How popular is the baby name Liza in the United States right now? How popular was it historically? Use the popularity graph and data table below to find out! Plus, see all the blog posts that mention the name Liza.

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Popularity of the baby name Liza


Posts that mention the name Liza

Girl names beyond the top 1,000 of 2022

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Have you seen any of the girl names beyond the U.S. top 1,000 yet? If not, here’s the next thousand for you.

Last year, the 1,000th most popular girl name in the U.S. was Kahlani, given to 260 babies. After that, we find…

1,001st to 1,100th

Jazlynn, 259
Kynlee, 259
Raquel, 259
Tallulah, 258
Jaycee, 257
Kaisley, 257
Maylee, 257
Nataly, 257
Leylani, 256
Lilia, 256
Esperanza, 255
Haylee, 255
Ruthie, 255
Clare, 254
Kailey, 254
Etta, 253
Paisleigh, 253
Essence, 252
Tori, 252
Dana, 251
Ellen, 251
Kaya, 251
Eleanora, 250
Memphis, 250
Crystal, 249
Libby, 249
Tilly, 249
Xena, 249
Zola, 248
Austyn, 247
Emani, 247
Landry, 247
Layan, 247
Reya, 246
Aura, 245
Ayra, 245
Indy, 245
Kimora, 245
Viola, 245
Loyalty, 244
Nathalie, 244
Seraphina, 244
Shea, 244
Whitney, 244
Ayah, 243
Clarissa, 243
Jaylee, 243
Kiera, 242
Lyanna, 242
Giavanna, 241
Soraya, 241
Ailany, 240
Cordelia, 240
Guadalupe, 240
Jaylin, 240
Mattie, 240
Mazikeen, 240
Arden, 239
Dania, 239
Ellison, 239
Giulia, 239
Rubi, 239
Celina, 237
Mazie, 237
Renee, 237
Tara, 237
Amyra, 236
Lizbeth, 234
Maelynn, 234
Amethyst, 233
Aniya, 233
Elouise, 233
Violette, 233
Arisbeth, 232
Ayana, 232
Corinne, 232
Darcy, 232
Everley, 232
Nairobi, 232
Addyson, 231
Emmaline, 231
Ivana, 230
Jillian, 230
Miah, 230
Sandra, 230
Spencer, 230
Micaela, 229
Aminah, 228
Ansley, 228
Ann, 227
Kathleen, 227
Majesty, 227
Winifred, 227
Addisyn, 226
Agnes, 226
Colbie, 226
Harleigh, 226
Solana, 226
Aleia, 225
Claudia, 225

1,101st to 1,200th

Melani, 225
Desiree, 224
Frida, 224
Ida, 224
Ingrid, 224
Malka, 224
Yuna, 223
Hailee, 222
Zyla, 222
Adela, 221
Alisha, 221
Beverly, 221
Patricia, 221
Aiyana, 220
Jaelynn, 220
Yusra, 220
Aliah, 219
Andie, 219
Jewel, 219
Khadija, 219
Braylee, 218
Kollyns, 218
Meghan, 218
Harriet, 217
Raylee, 217
Rhiannon, 217
Christine, 216
Devyn, 216
Elani, 216
Yaritza, 215
Avyanna, 214
Keziah, 214
Marcella, 214
Riya, 214
Aarya, 213
Avani, 213
Jana, 213
Kailany, 213
Kalia, 213
Kodi, 213
Gianni, 212
Miller, 212
Taliyah, 212
Vayda, 212
Abril, 211
Arizbeth, 211
Elowen, 211
Marian, 211
Micah, 211
Quincy, 211
Sia, 211
Dalilah, 210
Evelina, 210
Jhene, 210
Korra, 210
Sonia, 210
Aislinn, 209
Maliah, 209
Betty, 208
Ariadne, 207
Kamora, 207
Paityn, 207
Arely, 206
Janessa, 206
Kaylie, 206
Lettie, 206
Lillianna, 206
Perla, 206
Rae, 206
Ripley, 206
Susan, 206
Cara, 205
Dixie, 205
Karlee, 205
Brynley, 204
Dina, 204
Elayna, 204
Amia, 203
Kyleigh, 203
True, 203
Emberlyn, 202
Emi, 202
Kacey, 202
Leena, 202
Ryder, 202
Ayanna, 201
Aylani, 201
Jaelyn, 201
Jovi, 201
Jubilee, 201
Kinsleigh, 201
Novaleigh, 201
Patience, 201
Aarna, 200
Adrienne, 200
Alyson, 200
Amal, 200
Amiah, 200
Ariadna, 200
Heavenly, 200

