South Africa — the southernmost country in Africa — shares a border with Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, and Eswatini. Its eleven official languages include Zulu, Xhosa, Afrikaans, and English.
In 2021, South Africa welcomed 949,757 babies — 491,056 girls and 498,573 boys.
What were the most popular names among these babies? Melokuhle and Lethabo.
Here are South Africa’s top 10 girl names and top 10 boy names of 2021:
Girl Names
- Melokuhle, 3,784 baby girls
- Omphile, 2,500
- Iminathi, 2,387
- Lisakhanya, 2,369
- Lethabo, 2,336
- Amahle, 2,103
- Lesedi, 2,098
- Rethabile, 2,035
- Lethokuhle, 2,032
- Asemahle, 1,844
Boy Names
- Lethabo, 3,213 baby boys
- Lubanzi, 2,810
- Melokuhle, 2,619
- Junior, 2,027
- Lethokuhle, 1,993
- Siphosethu, 1,953
- Omphile, 1,898
- Lwandle, 1,862
- Banele, 1,816
- Ofentse, 1,765
As usual, the two top-10 lists have several names in common: Melokuhle (the #1 girl name), Lethabo (the #1 boy name), Omphile, and Lethokuhle.
In 2020, the top baby name in South Africa for both genders was Melokuhle.
Sources: Recorded live births, 2021 – Statistics South Africa, South Africa – Wikipedia
Image: Adapted from Flag of South Africa (public domain)
