--- title: "Smith Surname Falls in Popularity as Khan and Ahmed Rise Among UK Newborns" publication: "MediaBias News" url: "https://mediabias.news/politics/smith-surname-falls-in-popularity-as-khan-and-ahmed-rise-among-uk-newborns" api: "https://mediabias.news/api/v1/stories/smith-surname-falls-in-popularity-as-khan-and-ahmed-rise-among-uk-newborns" markdown: "https://mediabias.news/politics/smith-surname-falls-in-popularity-as-khan-and-ahmed-rise-among-uk-newborns.md" audio: "https://mediabias.news/api/audio/smith-surname-falls-in-popularity-as-khan-and-ahmed-rise-among-uk-newborns" category: "Politics" area: "United Kingdom" published: "2026-10-15T13:46:04.503Z" source_reported: "2026-10-15T12:29:09.109Z" updated: "2026-10-15T13:46:04.503Z" trust_score: 42 critic_score: 57 hype_score: 68 assessment_type: "coverage-and-source-reporting-analysis" fact_check_status: "not-performed" coverage_measured: "2026-10-15T17:00:16.764291+00:00" --- # 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.* **Scores for the source reporting** (0-100, assessing the original journalism this article was written from, not this write-up): - Trust 42 of 100, higher is better. Central claims attributed to ONS data, but key figures are hedged with 'reportedly' and rely on anonymous sourcing. - Craft 57 of 100, higher is better. Reporting includes quotes from affected parties and names specific figures, but lacks context on why the story matters. - Hype 68 of 100, lower is better. Headlines promise a dramatic shift, with some suggesting a complete 'dying out' of traditional names. Scored by MediaBias News; method at https://mediabias.news/methodology. **The short version** - 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. 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. ## Who covered it Shares of the 13 covering outlets with a published leaning rating: - Left: 17% (2) - Centre: 16% (2) - Right: 67% (9) 6 of 19 covering outlets carried no usable leaning rating and were excluded from those percentages. Coverage measured 2026-10-15T17:00:16.764291+00:00. **Coverage watch:** developing. Checked 12 times; 0 checks found a material change. Most recently checked 2026-10-15T17:15:11.987Z. ## How the sides framed it ### Left - 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 - 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 - 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'. **Provisional coverage gap:** left. The watch is not closed, so this is not yet a settled blindspot finding. ## Factuality profile of the covering outlets These are published factuality ratings of the outlets, not a verdict on whether this story or its claims are true. - veryLow: 2 - low: 2 - mixed: 6 - high: 1 - unknown: 7 - veryHigh: 1 ## Verification scope This page compares coverage and scores the source reporting. It is not a ClaimReview verdict on whether the underlying event or claim is true. ## Original reporting this was written from - [Apollo News](https://apollo-news.net/khan-koennte-2027-smith-als-haeufigsten-nachname-in-grossbritannien-verdraengen) — Khan Could Replace Smith as the Most Common Last Name in the UK in 2027 - [EADaily](https://eadaily.com/ru/news/2026/10/15/smi-skoro-v-britanii-ne-budet-dzhonsonov-i-uilyamsov-a-tolko-ahmedy-i-ali) — Media: Soon Britain Will Have No Johnsons and Williams, only Ahmeds and Ali. - [The Daily Sceptic](https://dailysceptic.org/2026/10/15/khan-to-overtake-smith-as-most-common-english-surname) — Khan to Overtake Smith as Most Common English Surname - [Daily Express](https://express.co.uk/news/uk/2257486/britains-most-popular-surnames-changing) — Britain's most popular surnames changing - Taylor, Brown and Evans disappear from top 10 - [PressNewsAgency](https://pressnewsagency.org/uks-most-popular-surnames-changing-taylor-and-brown-disappear-from-top-10) — UK’s most popular surnames changing – Taylor, and Brown disappear from top 10 - [Breitbart](https://breitbart.com/europe/2026/10/15/khan-will-overtake-smith-as-most-common-english-surname-next-year-report) — Khan to Overtake Smith as Most Common 'English' Surname: Report - [Unknown](https://hani.co.kr/arti/international/international_general/1282595.html) — The Number One Surname for Newborns in the UK Seems to Change From Smith to Khan Next Year - [Independent Urdu](https://independenturdu.com/node/188266) — ‘Khan’ to Become the Most Popular Family Name in the UK by 2027 - [Malay News- Malaysian newspapers from Kuala Lumpur](https://malay.news/khan-dijangka-atasi-smith-sebagai-nama-keluarga-paling-popular-dalam-kalangan-bayi-di-britain) — Khan dijangka atasi Smith sebagai nama keluarga paling popular dalam kalangan bayi di Britain - [Irish Independent](https://independent.ie/world-news/khan-to-overtake-smith-as-most-common-surname-in-england/a/163070903.html) — Khan to overtake Smith as most common surname in England - [Unknown](https://chosun.com/international/europe/2026/10/15/H7W3P47DBJDGLJLYDPWLXUDTT4) — Top Newborn Surname in the UK to Shift From ‘Smith’ to ‘Khan’… Immigration Changes the UK’s Population Landscape - [JDN - חדשות](https://jdn.co.il/news/2747497) — Is England Becoming Muslim? A Muslim Last Name Is On Its Way to the Top of the Baby Names List - [Fréttir - mbl.is](https://mbl.is/frettir/erlent/2026/10/14/eftirnafnid_khan_ad_taka_framur_smith) — The Surname Khan to Overtake Smith - [IBTimes UK](https://ibtimes.co.uk/england-wales-baby-surname-rankings-khan-ahmed-ali-1825519) — 'Rapid Demographic Change': British Surnames Lose Ground as Khan, Ahmed and Ali Rise in Baby Rankings - [GB News](https://gbnews.com/news/migrant-crisis-traditional-british-surnames-khan-ahmed-ali-top-10-england-and-wales) — Fears traditional British surnames will die out as Khan, Ahmed and Ali enter top 10 in England and Wales - [echo24.cz](https://echo24.cz/a/Hes7n/zpravy-svet-spojene-kralovstvi-tradicni-britska-jmena-ustupuji-mezi-nejcastejsimi-jsou-nyni-khan-ahmed-ci-ali) — Forget Jones or Smith. Traditional British Surnames Are on the Decline. They Are Being Replaced by Khan, Ahmed or Ali. - [news-pravda.com](https://news-pravda.com/world/2026/10/13/2663415.html) — Traditional British surnames are becoming less common among newborns in England and Wales, according to the Daily Mail - [Internewscast](https://internewscast.com/news/data-shows-traditional-british-surnames-are-slowly-dying-out) — Data Shows Traditional British Surnames Are Slowly Dying Out - [dailymail.com](https://dailymail.com/news/article-16205045/traditional-British-surnames-data-ten-analysis.html) — Data reveals how traditional British surnames are dying out ## Questions **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. --- MediaBias News — https://mediabias.news. Reproduced from https://mediabias.news/politics/smith-surname-falls-in-popularity-as-khan-and-ahmed-rise-among-uk-newborns. Please cite as: MediaBias News, "Smith Surname Falls in Popularity as Khan and Ahmed Rise Among UK Newborns", https://mediabias.news/politics/smith-surname-falls-in-popularity-as-khan-and-ahmed-rise-among-uk-newborns