1,201st to 1,300th

Wrenleigh, 200
Darla, 199
Ellery, 199
Farrah, 199
Honey, 199
Kingsley, 199
Sharon, 199
Zahara, 199
Addie, 198
Annabella, 198
Evalyn, 198
Honesty, 198
Mirha, 198
Valencia, 198
Zoie, 198
Blessing, 197
Jayde, 197
Jaylene, 197
Lianna, 197
Aleyna, 196
Gaia, 196
Karen, 196
Mariella, 196
Mollie, 196
Zarah, 196
Alba, 195
Annalee, 195
Campbell, 195
Ira, 195
Amiya, 194
Beatrix, 194
Carsyn, 194
Leilah, 194
Madalynn, 194
Nathaly, 194
Aida, 193
Angeline, 193
Antonia, 193
Dalary, 193
Kiyomi, 193
Liz, 193
Robyn, 193
Rylynn, 193
Carolyn, 192
Ciara, 192
Kaylin, 192
Margaux, 192
Mercedes, 192
Salome, 192
Wendy, 192
Cassie, 191
Londynn, 191
Zaira, 191
Aranza, 190
Marlene, 190
Raylynn, 190
Rori, 190
Roslyn, 190
Aanya, 189
Emmalynn, 189
Erika, 189
Lailani, 189
Riverlynn, 189
Ainara, 188
Kassandra, 188
Lavender, 188
Noel, 188
Rilynn, 188
Vivianna, 188
Akira, 187
Azul, 187
Brenda, 187
Jalani, 187
Lorena, 187
Marjorie, 187
Meera, 187
Miya, 187
Myah, 187
Neveah, 187
Tatiana, 187
Kaleah, 186
Ariela, 185
Eleni, 185
Zaya, 185
Dariana, 184
Imogen, 184
Montana, 184
Rayleigh, 184
Aylah, 183
Ehlani, 183
Ivey, 183
Nayla, 183
Rebeca, 183
Rue, 183
Ailyn, 182
Chiara, 182
Kyndall, 182
Bernadette, 181
Kaycee, 181
Kya, 181

1,301st to 1,400th

Lesly, 181
Lindsey, 181
Sailor, 181
Emberlee, 180
Heather, 180
Saniyah, 180
Danica, 179
Giada, 179
Karely, 179
Lailah, 179
Lorraine, 179
Marissa, 179
Sana, 179
Yuri, 179
Zia, 179
Leela, 178
Maizie, 178
Maple, 178
Rita, 178
Siya, 178
Debanhi, 177
Evalynn, 177
Joselyn, 177
Moriah, 177
Venus, 177
Austin, 176
Finnley, 176
Liah, 176
Odette, 176
Vaeda, 176
Xochitl, 176
Bryleigh, 175
Carmella, 175
Erica, 175
Evaluna, 175
Kadence, 175
Mariela, 175
Althea, 174
Ameera, 174
Arwen, 174
Elara, 174
Emilie, 174
Journei, 174
Khari, 174
Sally, 174
Inaaya, 173
Montserrat, 173
Tenley, 173
Brinlee, 172
Isha, 172
Juana, 172
Karma, 172
Renley, 172
Ayesha, 171
Romy, 171
Alisa, 170
Esmae, 170
Maisyn, 170
Onyx, 170
Zinnia, 170
Alannah, 169
Annette, 169
Faigy, 169
Maelyn, 169
Milah, 169
Serafina, 169
Symphony, 169
Alaiyah, 168
Carson, 168
Elinor, 168
Janae, 168
Maribel, 168
Roxanne, 167
Rya, 167
Sterling, 167
Emeri, 166
Katerina, 166
Kaylynn, 166
Kit, 166
Lucie, 166
Yael, 166
Anita, 165
Carina, 165
Kenya, 165
Mireya, 165
Renesmee, 165
Sidney, 165
Adilynn, 164
Atlas, 164
Jenny, 164
Julietta, 164
Kalea, 164
Kelani, 164
Lori, 164
Raine, 164
Jazzlyn, 163
Jurnee, 163
Martina, 163
Silvia, 163
Alessa, 162

