Last year, the island nation of New Zealand welcomed a total of 59,199 babies.
What were the most popular names among these babies? Isla and Noah.
Here are New Zealand’s top 50+ girl names and top 50 boy names of 2024:
Girl names
- Isla, 190 baby girls
- Amelia, 183
- Charlotte, 173
- Lily, 158
- Isabella, 155
- Olivia, 154
- Hazel, 144
- Harper, 141
- Mia, 137
- Mila, 133
- Ava, 129 (tie)
- Ruby, 129 (tie)
- Sophie, 128
- Grace, 120
- Chloe, 114
- Ella, 113
- Aria, 112
- Willow, 107 (tie)
- Zoe, 107 (tie)
- Evelyn, 105 (tie)
- Millie, 105 (tie)
- Violet, 103
- Sophia, 102
- Daisy, 101
- Freya, 97
- Lucy, 96
- Ivy, 94
- Sienna, 92
- Emily, 91
- Amaia, 89 (tie)
- Matilda, 89 (tie)
- Olive, 88
- Margot, 87
- Kaia, 85 (tie)
- Maeve, 85 (tie)
- Ellie, 82
- Billie, 81 (tie)
- Layla, 81 (tie)
- Frankie, 80
- Stella, 79
- Georgia, 78 (tie)
- Sadie, 78 (tie)
- Maia, 77 (tie)
- Sofia, 77 (tie)
- Aurora, 74 (tie)
- Elsie, 74 (tie)
- Penelope, 72 (tie)
- Poppy, 72 (tie)
- Luna, 71
- Eden, 70 (3-way tie)
- Florence, 70 (3-way tie)
- Riley, 70 (3-way tie)
Boy names
- Noah, 250 baby boys
- Oliver, 228
- Leo, 202
- George, 198 (tie)
- Jack, 198 (tie)
- Luca, 192
- Theodore, 189
- Elijah, 159
- Theo, 158
- Arthur, 152
- Charlie, 149
- James, 141
- Lucas, 137
- Henry, 135
- Arlo, 132 (3-way tie)
- Hudson, 132 (3-way tie)
- William, 132 (3-way tie)
- Archie, 131
- Lachlan, 121
- Cooper, 116
- Ezra, 114 (tie)
- Finn, 114 (tie)
- Liam, 113 (tie)
- Thomas, 113 (tie)
- Ethan, 106 (4-way tie)
- Hugo, 106 (4-way tie)
- Levi, 106 (4-way tie)
- Oscar, 106 (4-way tie)
- Hunter, 105
- Max, 101
- Carter, 98 (tie)
- Louie, 98 (tie)
- Mason, 97
- Felix, 94
- Asher, 93
- Archer, 87 (3-way tie)
- Austin, 87 (3-way tie)
- Daniel, 87 (3-way tie)
- Beau, 85 (tie)
- Luke, 85 (tie)
- Benjamin, 84
- Alexander, 82
- Luka, 79 (tie)
- Roman, 79 (tie)
- Jasper, 78
- Elias, 77
- Riley, 76
- Joseph, 74
- Harvey, 72
- Louis, 71
The girls’ top 100 included Mackenzie (66th), Asees (80th), Arabella (89th), and Esther (92nd).
The boys’ top 100 included Zorawar (55th), Oakley (59th), Atlas (78th), and Bodhi (97th).
And what about Maori names specifically?
The top Maori baby names in New Zealand in 2024 — just like in 2023, and 2022 — were Aroha/Te Aroha for girls and Ariki/Te Ariki for boys.
Here are New Zealand’s top 10 Maori girl names and top 10 Maori boy names:
Maori girl names
- Aroha/Te Aroha, 173 baby girls
- Maia/Te Maia, 137
- Moana/Te Moana, 84
- Anahera/Te Anahera, 66
- Atarangi/Te Atarangi, 60
- Manaia, 58
- Rangimarie/Te Rangimarie, 54
- Rangi/Te Rangi, 49
- Marama/Te Marama, 48
- Tui, 45
Maori boy names
- Ariki/Te Ariki, 137 baby boys
- Wiremu, 100
- Koa, 76
- Mikaere, 74
- Rangi/Te Rangi, 70
- Nikau, 68
- Rawiri, 65
- Kiwa, 55
- Kahurangi/Te Kahurangi, 52
- Manaaki, 51
(Please note that I’ve simplified these lists a bit, because Maori names/words that contain macrons don’t render properly on my site.)
Interestingly, the Maori rankings don’t cover the calendar year 2024, like New Zealand’s national rankings do. Instead, they cover births from July 1, 2024, to June 18, 2025. These dates coincide with Matariki, a.k.a. Maori New Year.
Sources: Top Baby Names – New Zealand Government, Top baby names for 2024 – Beehive.govt.nz, Aroha/Te Aroha and Ariki/Te Ariki top Maori baby names of 2024/2025 – dia.govt.nz
Image: Adapted from Flag of New Zealand (public domain)
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