How popular is the baby name Willow in the United States right now? How popular was it historically? Find out using the graph below! Plus, check out all the blog posts that mention the name Willow.

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Popularity of the Baby Name Willow


Posts that Mention the Name Willow

Popular baby names in Canada, 2021

Canadian flag

Canada might be the second-largest country in terms of area, but it isn’t very large in terms of population. In fact, it’s one of the least densely populated places in the world.

In 2021, Canada (excluding Yukon) welcomed over 367,684 babies. By comparison, the U.S. state of Texas recorded 373,340 births the same year.

What were the most popular names among Canada’s 2021 babies?

Well…we don’t know for sure. Because Canada doesn’t release baby name rankings that cover the entire country.

map of Canada

I’d love to give you the next-best thing — sets of regional Canadian rankings representing Canada’s ten provinces and three territories — but, as of right now, two of the provinces and all three territories have not released rankings for 2021. (Yukon hasn’t even reported an official number of births yet.)

So I’ll give you the third-best thing: Eight sets of provincial Canadian rankings, all gathered into a single post, followed by a guess about the country’s top five names per gender.

Here are the rankings, ordered by total number of births per region (highest to lowest):

Ontario

In 2021, Ontario welcomed 141,766 babies. Here are Ontario’s top baby names of 2021:

Girl Names, Ont.Boy Names, Ont.
1. Olivia
2. Emma
3. Charlotte
4. Amelia
5. Ava
6. Sophia
7. Isla
8. Evelyn
9. Mia
10. Ella
1. Noah
2. Liam
3. Oliver
4. Jack
5. Benjamin
6. Theodore
7. Lucas
8. William
9. Ethan
10. Leo

In 2020, the top names in Ontario were also Olivia and Noah.

Quebec

In 2021, Quebec welcomed 83,335 babies. Here are Quebec’s top baby names of 2021:

Girl Names, Que.Boy Names, Que.
1. Emma, 521 baby girls
2. Olivia, 519
3. Alice, 508
4. Florence, 498
5. Charlie, 488
6. Livia, 473
7. Charlotte, 465
8. Léa, 462
9. Romy, 357
10. Zoe, 344
1. Noah, 717 baby boys
2. William, 709
3. Thomas, 645
4. Léo, 622
5. Liam, 618
6. Jacob, 529
7. Nathan, 519
8. Arthur, 508
9. Édouard, 499
10. Félix, 484

(Here’s more on Quebec’s top names of 2021.)

In 2020, the top names in Quebec were Olivia and Liam.

Alberta

In 2021, Alberta welcomed 49,779 babies. Here are Alberta’s top baby names of 2021:

Girl Names, Alb.Boy Names, Alb.
1. Olivia, 210 baby girls
2. Charlotte, 166
3. Ava, 165
4. Emma, 164
5. Amelia, 161
6. Sophia, 137
7. Isla, 135
8. Abigail, 120 (tie)
9. Chloe, 120 (tie)
10. Evelyn, 119
1. Noah, 274 baby boys
2. Jack, 220
3. Oliver, 208
4. Liam, 198
5. Theodore, 191
6. William, 174
7. Ethan, 162
8. Levi, 148
9. Benjamin, 147 (tie)
10. Henry, 147 (tie)

(Here’s more on Alberta’s top names of 2021.)

In 2020, the top names in Alberta were also Olivia and Noah.

British Columbia

In 2021, British Columbia welcomed 43,999 babies. Here are B.C.’s top baby names of 2021:

Girl Names, B.C.Boy Names, B.C.
1. Olivia, 238 baby girls
2. Emma, 205
3. Charlotte, 182
4. Ava, 161
5. Isla, 157
6. Amelia, 151
7. Sophia, 143
8. Chloe, 127
9. Mia, 126 (tie)
10. Mila, 126 (tie)
1. Liam, 229 baby boys
2. Noah, 223
3. Jack, 201
4. Theodore, 191
5. Benjamin, 183
6. Oliver, 181
7. Owen, 159
8. Leo, 150
9. Ethan, 146
10. Logan, 142

In 2020, the top names in B.C. were also Olivia and Liam.

Manitoba

In 2021, Manitoba welcomed 14,552 babies. Manitoba’s top baby names of 2021, however, haven’t been released yet.

In 2020, the top two names in Manitoba were Olivia and Liam.