1,401st to 1,500th

Denise, 162
Maryjane, 162
Mika, 162
Queen, 162
Rain, 162
Adina, 161
Azari, 161
Cambria, 161
Selina, 161
Laken, 160
Dafne, 159
Elissa, 159
Emilee, 159
Journie, 159
Rowen, 159
Stacy, 159
Ziva, 159
Asiya, 158
Carlee, 158
Joan, 158
Joey, 158
Kailyn, 158
Adilene, 157
Adira, 157
Anayah, 157
Avaya, 157
Kamilla, 157
Maite, 157
Navi, 157
Nelly, 157
Walker, 157
Eliette, 156
Farah, 156
Pepper, 156
Prisha, 156
Rosalind, 156
Roselynn, 156
Susanna, 156
Tillie, 156
Kinzley, 155
Zella, 155
Aryah, 154
Grecia, 154
Jalayah, 154
May, 154
Wrenly, 154
Zadie, 154
Laine, 153
Mirabel, 153
Valkyrie, 153
Alyvia, 152
Eliyanah, 152
Laramie, 152
Lilyanna, 152
Pia, 152
Avalyn, 151
Ireland, 151
Keidy, 151
Milagros, 151
Shoshana, 151
Sofie, 151
Amarah, 150
Caylee, 150
Chava, 150
Janie, 150
Kristina, 150
Blessyn, 149
Gitty, 149
Gwyneth, 149
Jasmin, 149
Mari, 149
Tabitha, 149
Aimee, 148
Alex, 148
Cristina, 148
Emmarie, 148
Fern, 148
Kaira, 148
Liya, 148
Marlie, 148
Theresa, 148
Britney, 147
Dara, 147
Nadine, 147
Skylynn, 147
Yasmine, 147
Hollyn, 146
Inara, 146
Lucero, 146
Safiya, 146
Samiyah, 146
Ziya, 146
Anniston, 145
Briley, 145
Isadora, 145
Kamille, 145
Melania, 145
Sherlyn, 145
Sybil, 145
Aiza, 144

1,501st to 1,600th

Alara, 144
Alya, 144
Damaris, 144
Geneva, 144
Yelena, 144
Yuliana, 144
Cooper, 143
Ema, 143
Kasey, 143
Zya, 143
Adalie, 142
Jael, 142
Karolina, 142
Nila, 142
Reem, 142
Adara, 141
Anaiah, 141
Eila, 141
Jersey, 141
Kayleen, 141
Kenley, 141
Tinley, 141
Aracely, 140
Blayke, 140
Kaelyn, 140
Kapri, 140
Yoselin, 140
Anyla, 139
Areli, 139
Aryanna, 139
Cherish, 139
Leni, 139
Nailah, 139
Sanai, 139
Shayla, 139
Stori, 139
Annelise, 138
Hensley, 138
Iyanna, 138
Izzy, 138
Kailee, 138
Liyana, 138
Merritt, 138
Petra, 138
Tala, 138
Zeynep, 138
Amilia, 137
Ester, 137
Kaelynn, 137
Karlie, 137
Nechama, 137
Addalyn, 136
Clarke, 136
Jaylynn, 136
Jupiter, 136
Keilany, 136
Larissa, 136
Monserrat, 136
Suri, 136
Wilhelmina, 136
Winry, 136
Zion, 136
Annabel, 135
Ashly, 135
Aubri, 135
Chevelle, 135
Diya, 135
Elly, 135
Linnea, 135
Naia, 135
Naila, 135
Noelani, 135
Calla, 134
Emori, 134
Harlyn, 134
Khadijah, 134
Kianna, 134
Klara, 134
Letty, 134
Mayra, 134
Zaina, 134
Aashvi, 133
Adalina, 133
Adhara, 133
Asia, 133
Ayva, 133
Estela, 133
Nicolette, 133
Shirley, 133
Violetta, 133
Yaneli, 133
Asha, 132
Blakelynn, 132
Daylin, 132
Diamond, 132
Elyana, 132
Malak, 132
Adore, 131
Brayleigh, 131
Cecily, 131

