Popular and unique baby names in Alberta (Canada), 2021

Flag of Alberta
Flag of Alberta

Last year, the Canadian province of Alberta welcomed roughly 50,000 babies — almost 26,000 boys and over 24,000 girls.

What were the most popular names among these 2021 babies? Olivia and Noah.

Here are the top-10 lists by gender:

Girl Names

  1. Olivia, 210 baby girls
  2. Charlotte, 166
  3. Ava, 165
  4. Emma, 163
  5. Amelia, 160
  6. Sophia, 137
  7. Isla, 135
  8. Abigail, 120
  9. Evelyn and Chloe, 119 each (tie)
  10. Aria, 112

Boy Names

  1. Noah, 274 baby boys
  2. Jack, 219
  3. Oliver, 208
  4. Liam, 197
  5. Theodore, 191
  6. William, 174
  7. Ethan, 162
  8. Levi, 148
  9. Benjamin, 147
  10. Henry, 146

In the girls’ top 10, Evelyn, Chloe and Aria replaced Emily and Lily. (Three replace two because of the tie for 9th place.)

In the boys’ top 10, Ethan and Henry replaced Lucas and Owen. (Maverick, which has been rising steadily over the last few years, reached 13th in 2021 and could potentially enter the top 10 in 2022.)

Rare baby names that were bestowed just once in Alberta last year include…

Unique Girl NamesUnique Boy Names
Anangokaa, Arendelle, Bluejay, Chickadee, Chokecherry, Dafflin, Eberle, Finvola, Guillemette, Hemley, Izna, Jisu, Khizra, Lunafreya, Maximina, Nicêhis, Oromia, Pernilla, Queniva, Roux-Zelle, Shimmer, Skadi, Thylane, Ulyana, Valhalla, Winlinna, Xyrille, Yuzuki, ZitraAtrium, Brome, Calvince, Donlathee, Eberle, Fidelcastro, Gambit, Heimdallr, Itthipat, Jaiku, Kihêw, Kikinaw, Lefty, Makisig, Malësor, Nashford, Orca, Peanut, Qamber, Raistlin, Strive, Te-Ahumairangi, Totem, Universe, Valvatorez, Waseskwan, Xef, Yosiah, Zevry

Some explanations and/or potential influences for a few of the above:

  • Anangokaa means “there are (many) stars” in Ojibwe.
  • Arendelle is the name of a kingdom in the movie Frozen.
  • Brome refers to various types of grass in the genus Bromus.
  • Eberle — given to one girl and one boy last year — could refer to hockey player Jordan Eberle, who played with the Edmonton Oilers during the 2010s.
  • Fidel Castro was the revolutionary/statesman who led the island nation of Cuba for nearly five decades.
  • Gambit (besides being a word) is an X-Men character.
  • Heimdallr (besides being a Norse god) is a Marvel character.
  • Kikinaw means “our house/home” in Cree.
  • Kihêw means “eagle” in Cree.
  • Lunafreya is a character from the video game Final Fantasy XV.
  • Makisig means “elegant” or “gallant” in Tagalog.
  • Malësor means “highlander” in Albanian.
  • Nicêhis means “my little heart” or “my dear heart” in Cree.
  • Raistlin is a Dragonlance character.
  • Skadi (besides being a giantess in Norse mythology) is a character in the TV series Vikings.
  • Te Ahumairangi is the name of a hill in Wellington, New Zealand.
  • Valvatorez is a character from the video game Disgaea 4.
  • Waseskwan means “the sky is clearing (after a storm)” in Cree.

One other name that stood out to me is Bauer, given to 7 baby boys and 1 baby girl in 2021. I was paying close attention to the hockey playoffs this year, and I couldn’t help but notice “Bauer” everywhere — on sticks, on gloves, on helmets, etc. It makes me wonder how many of the baby Bauers out there (both in Canada and in the U.S.) have been named — either intentionally or inadvertently — after the ice hockey equipment brand.

Finally, here are the 2020 rankings for Alberta, if you’d like to compare.

Sources: Alberta’s Top Baby Names, Olivia and Noah most popular baby names in 2021, Olivia, Noah continue reign as most popular Alberta baby names, The Ojibwe People’s Dictionary, Online Cree Dictionary, Wiktionary

Image: Adapted from Flag of Alberta (public domain)

Where did the baby name Tandeka come from in 1967?

