According to data from Argentina’s Registro Nacional de las Personas (RENAPER), the most popular baby names in the country in both 2020 and 2021 were Emma and Mateo.
First, here are Argentina’s top 10 girl names and top 10 boy names of 2020:
Girl Names, 2020
- Emma, 7,966 baby girls
- Olivia, 5,409
- Martina, 5,236
- Isabella, 5,214
- Alma, 4,620
- Catalina, 4,099
- Mia, 4,084
- Ambar, 3,730
- Victoria, 3,722
- Delfina, 3,574
Boy Names, 2020
- Mateo, 7,750 baby boys
- Bautista, 5,237
- Juan, 5,125
- Felipe, 4,785
- Bruno, 4,440
- Noah, 4,428
- Benicio, 4,225
- Thiago, 3,772
- Ciro, 3,663
- Liam, 3,516
And, second, here are Argentina’s provisional 2021 rankings (which cover the year up to November 16):
Girl Names, 2021 (provisional)
- Emma, 5,201 baby girls
- Olivia, 3,958
- Alma, 3,579
- Martina, 3,475
- Isabella, 3,447
- Catalina, 3,025
- Mia, 2,651
- Roma, 2,389
- Sofía, 2,317
- Emilia, 2,316
Boy Names, 2021 (provisional)
- Mateo, 5,166 baby boys
- Bautista, 3,783
- Felipe, 3,673
- Noah, 3,563
- Juan, 3,381
- Liam, 3,114
- Benicio, 2,952
- Bruno, 2,821
- Thiago, 2,611
- Lorenzo, 2,256
My source article noted that the 2020 boys’ rankings included the names of all three of Argentine soccer player Lionel Messi’s sons: Thiago, Mateo, and Ciro.
It also noted that the girl name Roma was rarely used in the country until actress Dalma Maradona — daughter of Argentine soccer player Diego Maradona — welcomed her own daughter, Roma, in March of 2019. The next year, the name jumped to 15th place on the girls’ list. The year after that, it entered the top 10.
Finally, the name Lautaro — the Hispanicized version of Leftraru that we saw in the rankings for next-door neighbor Chile last week — ranked within Argentina’s top 20 in both 2020 and 2021. The name’s trendiness in Argentina right now probably has less to do with the original Lautaro (a 16th-century Mapuche warrior from Chile) and more to do with Argentine soccer player Lautaro Martínez.
Sources:
- Costa, José María. “Bebés pandemials: el ranking de los 20 nombres más elegidos en 2020 y 2021 en el país.” La Nacion 25 Nov. 2021.
- Rozzi, Ricardo. Multi-Ethnic Bird Guide of the Sub-Antarctic Forests of South America. Chile: University of Magallanes Press, 2010.
Image: Adapted from Flag of Argentina (public domain)