1,601st to 1,700th

Dua, 131
Kalina, 131
Kollins, 131
Laynie, 131
Noelia, 131
Paulette, 131
Sahara, 131
Alessi, 130
Ally, 130
Avalon, 130
Baila, 130
Bentley, 130
Camden, 130
Carmela, 130
Eris, 130
Geraldine, 130
Gisselle, 130
Juno, 130
Maeva, 130
Mariyah, 130
Naveah, 130
Noella, 130
Rivky, 130
Tahlia, 130
Tyler, 130
Delia, 129
Dottie, 129
Evangelina, 129
Hollis, 129
Jayden, 129
Kynslee, 129
Laia, 129
Lidia, 129
Romi, 129
Shanaya, 129
Storm, 129
Wesley, 129
Xolani, 129
Aira, 128
Aryana, 128
Harlem, 128
Jude, 128
Kari, 128
Khalia, 128
Namari, 128
Safa, 128
Sedona, 128
Zylah, 128
Aleyah, 127
Alissa, 127
Ayat, 127
Bayleigh, 127
Beckett, 127
Irie, 127
Kelsie, 127
Reece, 127
Rihanna, 127
Sheila, 127
Sunnie, 127
Amaria, 126
Amariah, 126
Eisley, 126
Katarina, 126
Marlow, 126
Rosalynn, 126
Shyla, 126
Stormy, 126
Yarely, 126
Echo, 125
Kinsey, 125
Kylah, 125
Milania, 125
Natalee, 125
Yvette, 125
Addalynn, 124
Amya, 124
Breanna, 124
Dalila, 124
Delani, 124
Gema, 124
Jordynn, 124
Kalayah, 124
Lincoln, 124
Tegan, 124
Temperance, 124
Amberly, 123
Daenerys, 123
Delanie, 123
Georgiana, 123
Janiya, 123
Joslyn, 123
Leticia, 123
Lois, 123
Macey, 123
Skylah, 123
Aviva, 122
Brisa, 122
Emry, 122
Ever, 122
Kaci, 122

1,701st to 1,800th

Karmen, 122
Keeley, 122
Malky, 122
Priya, 122
Rhylee, 122
Sama, 122
Saphira, 122
Sunday, 122
Yazmin, 122
Caitlyn, 121
Cirilla, 121
Courtney, 121
Dalett, 121
Denisse, 121
Judy, 121
Julianne, 121
Magdalene, 121
Marlo, 121
Regan, 121
Ameerah, 120
Arie, 120
Constance, 120
Haizley, 120
Lakyn, 120
Marion, 120
Ahlani, 119
Amor, 119
Ashton, 119
Belinda, 119
Edie, 119
Eiza, 119
Fatimah, 119
Hafsa, 119
Honor, 119
Irina, 119
Jessa, 119
Kenzley, 119
Lane, 119
Liza, 119
Louella, 119
Nyah, 119
Tamara, 119
Addelyn, 118
Alaysia, 118
Blakeleigh, 118
Brenna, 118
Mileena, 118
Raleigh, 118
Rio, 118
Zari, 118
Zhavia, 118
Abrielle, 117
Amerie, 117
Audrina, 117
Cattleya, 117
Charity, 117
Jehilyn, 117
Koa, 117
Kristen, 117
Lindsay, 117
Maura, 117
Nell, 117
Tania, 117
Yamilet, 117
Agatha, 116
Arlene, 116
Ashanti, 116
Coral, 116
Divine, 116
Empress, 116
Estefany, 116
Milly, 116
Vivien, 116
Amaira, 115
Blakelyn, 115
Emme, 115
Gentry, 115
Hermione, 115
Jailyn, 115
Kamiya, 115
Lotus, 115
Marcela, 115
Maven, 115
Yesenia, 115
Zamora, 115
Aoife, 114
Calista, 114
Daria, 114
Emmi, 114
Nahla, 114
Nirvana, 114
Odessa, 114
Rosemarie, 114
Sonya, 114
Arlett, 113
Bryanna, 113
Danika, 113
Elana, 113
Elsy, 113
Hudson, 113

