New Zealand’s top baby names of 2013 were announced last week.
According to NZ’s Department of Internal Affairs, the country’s most popular names of 2013 were Charlotte and Oliver.
Here are the top 25 girl names and top 25 boy names of 2013:
Girl Names
- Charlotte
- Emily
- Ruby
- Sophie
- Olivia
- Isla
- Amelia
- Ava
- Isabella
- Ella
- Chloe
- Grace
- Mia
- Lily
- Emma
- Sophia
- Lucy
- Mila
- Harper
- Zoe
- Georgia
- Paige
- Hannah
- Aria
- Jessica
Boy Names
- Oliver
- Jack
- James
- William
- Mason
- Liam
- Samuel
- Lucas
- Noah
- Thomas
- Hunter
- Ethan
- Jacob
- Benjamin
- Daniel
- Max
- Joshua
- Ryan
- Cooper
- Blake
- Lachlan
- Charlie
- Levi
- Leo
- Elijah
Girl names on the rise include Isla, Mila, Aria, Eden (30th), Willow (33rd) and Pippa (44th).
Boy names on the rise include Hunter and Elijah.
Another boy name — Braxton — debuted at #28 on the NZ top 100 in 2012 and was still going strong in 2013 at 29th. The explanation for Braxton’s sudden popularity could be the Australian soap opera Home and Away, which is popular in NZ. In 2011, the show introduced a trio of brothers named Darryl “Brax” Braxton, Heath Braxton and Casey Braxton. The eldest, Brax, seems to have emerged as the favorite Braxton brother.
Sources: The baby names NZ loves, Most Popular Male and Female First Names
Image: Adapted from Flag of New Zealand (public domain)