Tandeka and Zoleka Tukutese at 6 months old.
Tandeka and Zoleka Tukutese

The baby name Tandeka was a one-hit wonder in the U.S. baby name data in 1967:

  • 1969: unlisted
  • 1968: unlisted
  • 1967: 7 baby girls named Tandeka [debut]
  • 1966: unlisted
  • 1965: unlisted

Where did it come from?

A quintuplet!

Tandeka was the name of one of the famous Tukutese quintuplets born to Xhosa parents Nogesi Gquzulu (mom) and Tafeni Tukutese (dad) in South Africa in February of 1966.

The Tukutese quintuplets (b. 1966)
The Tukutese quintuplets

U.S. newspapers and periodicals spelled (and defined) the quints’ names in various ways…

  1. Kululekile or Kolekile (boy), “happy” or “happiness” (5 lbs., 2 oz.)
  2. Tembekile (boy), “trusted” (4 lbs. 12 oz.)
  3. Mbambile (boy), “devoted” or “I’ve got it” or “he’s got it” (4 lbs. 12 oz.)
  4. Zoleka (girl), “serenity” (4 lbs. 12 oz.)
  5. Tandeka (girl), “beloved” or “loved one” (4 lbs. 2 oz.)

And, interestingly, the name of quint #3 was later changed. The quints’ mother had “defied an age-old tribal custom” by choosing the names herself while at the hospital. According to tradition, it was “the prerogative of the grandfather or great grandfather to name children.”

One of the baby boys was named Mbambile, meaning “He’s Got It” by the mother, but he had his name changed by his great grandfather, 89-year-old Mr. Gqusungu Zenzile, who came from the Transkei to see his great grandchildren. Mr. Zenzile changed his name to Gilindoda, meaning “Giant.”

This change was never mentioned by the U.S. media, though. Even when Ebony magazine published an article about the quints in December of 1966 — an extra round of exposure that no doubt contributed to Tandeka appearing in the SSA data in 1967 — quint #3 was still being called Mbambile.

What are your thoughts on the name Tandeka?

P.S. These days, the names Tandeka and Tembekile are more commonly rendered “Thandeka” and “Thembekile.” In Xhosa, th is pronounced like t, but with more aspiration.

Sources:

Images: Clippings from Ebony magazine (Dec. 1966)

Baby born to rugby fans, named Leicester

rugby legs

New Zealand’s national rugby team, the All Blacks, recently welcomed a player named Leicester Fainga’anuku. (His first name is pronounced LEH-stir, just like “Lester.”)

Fainga’anuku was born in Tonga and grew up in New Zealand, but was named after a city in England.

Why?

Because, right around the time he was born, his father — a member of Tonga’s national rugby team — was abroad in England, playing in the 1999 Rugby World Cup. Specifically, Tonga was playing a match against Italy [vid] and unexpectedly won. As Leicester Fainga’anuku put it:

It was Leicester Stadium. They won by a dropped goal, three points and I think they were partying hard.

Sources:

Image: Adapted from Rugby socks by Steven Lilley under CC BY-SA 2.0.

Babies named for Arthur Wellesley, Duke of Wellington

British politician Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington (1769-1852)
Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington

British soldier and politician Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington, is best remembered for being the commander of the Anglo-allied army that (with the assistance of the Prussian Army) achieved victory at the Battle of Waterloo in 1815.

Alexander I, the Czar of Russia, was to call him ‘Le vainqueur du vainqueur du monde‘, the conqueror of the world’s conqueror, and the world’s conqueror was, of course, Napoleon.

But, even before that, Wellesley had gained fame for his victories during the Peninsular War. And, afterward, he served as British Prime Minister (primarily from 1828 to 1830, but also for a few extra weeks in 1834).

Thousands of baby boys across the United Kingdom (and beyond) were named in his honor starting in the early 1810s. Some examples…

Interestingly, Wellesley wasn’t born with the surname Wellesley. He was originally a Wesley. Sometime in the late 1790s, “the Wesley family reverted to the old Anglo-Norman spelling of Wellesley.” Arthur first signed his name “Arthur Wellesley” in May of 1798 (while he was stationed in India).

Sources:

Image: Adapted from Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington (c. 1815-16) by Thomas Lawrence