1,801st to 1,900th

Isela, 113
Iva, 113
Mahogany, 113
Nariah, 113
Nuri, 113
Nya, 113
Sahana, 113
Samadhi, 113
Aavya, 112
Adalia, 112
Dolly, 112
Harlie, 112
Isis, 112
Italy, 112
Kaila, 112
Kaliah, 112
Laikyn, 112
Madyson, 112
Margarita, 112
Tia, 112
Avril, 111
Bennett, 111
Cori, 111
Eunice, 111
Indiana, 111
Iqra, 111
Jahzara, 111
Karis, 111
Lillith, 111
Marwa, 111
Oriana, 111
Saira, 111
Vivianne, 111
Yehudis, 111
Zaynab, 111
Angely, 110
Brynnlee, 110
Charlene, 110
Evalina, 110
Evelin, 110
Halston, 110
Hartley, 110
Ines, 110
Isra, 110
Jocelynn, 110
Leora, 110
Maylin, 110
Mckayla, 110
Sidra, 110
Annaleigh, 109
Asher, 109
Bowie, 109
Bryn, 109
Iman, 109
Jaleah, 109
Kaelani, 109
Legaci, 109
Marin, 109
Nami, 109
Taya, 109
Alanis, 108
Anali, 108
Arizona, 108
Armoni, 108
Devorah, 108
Eleanore, 108
Lizeth, 108
Lua, 108
Madden, 108
Madisson, 108
Mildred, 108
Sury, 108
Taelynn, 108
Alita, 107
Dailyn, 107
Darlene, 107
Georgie, 107
Heidy, 107
Jacquelyn, 107
Jamila, 107
Jaslyn, 107
Preslee, 107
Shai, 107
Shannon, 107
Tess, 107
Ashtyn, 106
Audriana, 106
Bracha, 106
Danae, 106
Elif, 106
Estefania, 106
Isabell, 106
Jireh, 106
Kaori, 106
Krystal, 106
Layna, 106
Makena, 106
Rayla, 106
Sheyla, 106
Zelie, 106

1,901st to 2,000th

Blanca, 105
Haddie, 105
Litzy, 105
Luana, 105
Lucinda, 105
Maritza, 105
Misha, 105
Nour, 105
Rochel, 105
Rumi, 105
Ailen, 104
Asma, 104
Cienna, 104
Kailynn, 104
Keylani, 104
Marli, 104
Ridley, 104
Santana, 104
Story, 104
Yana, 104
Adaleigh, 103
Audra, 103
Carleigh, 103
Eimy, 103
Graciela, 103
Hawa, 103
Haya, 103
Janet, 103
Lux, 103
Rhyan, 103
Tamia, 103
Verity, 103
Alaska, 102
Anabella, 102
Arayah, 102
Ayda, 102
Blakelee, 102
Charm, 102
Claira, 102
Isa, 102
Maddox, 102
Millicent, 102
Perry, 102
Raeleigh, 102
Aadya, 101
Alanah, 101
Brynnleigh, 101
Cindy, 101
Donna, 101
Emberleigh, 101
Emmalee, 101
Izabel, 101
Janyla, 101
Josephina, 101
Lenna, 101
Lynlee, 101
Natalya, 101
Pippa, 101
Elliette, 100
Hadassa, 100
Abriella, 99
Alaiah, 99
Anderson, 99
Aylen, 99
Brighton, 99
Dawn, 99
Ela, 99
Elanor, 99
Elysia, 99
Gina, 99
Inez, 99
Katrina, 99
Kenzlee, 99
Lennyn, 99
Prudence, 99
Rynlee, 99
Shae, 99
Susana, 99
Toni, 99
Unique, 99
Adaia, 98
Aries, 98
Camellia, 98
Cosette, 98
Dayanna, 98
Debora, 98
Glory, 98
Kinzlee, 98
Lela, 98
Lula, 98
Maverick, 98
Melek, 98
Navya, 98
Raizy, 98
Samaira, 98
Zamira, 98
Alanni, 97
Charly, 97
Deanna, 97
Ellia, 97

