Pub landlord offers prizes to mothers who will name their kid Nigel

Charlie Herbert

‘We’ve sent the word out across the world to get as many Nigels here as we possibly can’

A pub landlord is offering prizes to mums that decide to name their child Nigel after the news that no newborns were given the name in 2020.

Nigel Smith, the landlord at the Fleece Inn in Worcestershire, is also organising Nige-fest at his pub and aims to get 1,000 Nigels and their parents to attend.

Each Nigel at the event – the VIPs – will get a free pint and he’s even offering prizes to any expectant mothers who promise to name their child Nigel.

Smith organised the first Nige-fest in 2019, getting 433 Nigels to gather at his pub for a celebration of Nigelness.

This set a world record for number of Nigels gathered and raised money for the British Heart Foundation.

Smith is now planning an even bigger event for next year to celebrate the name before it becomes extinct.

He said: “We’ve sent the word out across the world to get as many Nigels here as we possibly can.

“They’ll be prizes for anyone who has named their child Nigel and for any expectant mums who promise to name their sons Nigel too.

“In the year I was born, 1963, there were over 5,000 Nigels born. It was peak Nigel.

“It was so ubiquitous and it became much-maligned. At school I used to have the mickey taken out of me. I’ve got two children and neither are called Nigel.

“I think names are cyclical and it’s gone out of fashion.”

In 2019, 433 Nigels gathered at Nigel Smith’s pub, setting a new world record (credit: SNWS)

He added: “I think we can get the name back in vogue again. When we held the Nigel record attempt in 2019 we had a Nigel come all the way over from Texas.

“We’re hoping to smash the record next year. All our rooms are booked for the weekend and we hope to get over 1,000 Nigels here.”

The news – released earlier this week from the Office for National Statistics – showed that in 2020 more babies were named Oakley-James (11), Rocco (326) and Beau (419) than were named Nigel.

Other boy names that are in trouble are Trevor and Stuart – with both having eight boys named that last year – and Gordon, with only seven boys being given the name in 2020.

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