Last year, the Canadian province of Quebec welcomed about 77,400 babies.
What were the most popular names among these babies? Emma and Noah.
Here are Quebec’s top 50+ girl names and top 50 boy names of 2024:
Girl names
- Emma, 461 baby girls
- Olivia, 452
- Florence, 449
- Charlotte, 447
- Alice, 407
- Charlie, 364
- Beatrice, 334
- Clara, 331
- Sofia, 327
- Livia, 298
- Lea, 285
- Romy, 281
- Mila, 280
- Juliette, 276
- Mia, 254
- Eva, 235
- Zoe, 234
- Rose, 232
- Victoria, 213
- Leonie, 212
- Billie, 206
- Julia, 205
- Rosalie, 198
- Chloe, 185
- Jeanne, 178
- Elena, 176 (tie)
- Flavie, 176 (tie)
- Jade, 173
- Elizabeth, 171
- Margot, 159
- Amelia, 158
- Adele, 152
- Eleonore, 149
- Ophelie, 144
- Raphaelle, 143
- Sophia, 140
- Clemence, 138
- Maeva, 135
- Camille, 130
- Lily, 129
- Ellie, 127
- Lena, 123
- Flora, 121
- Estelle, 109
- Aurelie, 107
- Eloise, 105 (tie)
- Marguerite, 105 (tie)
- Sophie, 104
- Jasmine, 102
- Evelyne, 101 (tie)
- Nora, 101 (tie)
Boy names
- Noah, 572 baby boys
- Leo, 531
- Liam, 494 (tie)
- William, 494 (tie)
- Thomas, 448
- Louis, 445
- Arthur, 435
- Edouard, 426
- Emile, 389
- Theo, 387
- Jacob, 354
- Charles, 346
- Adam, 340 (tie)
- Jules, 340 (tie)
- Nathan, 338
- James, 329
- Raphael, 303
- Laurent, 282
- Lucas, 274
- Theodore, 273
- Arnaud, 268
- Felix, 264
- Logan, 261
- Victor, 254
- Henri, 252
- Benjamin, 244
- Eloi, 237
- Elliot, 234
- Jackson, 228
- Gabriel, 226
- Samuel, 209
- Nolan, 204
- Milan, 203
- Ethan, 192
- Matheo, 181
- Antoine, 180
- Jayden, 168
- Olivier, 163
- Alexis, 159
- Leonard, 152
- Matteo, 139
- Eli, 137
- Robin, 131
- Hubert, 127
- Axel, 126
- Leon, 125 (tie)
- Zack, 125 (tie)
- Caleb, 124
- Jake, 123 (tie)
- Maverick, 123 (tie)
In the girls’ top 10, Clara and Sofia replaced Lea and Juliette.
In the boys’ top 10, Emile and Theo replaced Jacob and Nathan.
And what about the names at the other end of the spectrum?
Among those given to fewer than five babies, I spotted the place names Kenai and Sitka, the plant name Melilot (sweet clover), the French word Tantine (meaning “auntie”), and the Inuktitut versions of various Christian names:
- Joanassie (based on John, Jonah, or Jonas)
- Jusipi/Juusipi (based on Joseph)
- Paulusie (based on Paul)
- Silasie (based on Silas)
- Tuumasi (based on Thomas)
- Elisapee/Elisapi/Elisapie (based on Elizabeth)
I also noticed names from various indigenous languages, such as…
- Aqiaruk, which means “stomach” in Inuktut.
- Arnaq Talittuq, made up of the Inuktitut words arnaq, meaning “woman,” and talittuq, meaning “disappears, hides.”
- Maikaniss, which means “wolf cub” in Innu. (The word maikan means “wolf.”)
- Mispun, which means “it is snowing” in East Cree.
- Missinak, which means “turtle” in Innu.
- Nipinok, based on the Cree word nipinohk, meaning “last summer.” (The word nipin means “summer.”)
- Piponik, based on the Cree word pipon, meaning both “winter” and “year.”
- Putulik
- Qumaluk
- Tillikasak
- Timangiak
- Uashtessiu, part of the Innu term uashtessiu-pishimu, meaning “the month when the leaves become yellow” (i.e., October).
- Uiviru
- Ulluriaq, which means “star” in Inuktitut.
- Weetalutuk
(I can’t give you the usual sampling of Quebec’s single-use names because, as of 2024, the province has decided to stop specifying which names were given to just one baby. The single-use names — along with the names that were given to two, three, and four babies — are now labeled “<5” in the data.)
Finally, here’s a link to Quebec’s 2023 rankings, if you’d like to compare last year to the year before.
Sources:
- Retraite Québec – List of Baby Names
- Jeux de données – Données Québec
- Births and birth rate, Québec, 1900-2024
- Word List – Inuktut Atlas
- Inuinnaqtun/English Dictionary – nbes.ca (pdf)
- Months of the year – Innu-aimun
- Eastern James Bay Cree Dictionary on the Web
- Mikinak – Teacher Awareness Guide – McGill University (pdf)
- Wiktionary
Image: Adapted from Flag of Quebec (public domain)