See anything you like?

Source: SSA

Image: Adapted from Scattered stars in Sagittarius by ESA/Hubble under CC BY 4.0.

Popular baby names in Hungary, 2021

Flag of Hungary
Flag of Hungary

Landlocked Hungary, located in Central Europe, shares a border with seven other countries (including Croatia, Slovenia, and Austria).

Last year, Hungary welcomed over 93,000 babies.

What were the most popular names among these babies? Hanna and Levente (pronounced leh-vehn-teh).

Here are Hungary’s top 50 girl names and top 50 boy names of 2021:

Girl Names

  1. Hanna, 1,355 baby girls
  2. Zoé, 1,138
  3. Anna, 1,133
  4. Léna, 1,019
  5. Luca, 940
  6. Emma, 783
  7. Boglárka, 682 – means “buttercup” in Hungarian.
  8. Lili, 646
  9. Lilien, 601
  10. Lara, 594
  11. Zsófia, 588
  12. Laura, 577
  13. Mira, 553
  14. Sára, 523
  15. Olívia, 518
  16. Nóra, 506
  17. Lilla, 505
  18. Maja, 501
  19. Gréta, 496
  20. Izabella, 484
  21. Flóra, 476
  22. Jázmin, 475
  23. Alíz, 462
  24. Fanni, 430
  25. Adél, 426
  26. Janka, 425
  27. Dorka, 409 – a diminutive of Dorottya (Dorothea).
  28. Szofia, 406
  29. Zselyke, 396
  30. Liza, 393
  31. Csenge, 373
  32. Bella, 363
  33. Panna, 362 – a diminutive of Anna.
  34. Liliána, 361
  35. Kamilla, 352
  36. Linett, 351
  37. Dóra, 340
  38. Natasa, 333
  39. Viktória, 328
  40. Bianka, 321
  41. Szófia, 311
  42. Rebeka, 309
  43. Réka, 305
  44. Blanka, 304
  45. Szofi, 297
  46. Petra, 296
  47. Dorina, 295
  48. Nara, 286
  49. Emília, 285
  50. Noémi, 280

Boy Names

  1. Levente, 1,332 baby boys
  2. Máté, 1,314
  3. Dominik, 1,289
  4. Bence, 1,276
  5. Olivér, 1,199
  6. Noel, 1,122
  7. Marcell, 1,083
  8. Dániel, 1,057
  9. Zalán, 1,026 – popularized (and perhaps invented?) by Hungarian poet Mihály Vörösmarty, who published the epic poem “Zalán Futása” (transl. “The Flight of Zalan”) in 1825.
  10. Ádám, 1,024
  11. Milán, 954
  12. Botond, 934
  13. Benett, 880
  14. Dávid, 870
  15. Zsombor, 813
  16. Áron, 808
  17. Balázs, 681
  18. Benedek, 639
  19. Márk, 620
  20. Nimród, 607
  21. Péter, 590
  22. László, 583
  23. Tamás, 580
  24. Gergo, 530
  25. Zente, 517 – based on the Hungarian word szent, meaning “holy.”
  26. Bálint, 508 – a form of Valentine.
  27. Barnabás, 508
  28. Kristóf, 507
  29. Zétény, 484
  30. András, 453
  31. Kornél, 446
  32. Nolen, 444
  33. Márton, 433
  34. István, 426
  35. Hunor, 420 – a name from Hungarian mythology. Legendary brothers Hunor and Magor were the ancestors of the Huns and the Hungarians (also known as the Magyars), respectively.
  36. Attila, 402
  37. Ákos, 399
  38. Zoltán, 393
  39. Martin, 391
  40. Alex, 388
  41. Vince, 370
  42. Gábor, 365
  43. János, 358 (tie)
  44. Patrik, 358 (tie)
  45. Ábel, 357
  46. Bendegúz, 337
  47. Erik, 328
  48. Zsolt, 323
  49. Krisztián, 315
  50. József, 283

