According to data released in March by the Population Register Centre of Finland (Väestörekisterikeskus), the most popular baby names in Finland in 2016 were Sofia and Onni.
Here are Finland’s top 10 girl names and top 10 boy names of 2016:
Girl Names
1. Sofia, 349 baby girls
2. Aino, 330
3. Eevi, 315
4. Venla, 311
5. Emma, 307
6. Aada, 281
7. Pihla, 279
8. Helmi and Ella, 276 each (tie)
9. Emilia, 270
10. Elli, 256
Boy Names
1. Onni, 400 baby boys
2. Elias, 390
3. Leo, 380
4. Väinö, 379
5. Oliver, 331
6. Eetu, 321
7. Eino, 301
8. Noel, 274
9. Leevi, 270
10. Niilo, 245
In the girls’ top 10, Pihla, which refers to the rowan tree (pihlaja), replaced Elsa (now 15th).
In the boys’ top 10, Noel replaced Daniel (now 24th).
Onni, which means “luck” or “fortune,” was last on top in 2013. The #1 names in 2015 were Venla and Leo.
Among the minority (approx. 6%) of Swedish speakers in Finland, the top baby names were Ellen and Adrian.
Sources: De populäraste förnamnen av finskspråkiga barn som föddes år 2016 (PDF), Onni Means ‘Happiness’ And Is the Most Popular Finnish First Name For Boys in 2016 – Sofia For Girls, Nordic Names Wiki
Image: Adapted from Flag of Finland (public domain)