Among UK Newborns
New data shows a significant shift in the most common surnames for babies born in England and Wales over three decades.
AI-assisted coverage comparison, editor-supervised · How this was made
Smith Surname Falls in Popularity as Khan and Ahmed Rise Among UK Newborns
Photograph: IBTimes UK (embedded from source)
What this story says
- Smith remains the most common surname for newborns in England and Wales, but its share has fallen significantly.
- Surnames like Khan, Ahmed, and Ali have risen in popularity over the past three decades, entering the top 10.
- In 1996, the top 10 surnames included Smith, Jones, and Williams; by 2025, Khan, Ahmed, Ali, Hussain, Singh, Patel, and Kaur were in the top 10.
- The total number of different surnames recorded for babies increased from approximately 21,600 in 1996 to over 23,400 in 2025.
Who covered it
Percentages are shares of the 13 outlets carrying a published leaning rating. 6 of the 19 outlets we know ran this story carry no rating and are not counted in them. Coverage measured .
Trust
42/100
Craft
57/100
Hype
68/100
19 sources · methodology
Thin on the left so far
Only 2 of the 13 outlets with a published leaning rating that ran this story are rated left.
This story is still being watched, so it is a count and not yet a finding. Coverage keeps arriving for hours after an event, and a side that has published nothing this morning may publish by tonight. If it is still true when we stop checking, we will say so plainly.
The surname Smith, historically the most common for newborns in England and Wales, has seen a considerable decline in registrations. Data covering births between 1996 and 2025 indicates a shift in naming patterns, with surnames such as Khan, Ahmed, and Ali gaining prominence. While Smith retained the top position in 2025, the number of babies registered with this surname fell from 7,276 in 1996 to 4,102.
In 1996, the top 10 surnames for newborns in England and Wales were Smith, Jones, Williams, Taylor, Brown, Davies, Evans, Thomas, Johnson, and Wilson. By 2025, the list had changed significantly. Smith remained number one, but Khan, Ahmed, and Ali entered the top 10, alongside Jones, Hussain, Singh, Williams, Patel, and Kaur. Surnames that were prominent in the 1990s, such as Taylor, Brown, Davies, Evans, Thomas, Johnson, and Wilson, were no longer in the top 10 by 2025.
The overall number of distinct surnames recorded among babies increased from approximately 21,600 in 1996 to more than 23,400 in 2025. This indicates a broader diversity in the surnames given to newborns. The number of surnames registered for at least 1,000 babies also decreased from 57 in 1996 to 23 in 2025, suggesting that the most common surnames now account for a smaller proportion of the total.
Disagreement on the rate of decline
Internewscast reported that Jones had fallen in popularity by 43 per cent and Williams had declined by a similar proportion. The IBTimes UK report stated that Jones and Williams remained among the most frequently recorded names but their relative popularity had declined, without providing specific percentages.
What the coverage left out
None of the left-rated or centre-rated reports mention the specific figure of 23,400 different surnames recorded in 2025, which was present in the IBTimes UK full report. The right-rated reports do not mention the specific number of babies registered with the surname Smith in 1996 (7,276) or 2025 (4,102), details that were included in the IBTimes UK full report and Internewscast's full report.
Still developing. We have re-checked which outlets are covering this 8 times, most recently on 15 Oct 2026, 16:15, and will add the sides that appear.
How each side covered it
Our own reading of the reporting listed below, written from the outlets’ articles rather than quoted from them. The reasoning is set out on our methodology page.
Left
2 rated outlets
- The IBTimes UK report led on the theme of 'Rapid Demographic Change', highlighting the rise of Khan, Ahmed, and Ali and the decline of traditional British surnames. It noted that Smith remained the most common surname but its share had fallen. The report quoted Rob Bates of the Centre for Migration Control, who described the figures as evidence of 'rapid demographic change' and expressed concern for the country's cultural heritage. It also mentioned that the rankings measure surnames on birth registrations, not ethnic identity.
Centre
2 rated outlets
- Internewscast's report focused on the 'slowly dying out' of traditional British surnames, stating that Smith remained first but had fallen in popularity. It highlighted that Khan, Ahmed, and Ali had doubled in popularity, and Singh and Kaur had increased at least five-fold. The report quoted Rob Bates, who warned of the risk of the country being 'completely unmoored from its heritage'. It also noted the wider spread of surnames and mentioned that Muhammad was the most popular boys' name and Olivia the most popular girls' name in England and Wales.
Right
9 rated outlets
- Right-rated reports from The Daily Sceptic, Daily Express, GB News, news-pravda.com, and EADaily focused on the changing surname landscape, often framing it as a decline of traditional British names. The Daily Sceptic's headline stated 'Khan to Overtake Smith as Most Common English Surname', linking it to a surge in immigration and a decline in the native birth rate. GB News expressed 'Fears traditional British surnames will die out' as Khan, Ahmed, and Ali entered the top 10. News-pravda.com also reported that traditional British surnames were becoming less common, citing the Daily Mail. EADaily's headline suggested a future where 'Britain Will Have No Johnsons and Williams, only Ahmeds and Ali'.
Questions about this coverage
- How did the left and right cover Smith Surname Falls in Popularity as Khan and Ahmed Rise Among UK…?
- Of the 13 outlets on this story carrying a published leaning rating, 17% are rated left, 16% are rated centre, 67% are rated right. Those percentages are shares of the rated outlets, not of every outlet that ran it, which was 19. The sections above set out what each side emphasised, in its own terms.