Notably, the girls’ top 50 included three different versions of the name Sophia: Zsófia, Szofia, and Szófia. If the spellings had been combined, the Sophia-group would have ranked 2nd overall.

The girls’ top 100 included Zorka (70th), Fruzsina (72nd), Kinga (86th), and Kincso (96th).

The boys’ top 100 included Csaba (55th), Kende (75th), Imre (76th), and Gellért (92nd).

Finally, here are Hungary’s rankings for 2017 through 2020, in case you’d like to compare.

Sources: Statistics – Hungary’s Deputy State Secretariat for the Administration of the Ministry of the Interior, Number of live births in Hungary from 2010 to 2021 – Statista, Hungary – Wikipedia, Magyar Keresztnevek Tara, Wiktionary

Image: Adapted from Flag of Hungary (public domain)

Malta to allow Maltese baby names

Flag of Malta
Flag of Malta

Yay for Malta!

Years ago, I mentioned that Malta was the only nation I knew of in which parents were not allowed to register baby names in the national language.

Why couldn’t they? Because Malta’s government IT systems could not handle Maltese font.

But “a collective overhaul across government IT systems [is now] being done to ensure Maltese orthography is accepted across the board,” and Malta will soon be allowing parents to officially bestow traditional Maltese names.

Maltese, a Semitic language that descended from Sicilian Arabic, has six letters that English doesn’t have. One of them, ie, is easy enough to replicate on a computer; the other five (below) are not.

Here’s how to pronounce them, roughly:

  • C-with-a-dot makes a ch-sound
  • G-with-a-dot makes a j-sound (without the dot, G makes a g-sound)
  • Gh-with-a-line is silent*
  • H-with-a-line makes an h-sound (without the line, H is silent)
  • Z-with-a-dot makes a z-sound (without the dot, Z makes a ts-sound)

Without these letters, a large number of traditional Maltese names are unable to be rendered properly.

(I would love to list some of those names, but, ironically, I can’t — my blogging software doesn’t handle special characters very well.)

Anyway…well done, Malta! I’m proud of you. :)

P.S. More on the silent letters: “Maltese orthography continues to reflect the presence of some letters that are no longer pronounced in order to indicate semantic provenance — a convenience that makes it possible, among other things, to look up words in the dictionary under the three-consonant root (as one does with Semitic languages).”

Update, 6/13/20: Here’s an image of a list of traditional Maltese names…

Maltese baby names

The list above includes Maltese names that are equivalent to: Angelo, Beatrice, Francis, Elizabeth, Jacob, James, George, Juliet, Justin, Joseph, John, Hilda, Lucia, Luigi, Theresa, and Vincent.

P.S. While gathering these names, I happened to find out that the surname Buttigieg — as in former presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg — is Maltese and means “poulterer.” Specifically, it comes from a pair of Sicilian Arabic words meaning “father, master, owner” and “fowl.”

Update, 1/2/21: “A baby boy called Ganni is the first child to be officially named using Maltese fonts after an IT system change that recognises letters in the national language” (Times of Malta, Dec. 23). Of course that uppercase G-with-a-dot won’t render correctly in this post, though, so here’s an image:

Maltese name Ganni

It’s the Maltese equivalent of John.

