FOI Ref: FOI/2023/4745
You asked
Please could you provide me with a list of the most common first given names of people who self-identified as West Indian or Caribbean (either fully or mixed) in England and Wales in 2021. Please could this data be divided into groups of ten years e.g. 0-10, 10-19, 20-29 etc and split into males and females.
We said
Thank you for your request.
While we retain name information, which is released to the National Archives in 100 years, it is not used to produce statistics. The collection of people's names is more an aid for the person completing the questionnaire so that they can make sure everyone is included and allocate the correct particulars to each household member. This is particularly important in the case of large households. The information also helps us make sure that the census only counts everyone once. Names are used in conjunction with the Census Coverage Survey to estimate the number of people we have missed, which is a key part of our statistical methodology, but do not form part of any standard census output. Names are also helpful when using the census to undertake genealogical research when the records are open after 100 years, though this is not the prime purpose of the census.
However, we can offer you a bespoke census analysis. Such analysis is subject to feasibility assessment, legal frameworks, disclosure controls, availability of Census Office resources, ethical/Registrar General approval and cost. It is unlikely that we would be able to provide exactly what you have requested as we would only take into account the unique character string in that field (name) and could only provide figures for occurrences of 10 or more. If you would like to request this bespoke census analysis, please contact Census.Customer.Services@ons.gov.uk to discuss your enquiry further.
Please note, there will be a charge for this work which would be subject to our charging policy and that our 2021 Census commissioned table service does not start until April 2023 (there is currently a waiting list).