According to New Zealand’s Department of Internal Affairs, the most popular baby names in the country in 2017 were Charlotte and Oliver.
Here are New Zealand’s top 10 girl names and top 10 boy names of 2017:
Girl Names
1. Charlotte, 277 baby girls
2. Harper, 236
3. Isla, 232
4. Olivia, 225
5. Ava, 217
6. Amelia, 215
7. Mia, 205
8. Mila, 201
9. Sophie, 197
10. Emily, 190
Boy Names
1. Oliver, 314 baby boys
2. Jack, 284
3. Noah, 257
4. William, 251
5. Hunter, 245
6. James, 242
7. George, 234
8. Mason, 230
9. Lucas, 227
10. Arlo, 194
In the girls’ top 10, Mila replaced Ella.
In the boys’ top 10, George and Arlo replaced Leo and Max.
Arlo is rising fast — it first entered the top 100 in 2013, and it ranked 23rd in 2016.
Matilda’s upward ride, on the other hand, seems to be over. It slipped from 24th in 2016 to 33rd in 2017. (I mentioned Matilda in the 2016 rankings post.)
Sources: Charlotte, Oliver top the list of New Zealand’s most popular baby names, Most Popular Male and Female First Names
Image: Adapted from Flag of New Zealand (public domain)