Sources:

Image: Adapted from Flag of Malta (public domain)

Popular and unique baby names in Scotland (UK), 2019

Flag of the United Kingdom
Flag of the United Kingdom

According to National Records of Scotland (NRS), the most popular baby names in the country in 2019 were Olivia and Jack.

Here are Scotland’s top 10 girl names and top 10 boy names of 2019:

Girl Names

  1. Olivia, 394 baby girls
  2. Emily, 388
  3. Isla, 364
  4. Sophie, 308
  5. Ella, 284
  6. Ava, 278
  7. Amelia, 275
  8. Grace, 272
  9. Freya, 260
  10. Charlotte, 243

Boy Names

  1. Jack, 449 baby boys
  2. Oliver, 359
  3. James, 345
  4. Charlie, 306
  5. Harris, 304
  6. Lewis, 280
  7. Leo, 278
  8. Noah, 272
  9. Alfie, 261
  10. Rory, 258

In girls’ top 10, Freya and Charlotte replaced Jessica (now 11th) and Aria (now 15th).

In the boys’ top 10, Charlie and Alfie replaced Alexander (now 11th) and Logan (now 13th). Charlie’s rise was significant; it shot up to 4th from 13th the year before.

The NRS press release mentioned that the popular British crime drama Peaky Blinders has given a boost to the baby names Cillian, Polly and Chester. (Polly and Chester are characters in the show; Cillian refers to star Cillian Murphy.) It also noted that Ezra has become more popular thanks to English singer/songwriter George Ezra.

Of the nearly 50,000 babies born in Scotland last year, more than 5,000 — over 10% — were given a one-of-a-kind first name. Here are some of the names bestowed just once in Scotland in 2019:

Unique Girl NamesUnique Boy Names
Alba-Nova, Argyle, Bramble, Calanais, Delphi, Endian, Evie-Peaches, Fritha, Gnoveriti, Grey, Harper-Lee, Isla-Dee, Janiba, Kavinila, Lumi, Mazikeen, Moksha, Nirbhana, Ooliana, Pichapak, Qaria, Quaintrelle, Roux, Salvina-Liza, Sanziana, Tefta, Thistle, Uendjipa, Vaticana, Wish, Xiorra, Yaldz, ZografiaAzmi, Bobby-Dylan, Coen-Knox, Dicaprio, Enxu, Ferdinand, Gurzack, Hanzala, Harbury, Iyvhn, Jonjo, Karamo, Leicester, Malachite, Milanox, Neo-Nova, Oroghene, Otter, Phenomenal, Qusai, Roag, Scirocco, Skandan, Swift, Theodore-Bear, Torcuil, Toviel, Udhay, Valdis, Wurrd, Xubin, Yug, Zalvadorro

And here are possible explanations/associations for some of the above:

  • Bobby-Dylan, American singer Bob Dylan
  • Calanais, a Scottish village and/or the standing stones nearby
  • Dicaprio, American actor Leonardo DiCaprio
  • Harper-Lee, American writer Harper Lee
  • Karamo, American TV personality Karamo Brown
  • Leicester, an English city and (more importantly) a professional soccer team
  • Malachite, a banded green stone
  • Mazikeen, a character from the TV show Lucifer
  • Moksha, the Hindu/Buddish cycle of rebirth (it was on the Baby Names from the East list)
  • Nirbhana, apparently a Gaelic-influenced Nirvana (another name from the East)
  • Quaintrelle, “a woman who is focused on style and leisurely pastimes”
  • Roag, a Scottish hamlet on the Isle of Skye
  • Sanziana, a Romanian word for either fairies or flowers
  • Scirocco, a Mediterranean wind and (more importantly) a car made by Volkswagen
  • Theodore-Bear, apparently an elongated form of “teddy bear”
  • Thistle, the national flower of Scotland (thank you to Clare for reminding me!)

In 2018, the top two names were the same.

Sources: Full list of names for 2019, Babies’ First Names, Quaintrelle – Wiktionary

Image: Adapted from Flag of the United Kingdom (public domain)