Baby Name: Rowan

Alberta — Canada’s westernmost prairie province — welcomed 47,263 babies last year.

What were the most popular names among these babies? Olivia and Noah, yet again.

Here are Alberta’s top 50+ girl names and top 50 boy names of 2023:

Girl names

1. Olivia, 210 baby girls
2. Amelia, 145
3. Sophia, 138
4. Charlotte, 135
5. Emma, 133
6. Isla, 120
7. Evelyn, 114
8. Chloe, 101 (tie)
9. Violet, 101 (tie)
10. Ava, 99 (tie)
11. Emily, 99 (tie)
12. Hannah, 98 (tie)
13. Hazel, 98 (tie)
14. Abigail, 95
15. Lily, 92
16. Ella, 91 (tie)
17. Harper, 91 (tie)
18. Aurora, 90
19. Grace, 88
20. Aria, 87
21. Mia, 86 (tie)
22. Nora, 86 (tie)
23. Ivy, 85
24. Sophie, 84
25. Mila, 82
26. Ellie, 81
27. Isabella, 79
28. Eleanor, 78 (tie)
29. Elizabeth, 78 (tie)
30. Avery, 73
31. Georgia, 71 (tie)
32. Sofia, 71 (tie)
33. Maya, 67
34. Naomi, 66
35. Lucy, 65
36. Scarlett, 64
37. Maeve, 62 (3-way tie)
38. Quinn, 62 (3-way tie)
39. Sadie, 62 (3-way tie)
40. Luna, 60
41. Kinsley, 57 (4-way tie)
42. Layla, 57 (4-way tie)
43. Stella, 57 (4-way tie)
44. Zoey, 57 (4-way tie)
45. Hailey, 56
46. Zoe, 55
47. Paisley, 54 (tie)
48. Penelope, 54 (tie)
49. Alice, 53 (6-way tie)
50. Amira, 53 (6-way tie)
51. Audrey, 53 (6-way tie)
52. Eliana, 53 (6-way tie)
53. Eva, 53 (6-way tie)
54. Wren, 53 (6-way tie)

Boy names

1. Noah, 276 baby boys
2. Liam, 181
3. Oliver, 178
4. Theodore, 173
5. Jack, 153
6. Henry, 146
7. Lucas, 140
8. Benjamin, 137
9. James, 136
10. William, 133
11. Ethan, 131
12. Owen, 129
13. Adam, 123
14. Levi, 117
15. Bennett, 114 (tie)
16. Leo, 114 (tie)
17. Daniel, 111
18. Maverick, 107
19. Elijah, 106
20. Muhammad, 100
21. Asher, 96
22. Hudson, 95
23. Alexander, 94 (tie)
24. Thomas, 94 (tie)
25. Nathan, 92
26. Beau, 90
27. Jackson, 89
28. Grayson, 87 (3-way tie)
29. Luke, 87 (3-way tie)
30. Wyatt, 87 (3-way tie)
31. Caleb, 83
32. Elias, 80
33. Jacob, 79
34. Ezra, 78 (3-way tie)
35. Logan, 78 (3-way tie)
36. Rowan, 78 (3-way tie)
37. David, 77 (3-way tie)
38. Myles, 77 (3-way tie)
39. Theo, 77 (3-way tie)
40. Lincoln, 76 (tie)
41. Luca, 76 (tie)
42. Isaac, 74 (tie)
43. Wesley, 74 (tie)
44. Carter, 73
45. Arthur, 72 (tie)
46. Gabriel, 72 (tie)
47. Michael, 71 (tie)
48. Samuel, 71 (tie)
49. Aiden, 70 (tie)
50. Joseph, 70 (tie)

Thousands of other names were given to a single baby each in Alberta last year. Here’s a small selection of those single-use names:

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

• Baffin is both an island and a bay in Canada. (Both were named after English explorer William Baffin.)
• Hashké means “warrior” in Navajo.
• Kalahari is a desert in Southern Africa.
• Kimowan means “it is raining” in Cree.
  • The related name Kimiwan, meaning “rain,” was given to 2 baby girls.
• Kisâkihitin means “I love you” (or, “you are loved by me”) in Cree.
• Kittiwake refers to a type of seagull.
• Ludacris is the stage name of American rapper Christopher Bridges.
  • I hope this baby’s family caught Ludacris in Usher’s Super Bowl halftime show earlier this year!
• Mihkokwaniy means “rose” in Cree.
• Mîtos means “poplar [tree]” in Cree.
• Nîpsîy means “willow” in Cree.
• Omâciw means “moose hunter” or “big game hunter” in Cree.
• Parfaite means “perfect” in French.
• Wapakwaniy is one letter away from wapikwaniy, the Cree word for “flower.”

Finally, here’s a link to Alberta’s 2022 rankings, if you’d like to compare last year to the year before.

Sources: Alberta’s top baby names – Alberta.ca, Alberta’s baby name superstar steals the show again – Alberta.ca, Online Cree Dictionary, You always come first with me: kisâkihitin and “Order of Persons” in Cree – Cree Literacy Network

Image: Adapted from Flag of Alberta (public domain)