According to Statistics Norway, the most popular baby names in Norway in 2018 were Emma and Lucas/Lukas.
Here are Norway’s top 10 girl names and top 10 boy names of 2018:
Girl Names (“Jentenavn”)
1. Emma, 420 baby girls
2. Nora/Norah, 361
3. Olivia, 324
4. Sara/Sahra/Sarah/Zara, 313
5. Emilie, 303
6. Leah/Lea, 299
7. Sofie/Sophie, 296
8. Ella, 291
9. Amalie, 286
10. Maja/Maia/Maya, 284
Boy Names (“Guttenavn”)
1. Lucas/Lukas, 419 baby boys
2. Filip/Fillip/Philip/Phillip, 414
3. Oliver, 403
4. Oskar/Oscar, 382
5. Emil, 378
6. Jakob/Jacob, 375
7. Noah/Noa, 351
8. Aksel/Axel, 332
9. Henrik, 328
10. Elias, 307
In the girls’ top 10, Leah/Lea and Amalie replaced Sofia/Sophia and Ingrid/Ingerid/Ingri.
In the boys’ top 10, Aksel/Axel and Henrik replaced William and Isak/Isaac/Isac.
In the capital city of Oslo, the top names were Mohammad and Alma.
In the county of Oppland, literature name Tiril is back on top.
And finally, in 2017, the top names in the country were Sofie/Sophie and Jakob/Jacob.
Sources: Navn – SSB, These were the most popular names in 2018
Image: Adapted from Flag of Norway (public domain)
I’m asking this instead of researching it myself as you might now fast than I could find it.
I lived in Norway 30 years ago as a foreign exchange student from the states. I lived in Tønsberg, which at the time was 2 hours south of Oslo. Known as “Norges Eldest Byen” Norway’s Oldest City.
My question is: what dynamics, (immigration being a huge one) have changed the names from Names that were very distinctly Norwegian, to names that are much more, well English (British and American). The pride Norwegians had was only rivaled by Iceland, who still strive to keep their language as well as children’s names, “Pure”, or in the old ways. They will not even accept words like computer there, they create names made up of Icelandic words that represent the things.
Anyhoo, Is it the encroachment of the world? People my host parents age (80’s) and my age (50’s) and now our children’s age (30’s) that gave very Norwegian names (I gave my son the middle name of Erik, I wanted a Norwegian name in there and my husband was not keen on on Kjetil or Håkkon LOL).
Do the parents now have specific reasons to name their children such un-Norwegian names? I mean of course Henrik is VERY Norwegian.
Am I just mindlessly babbling from only five hours of sleep or do I make any sense at all LOL Thanks much!!
Interesting insight! I will definitely look into this and see if I can find anything. Thanks for the full explanation.
My initial guess would be just what you said: “encroachment of the world.” Specifically, the introduction/adoption of the internet. Popular baby names in various countries seem to be more “aligned” these days because we are now more connected than ever before.
Ha ha, As I am writing on a computer, talking about internet searches…I completely miss the forest for the trees LOL Of course! Especially pinterest, and other baby sites where you can track baby’s progress growing in you and beyond. It is a lot different now 19 years after getting pregnant and almost 18 years after giving birth.
I believe I told you I got my son’s name Jayden from Star Trek the Next Generation, one episode in particular. As soon as I heard the name, I would have no other. LOL Thanks for responding so quick and willing to research for me.
I am currently researching why there are 5 different way s to say king in Khuzdul (Tolkien’s Dwarvish language.)
I have been trying to find a source that talks about recent name trends in Norway specifically, but haven’t found anything good so far.
But I did come across an interesting/applicable sentence today in an Economist article about modern French baby names: “Part of being French these days, it seems, is naming your baby not Marie, but Lina or Mila — “international names,” the authors note, “that everyone can identify with.””
Yeah, I can see parents wanting to do that. So their kid isn’t in the states or Germany or something and is always asked, “Are you French, your name sounds French?” Depending on their accent of course. Thank you so very much, I greatly appreciate your help!