Khan to Overtake Smith as Most Common English Surname

Khan is set to replace Smith as the most popular surname for newborns next year, an analysis of official data by The Telegraph showed.

Smith is believed to have been the most common family name in England for centuries but has been in decline for the past 30 years.

Khan is poised to overtake it in 2027, with the traditionally Muslim name more than doubling in popularity in the last 30 years.

Data showed that 4,102 babies were born with the surname Smith in England and Wales in 2025.

Khan was the second most common with 3,772.

However, Smith’s 4 per cent average annual decline in popularity and Khan’s 1.9 per cent average annual increase suggested that Smith would lose its top spot as soon as 2027.

Muhammed is also the most common first name for boys born in England.

Nuni Jorgensen, researcher for Oxford University’s Migration Observatory, said the pattern reflected the impact of migration, with Khan being a common surname in South Asian countries.

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The new figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) also showed a dramatic decline in surnames of traditionally British origin in the past three decades.

In 1996, every name in the top 10 was of established British origin, including Smith, Jones and Williams in the top three.

By 2025, just three of the top 10 came from this background, with names such as Khan, Ahmed, Singh and Hussein rising into the top 10, reflecting the dramatic increase in migration from South Asia.

Ibrahim has seen the fastest increase up the rankings, jumping from the 563rd most common name in 1996 to 73rd last year.

Meanwhile, once popular British surnames have seen marked declines. These include Long, which has fallen by 55 per cent since 1996, Potter (-54 per cent), Carr (-52 per cent) and Hammond (-52 per cent).

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The period since 1996 has not just seen a significant increase in immigration from South Asia, but also falling birth rates among British-born mothers.

In 2001, just 4.4 per cent of the country was of Asian ethnicity, increasing to 7.5 per cent in 2011 and 9.3 per cent in 2021, according to the Census.

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