New data shows the time it takes UK parents to register the name of their baby

Judging from the Huggies adverts and speaking to other parents on the playground, there’s nothing more blissful than bringing life into the world and choosing a name for your child is one of those exciting experiences.

Choosing a baby name is a difficult decision for any parent. While it is immensely fun, there is also a lot of responsibility that comes with this decision as the child will have this name for the rest of their life.

And the work doesn’t just stop after you’ve named the baby, it is then time to register the name. This should be registered at the local register office for the area where the baby was born or at the hospital before the mother leaves. 

Here at GiftsOnline4U, we thought it would be interesting to explore the locations in the UK that are the quickest for parents to register their newborn babies’ name versus the locations that took the longest by looking at the Office for National Statistics data.  

The Office for National Statistics looked at how long (number of days) it takes parents to register their baby’s name. The data looks at the past five calendar years, from 2016 to 2020. 

The locations of the United Kingdom that are the quickest to register a baby name 

Firstly, in Darlington, on average between 2016 and 2020, it took local parents just 15.78 days to register the name of a baby, this was the area that took the least time in the whole of the UK. 

The second quickest area in the UK to register a baby name was Stevenage, which is a town with a small community that is located on a wooded hill in North Hertfordshire. It took on average between 2016 and 2020 just 16.14 days to register a baby’s name here.

Additionally, the third quickest area to register a baby name is the resort town of Scarborough, famous for its classic historical charm. On average between 2016 and 2020, it took 17.38 days for the town’s population to register their baby’s name. However, in 2020 it took 30.9 days on average for Scarborough to register the names of its babies, but this long average compared to other years can be explained with the onset of the pandemic.

Just behind Scarborough is Harrogate, the Victorian spa town and rural district of North Yorkshire where on average between 2016 and 2020 it took 17.52 days for people to register their newborn babies’ names. 

Finally, the fifth location in the UK that boasts one of the quickest times to register babies’ names is Oxford, a city in central southern England, that revolves around its prestigious university established in the 12th century. Between 2016 and 2020 it took on average 17.56 days for the population of Oxford to register their newborn babies’ names. Although Oxford has among the quickest times in the UK, in 2020 it took 35.8 days on average, this is more than likely due to the pandemic.

The locations in the United Kingdom that take the longest to register a baby name

The location that took the longest on average to register the name of its newborn babies is the largest city in the East Midlands, Leicester. On average between 2016 and 2020, it took 38.98 days for births to be registered, what really has brought this number up was the year of 2020 of 87.1 days which we can almost certainly blame the pandemic for.

In addition, Barking and Dagenham, which has the 7th smallest population in London, is the location that takes the second longest for its inhabitants to register the name of their baby; on average between 2016 and 2020 it took 37.34 days.

The third location that takes the longest to register its babies’ names is the Vale of Glamorgan. It is often referred to as The Vale and is a county borough in Wales, the economy is based mostly on agriculture and chemicals. On average between 2016 and 2020, it took 36.82 days for babies births to be registered in this area.

Furthermore, the London Borough of Southwark in south London that forms part of Inner London is the fourth area that takes the longest for its population to register the names of their babies, on average between 2016 and 2020 it took 36.14 days.

Finally, Lambeth which is a London borough in South London and forms part of Inner London is the fifth location that takes the longest for the people of the borough to register their newborn babies’ names. In Lambeth between 2016 and 2020, it took on average 35.92 days for parents to register their babies’ names.

Let’s explore the regional data…

In the North East, in Newcastle-Under-Lyme, it took on average 24.96 days between 2016 and 2020 for people to register their baby’s name, in Sunderland, this was slightly less at 23.18 days on average.

In the North West, in Liverpool, it took on average 25.88 days between 2016 and 2020 for new parents to register the name of their child, whereas in Manchester it took on average 24.34 days.

Furthermore, in Yorkshire, in Leeds, it took on average 30.44 days between 2016 and 2020 for parents to register the name of their new child. In the South of Yorkshire, in Sheffield, it took on average 26.12 days between 2016 and 2020.

Additionally, in the Midlands, in Birmingham, it took on average 35.7 days between 2016 and 2020 for parents to register their newborn’s name. This decreases to 29.92 days on average in Coventry.

In the South East, in Southampton, it took on average just 18.9 days between 2016 and 2020 for new parents to register their child’s name, in West Berkshire, this increases to 29.26 days.

Moreover, in the East of England, in East Hertfordshire, it took on average 21.08 days for inhabitants of the area to register the name of their baby, in Suffolk, this increases to 30.32 days on average. 

Finally, in the South West, in Bristol, it took on average 26.22 days for people in this area to register their baby’s name, in Cornwall, this was at an average of 22.44 days on average.

 

So what can we take from all this?

Overall, from looking at the data by the Office for National Statistics between the dates of 2016 and 2020, the time it takes for newborn parents to register the name of their newborn child varies greatly from region to region. For example, in Darlington it takes 15.78 days on average but in Leicester, it takes 38.98 days.

What can also be seen, unsurprisingly, is that the covid-19 pandemic has had a huge impact on the number of days that it has taken new parents to register the name of their baby.