Baby Name: Olwemihla

In 2024, the country of South Africa welcomed more than 787,900 babies.*

What were the most popular names among these babies? Onalerona and Lethabo, for the third year in a row.

Here are South Africa’s top 10 girl names and top 10 boy names of 2024:

Girl names

1. Onalerona, 2,289 baby girls
2. Zanokuhle, 2,223
3. Melokuhle, 2,108
4. Lisakhanya, 2,097
5. Lethabo, 1,934
6. Nkanyezi, 1,824
7. Onthatile, 1,765
8. Lesedi, 1,745
9. Omphile, 1,725
10. Olwemihla, 1,591

Boy names

1. Lethabo, 2,791 baby boys
2. Lubanzi, 1,907
3. Nkazimulo, 1,808
4. Nkanyezi, 1,691
5. Langelihle, 1,555
6. Lesedi, 1,519
7. Lethokuhle, 1,508
8. Siphosethu, 1,484
9. Junior, 1,467
10. Leano, 1,441

And what about middle names? The top five middles for girls were Precious, Princess, Blessing, Angel, and Faith, and the top five middles for boys were Junior, Blessing, Gift, Prince, and Jayden.

Finally, here’s a link to South Africa’s 2023 rankings, if you’d like to compare.

*Tens of thousands of South African newborns are registered late every year, so the true total will likely be much higher than this.

Sources (both from Statistics South Africa): Recorded live births, 2024, What’s in a Name? South Africa’s Baby Naming Trends Tell a Story of Hope and Heritage

Image: Adapted from Flag of South Africa (public domain)