Charlie Kirk, the American right-wing activist and founder of Turning Point USA, was the most searched name on Google in the UK in 2025, according to the company's annual search trends report. Kirk, 31, was shot dead on September 10 while speaking at Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah. He was struck by a single bullet to the neck fired from a nearby rooftop and later died in hospital. The attack prompted a large manhunt, ending the next day when 22-year-old Tyler James Robinson surrendered to local authorities.
Kirk, a prominent figure in the MAGA movement and ally of Donald Trump, also became the most-viewed biography on Wikipedia worldwide in 2025. His death drew widespread attention, including a tribute from his widow Erika Kirk at the Oval Office.
The second most searched term was Ozzy Osbourne, the Black Sabbath singer who died in July at age 76 after living with Parkinson's disease. Third place went to Ed Gein, the notorious US serial killer whose crimes were revisited in the Netflix drama Monster.
Fourth on the list was Adolescence, a Netflix series exploring misogyny and violence against women and girls. Rounding out the top five was the phrase "snow warning", reflecting heightened public interest in winter weather alerts.
