According to New Zealand’s Department of Internal Affairs, the most popular baby names in the country in 2018 were Charlotte and Oliver.
Here are New Zealand’s top 10 girl names and top 10 boy names of 2018:
Girl Names
1. Charlotte, 233 baby girls
2. Isla, 229
3. Olivia, 211
4. Amelia, 205
5. Harper, 193
6. Ella, 192
7. Isabella, 191
8. Emily, 186
9. Mia, 180 (tie)
10. Ava, 180 (tie)
Boy Names
1. Oliver, 293 baby boys
2. Jack, 273
3. Noah, 243
4. Leo, 221
5. Hunter, 207 (tie)
6. George, 207 (tie)
7. William, 204
8. Lucas, 202
9. James, 198
10. Mason, 196
In the girls’ top 10, Ella and Isabella replaced Mila (now 13th) and Sophie (now 17th).
In the boys’ top 10, Leo replaced Arlo (now 18th).
Baby names that were rejected last year include Heaven-Princezz-Star, Majestee-Honours, and Royale-Bubz.
New Zealand also released a set of Maori baby name rankings (topped by Mia and Nikau), but this kicked off a debate about the classification of Maori names, as many of the names listed (e.g., Mia, Nina, Aria, Ari) have other potential derivations.
In 2017, NZ’s top two names were same.
Sources: Top Baby Names in New Zealand, List of declined baby names for 2018 – NZ Govt
Image: Adapted from Flag of New Zealand (public domain)
