Last year, the Canadian province of Alberta welcomed 49,030 babies — 25,160 boys and 23,870 girls.
What were the most popular names among these 2020 babies? Olivia and Noah.
Here are the top-10 lists by gender:
Girl Names
- Olivia, 236 baby girls
- Emma, 184
- Charlotte, 161
- Ava, 159
- Sophia, 151
- Amelia, 145
- Isla, 133
- Emily, 127
- Lily, 123
- Abigail, 114
Boy Names
- Noah, 239 baby boys
- Oliver, 229
- Liam, 206
- Benjamin, 182
- William, 178
- Jack, 169
- Lucas, 163
- Theodore, 159
- Levi, 153
- Owen, 152
In the girls’ top 10, Isla and Lily replaced Hannah and Elizabeth. In fact, Lily jumped all the way from 24th (in 2019) to 9th (in 2020).
In the boys’ top 10, Theodore and Levi replaced Ethan and Jacob. Levi, like Lily, saw a big jump from 27th (in 2019) to 9th (in 2020).
Rare baby names that were bestowed just once in Alberta last year include…
| Unique Girl Names | Unique Boy Names |
| Aztrellina, Bellashae, Chloezel, Dexy, Electrona, Franzene, Goldwyn, Hirtoli, Iskra-Maurize, Jenebith, Kalkidan, Kikasia, Kisik, Larkspur, Lithuli, Magaty, Mirgisee, Nannally, Nomvela, Obsinet, Pkachhouk, Pulcherie, Qaroo, Rhemalie, Rielle, Roanix, Silk-Nightsun, Slyzze, Somadina, Tezlokai, Trixene, Ulita, Vallyn, Wapikwanew, Wicanphi-Peta, Xeene, Yatika, Zintaya | Arctic, Boajor, Chinook, Cyomoro, Dazzlo, Discern, Edline, Fendt, Greysky, Hananiah, Iforel, Jryxx, Kikisepaw-Kihiw, Kjerrand, Kodiak, Lelouch, Marlgrae, Moyo, Naatósíniipi, Nufuri, Outlaw, Psalmson, Qifan, Rionzed, Running, Sikapiohkitopi, Sîktogeja, Skydancer, StormRyder, Taiga, Tonderai, Ulfbjorn, Valois, Wapikihew, Wembley, Xylatar, Ynno, Zeuxis-Finn |
Here are some explanations and/or potential influences for a few of the above:
- Pkachhouk, or pka chhouk, means “lotus” in Khmer (Cambodian). Pka by itself is the word for “flower.”
- Wapikwanew means “flower” in Cree.
- Kikisepaw-Kihiw — kikisepaw means “morning, dawn” and kihiw means “eagle” in Cree.
- Kjerrand is a Norwegian name ultimately derived from a Germanic name made up of elements meaning “army” and “rim, edge (of a shield).”
- Lelouch Lamperouge is an anime character.
- Sîktogeja means “wolf” in Nakoda.
- The Taiga is the coniferous forest of the subarctic.
- Valois (pronounced val-wa) was both a historical region and a historical royal house of France.
Finally, here are the 2019 rankings for Alberta, if you’d like to compare.
Sources: Alberta’s Top Baby Names (PDFs: Girl Names, Boy Names), Olivia and Noah most popular baby names in 2020, Online Cree Dictionary, Nordic Names
Image: Adapted from Flag of Alberta (public domain)
So how exactly would one pronounce Jryxx? Is it based on an actual word or did someone’s cat jump on the keyboard as they were entering the name?
@Ellyn: It is impossible to decide without knowing the parents of the little boy, but my guess that it is pronounced as Jairus: The letter J stands for “jay”, the double xx just for an /s/ or /z/ sound, and the letters r and y have quite normal pronunciations.
@Ellyn, I’m reading it as similar to “Drix”, with the spelling changed up a little.