Some names I have found that are common on both sides of the pond include: Richard, Scott, John, Jack, Thomas, Alex, Ellie, Charlotte, Sarah, Emily, Olivia, Lucy, and Elizabeth are really just a few. To be fair, there are quite a few overlaps in names on a transatlantic level!
Some differences I have noticed are in the nicknames derived from some of these names. For instance, Charlotte is a fairly common name here and often the nicknames for these girls are either "Charlie" or "Lottie." I don't know anyone by the name of Charlotte in the US who goes by either of those shortened names.
Some names that I have found MUCH more common over here in the UK vs. the US include: Iris, Poppy, Finn, Ollie (or Oliver), Oscar, Mohammed, Ruby, Imogen, Fiona, Harriet, Gaynor, and Harry. On the reverse side of the equation, occasionally my co-workers will comment about a name being "so American!" I always chuckle by these comments but the names where these comments have occurred, include in regards to names such as: Brent, Bruce, Riley, and Ashley. When I think about the names I hear over here in England, I have yet to meet anyone with such a name....
For a general comparison, I pulled the top 20 baby names from 2009 for both girls and boys for the US and UK. If I were more tech savvy, I might be able to arrange the tables side-by-side to one another, but unfortunately I couldn't figure it out! So, you can just skim the lists and compare the lists on your own.
Top UK Boy Names:
Rank ▴ | Name | Count | Change in rank since 2007 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | JACK | 8007 | 0 |
| 2 | OLIVER | 7413 | +1 |
| 3 | THOMAS | 6054 | -1 |
| 4 | HARRY | 6006 | +1 |
| 5 | JOSHUA | 5713 | -1 |
| 6 | ALFIE | 5557 | +4 |
| 7 | CHARLIE | 5285 | 0 |
| 8 | DANIEL | 5185 | -2 |
| 9 | JAMES | 5168 | 0 |
| 10 | WILLIAM | 5167 | -2 |
| 11 | SAMUEL | 4620 | 0 |
| 12 | GEORGE | 4209 | 0 |
| 13 | JOSEPH | 3760 | 0 |
| 14 | LEWIS | 3482 | +2 |
| 15 | ETHAN | 3445 | 0 |
| 16 | MOHAMMED | 3423 | +1 |
| 17 | DYLAN | 3370 | +2 |
| 18 | BENJAMIN | 3274 | -4 |
| 19 | ALEXANDER | 3213 | +3 |
| 20 | JACOB | 3128 | 0 |
Top US Boy Names:
| 1-20 | |
|---|---|
| 1. | Jacob |
| 2. | Ethan +1 |
| 3. | Michael -1 |
| 4. | Alexander +2 |
| 5. | William +3 |
| 6. | Joshua -2 |
| 7. | Daniel -2 |
| 8. | Jayden +3 |
| 9. | Noah +6 |
| 10. | Anthony -3 |
| 11. | Christopher -2 |
| 12. | Aiden +4 |
| 13. | Matthew -3 |
| 14. | David |
| 15. | Andrew -3 |
| 16. | Joseph -3 |
| 17. | Logan +2 |
| 18. | James -1 |
| 19. | Ryan -1 |
| 20. | Benjamin + |
Top 20 US Girl Names:
| 1-20 | |
|---|---|
| 1. | Isabella +1 |
| 2. | Emma -1 |
| 3. | Olivia +3 |
| 4. | Sophia +3 |
| 5. | Ava |
| 6. | Emily -3 |
| 7. | Madison -3 |
| 8. | Abigail |
| 9. | Chloe +1 |
| 10. | Mia +4 |
| 11. | Elizabeth -2 |
| 12. | Addison |
| 13. | Alexis +2 |
| 14. | Ella +5 |
| 15. | Samantha -4 |
| 16. | Natalie -3 |
| 17. | Grace +4 |
| 18. | Lily +6 |
| 19. | Alyssa -3 |
| 20. | Ashley -2 |
Top 20 UK Girl Names:
Rank | Name | Count | Change in rank since 2007 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | OLIVIA | 5317 | +2 |
| 2 | RUBY | 4924 | -1 |
| 3 | EMILY | 4874 | +1 |
| 4 | GRACE | 4773 | -2 |
| 5 | JESSICA | 4667 | 0 |
| 6 | CHLOE | 4601 | +1 |
| 7 | SOPHIE | 4378 | -1 |
| 8 | LILY | 4009 | 0 |
| 9 | AMELIA | 3437 | +1 |
| 10 | EVIE | 3275 | +5 |
| 11 | MIA | 3113 | +2 |
| 12 | ELLA | 3023 | -3 |
| 13 | CHARLOTTE | 2937 | -1 |
| 14 | LUCY | 2871 | -3 |
| 15 | MEGAN | 2515 | +2 |
| 16 | ELLIE | 2482 | -2 |
| 17 | ISABELLE | 2459 | +4 |
| 18 | ISABELLA | 2421 | +1 |
| 19 | HANNAH | 2331 | -3 |
| 20 | KATIE | 2318 | -2 |