- Is Smith Surname Falls in Popularity as Khan and Ahmed Rise Among UK… left or right?
- Neither side dominates it. Of the 13 rated outlets on this story, 17% are rated left, 16% are rated centre, 67% are rated right, and no side holds the 70% this site would want before calling a field one-sided. A story is not left or right in any case; the outlets that carried it are what carry ratings.
- Is the coverage of Smith Surname Falls in Popularity as Khan and Ahmed Rise Among UK… biased?
- Smith Surname Falls in Popularity as Khan and Ahmed Rise Among UK Newborns is one event reported by 19 outlets, and this page does not rate the story as biased or unbiased. What it publishes is the spread: which outlets ran it, where named rating organisations place each of them on the spectrum, and what each side chose to lead with. A leaning rating describes an outlet's record over time, not this article, and the two should not be run together.
- Which side is not reporting Smith Surname Falls in Popularity as Khan and Ahmed Rise Among UK…?
- When we first saw this story, outlets rated left had barely covered it. Coverage accretes for hours after an event, so that is where to look rather than a verdict — the split above is the current count, and it is the one to read.
- Which outlets covered Smith Surname Falls in Popularity as Khan and Ahmed Rise Among UK…?
- 19 that we know of, every one of them listed further up this page with a link to its own report and to what we hold on the publisher. Nothing here is a summary of somebody else's summary: the outlets are named so the original reporting can be read.
- Which surname is still the most common for newborns in England and Wales?
- Smith remains the most common surname for newborns in England and Wales. However, its share has fallen significantly, with 4,102 babies registered with the name in 2025, down from 7,276 in 1996.
- Which surnames have risen in popularity among newborns?
- Surnames such as Khan, Ahmed, and Ali have risen significantly in popularity over the past three decades and have entered the top 10 for newborn babies. Other names like Hussain, Singh, Patel, and Kaur have also increased in prominence.
- How has the diversity of surnames for newborns changed?
- The diversity of surnames for newborns has increased. In 2025, more than 23,400 different surnames were recorded among babies, compared to approximately 21,600 in 1996, indicating a broader range of names being used.
Read it at the source
19 outlets, grouped by the leaning a published rating gives them. Every headline links to the original; an underlined outlet name opens our profile of that publisher.
Left
2- The Number One Surname for Newborns in the UK Seems to Change From Smith to Khan Next Year (opens Unknown in a new tab)
Unknown
- 'Rapid Demographic Change': British Surnames Lose Ground as Khan, Ahmed and Ali Rise in Baby Rankings (opens IBTimes UK in a new tab)
IBTimes UK — is IBTimes UK biased? Our profile of this outlet
Centre
2- Data Shows Traditional British Surnames Are Slowly Dying Out (opens Internewscast in a new tab)
Internewscast — is Internewscast biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Data reveals how traditional British surnames are dying out (opens dailymail.com in a new tab)
dailymail.com — is dailymail.com biased? Our profile of this outlet
Right
9- Khan Could Replace Smith as the Most Common Last Name in the UK in 2027 (opens Apollo News in a new tab)
Apollo News — is Apollo News biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Media: Soon Britain Will Have No Johnsons and Williams, only Ahmeds and Ali. (opens EADaily in a new tab)
EADaily — is EADaily biased? Our profile of this outletOpinion
- Khan to Overtake Smith as Most Common English Surname (opens The Daily Sceptic in a new tab)
The Daily Sceptic — is The Daily Sceptic biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Britain's most popular surnames changing - Taylor, Brown and Evans disappear from top 10 (opens Daily Express in a new tab)
Daily Express — is Daily Express biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Khan to Overtake Smith as Most Common 'English' Surname: Report (opens Breitbart in a new tab)
- Khan to overtake Smith as most common surname in England (opens Irish Independent in a new tab)
Irish Independent — is Irish Independent biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Top Newborn Surname in the UK to Shift From ‘Smith’ to ‘Khan’… Immigration Changes the UK’s Population Landscape (opens Unknown in a new tab)
Unknown
- Fears traditional British surnames will die out as Khan, Ahmed and Ali enter top 10 in England and Wales (opens GB News in a new tab)
Not rated
6- UK’s most popular surnames changing – Taylor, and Brown disappear from top 10 (opens PressNewsAgency in a new tab)
PressNewsAgency — is PressNewsAgency biased? Our profile of this outlet
- ‘Khan’ to Become the Most Popular Family Name in the UK by 2027 (opens Independent Urdu in a new tab)
Independent Urdu — is Independent Urdu biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Khan dijangka atasi Smith sebagai nama keluarga paling popular dalam kalangan bayi di Britain (opens Malay News- Malaysian newspapers from Kuala Lumpur in a new tab)
- Is England Becoming Muslim? A Muslim Last Name Is On Its Way to the Top of the Baby Names List (opens JDN - חדשות in a new tab)
JDN - חדשות — is JDN - חדשות biased? Our profile of this outletOpinion
- The Surname Khan to Overtake Smith (opens Fréttir - mbl.is in a new tab)
Fréttir - mbl.is — is Fréttir - mbl.is biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Forget Jones or Smith. Traditional British Surnames Are on the Decline. They Are Being Replaced by Khan, Ahmed or Ali. (opens echo24.cz in a new tab)
echo24.cz — is echo24.cz biased? Our profile of this outletOpinion
How did this read?
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