Saskatchewan

In 2021, Saskatchewan welcomed 14,509 babies. Here are Saskatchewan’s top baby names of 2021:

Girl Names, Sask.Boy Names, Sask.
1. Olivia, 57 baby girls
2. Sophia, 47
3. Emma, 43
4. Willow, 41
5. Ava, 39
6. Isla, 34
7. Abigail, 32
8. Amelia/Charlotte/Ellie/Harper/Hazel/Lily/Scarlett, 31 each (7-way tie)
1. Noah, 65 baby boys
2. Liam, 61
3. Theodore, 59
4. Oliver, 58
5. William, 53
6. Hudson, 50 (3-way tie)
7. Levi, 50 (3-way tie)
8. Lincoln, 50 (3-way tie)
9. Grayson, 41 (tie)
10. Jackson, 41 (tie)

In 2020, the top two names in Saskatchewan were Olivia and Liam.

Nova Scotia

In 2021, Nova Scotia welcomed 7,021 babies. Here are N.S.’s top baby names of 2021:

Girl Names, N.S.Boy Names, N.S.
1. Olivia, 56 baby girls
2. Ava, 41
3. Ellie, 37
4. Isla, 35
5. Amelia, 33 (tie)
6. Ivy, 33 (tie)
7. Evelyn, 31 (tie)
8. Violet, 31 (tie)
9. Charlotte, 29 (tie)
10. Harper, 29 (tie)
1. Jack, 52 baby boys
2. Noah, 49
3. Oliver, 47
4. Owen, 46
5. Levi, 45
6. Benjamin, 41 (3-way tie)
7. Henry, 41 (3-way tie)
8. William, 41 (3-way tie)
9. Lucas, 39
10. Liam, 38

In 2020, the top two names in N.S. were Olivia and Oliver.

New Brunswick

In 2021, New Brunswick welcomed 6,353 babies. Here are N.B.’s top baby names of 2021:

Girl Names, N.B.Boy Names, N.B.
1. Charlotte
2. Olivia
3. Sophia
4. Ellie
5. Paisley
6. Sophie
7. Willow
8. Isla
9. Emma
10. Ella
1. Liam
2. William
3. Oliver
4. Benjamin
5. Noah
6. Owen
7. Levi
8. Thomas
9. Jackson
10. Henry

In 2020, the top two names in N.B. were Olivia and Liam.

Newfoundland and Labrador

In 2021, Newfoundland and Labrador welcomed 3,833 babies. N.L.’s top baby names of 2021, however, haven’t been released yet.

In 2020, the top two names in N.L. were Amelia and Jaxson.

Prince Edward Island

In 2021, Prince Edward Island welcomed 1,447 babies. Here are P.E.I.’s top baby names of 2021:

Girl Names, P.E.I.Boy Names, P.E.I.
1. Alice, 9 baby girls
2. Scarlett, 8
3. Grace, 6 (3-way tie)
4. Isla, 6 (3-way tie)
5. Ivy, 6 (3-way tie)
6. Amelia/Anna/Annie/Ava/Charlotte/Ella/Ellie/Everly/Isabella/Lexi/Lucy/Maeve/Olivia/Sophia/Sophie/Willow, 5 each (16-way tie)
1. Oliver, 13 baby boys
2. Jack, 11 (tie)
3. Theo, 11 (tie)
4. Liam, 9
5. Austin, 8 (5-way tie)
6. Ezra, 8 (5-way tie)
7. Jackson, 8 (5-way tie)
8. Leo, 8 (5-way tie)
9. Noah, 8 (5-way tie)
10. Benjamin/Emmett/Ethan/Lucas/Theodore, 7 each (5-way tie)

In 2020, the top two names in P.E.I. were Nora/Charlotte (tie) and Hudson.

Northwest Territories, Nunavut, Yukon

In 2021, N.W.T. and Nunavut welcomed 628 babies and 462 babies, respectively. (Yukon likely welcomed a few hundred babies as well.)

None of the territories have released baby name rankings for 2021.


Canada

Using the data we have from the first, second, third, fourth, and sixth most populous provinces — which, together, welcomed over 90% of the country’s 2021 babies — we can make a guess about Canada’s top baby names overall:

Possible Top Girl NamesPossible Top Boy Names
1. Olivia
2. Emma
3. Charlotte
4. Amelia
5. Ava
1. Noah
2. Liam
3. Benjamin
4. Oliver
5. Jack

I’m only moderately confident about these guesses, primarily because the most populous province, Ontario, didn’t include raw numbers with its rankings.

I placed Benjamin higher than both Oliver and Jack because it was the only one of the three to reach the top 50 in Quebec, Canada’s second-most-populous province. (Benjamin even ranked slightly higher than Olivier, the French form of Oliver, in Quebec.)

If Manitoba, Newfoundland, or any of the territories release 2021 rankings in the coming months, I’ll come back and revise this post.

What are your thoughts on Canada’s top baby names of 2021?

Sources:

Image by Ali Kazal on Unsplash. Map adapted from Canada location map 2 by MapGrid under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Baby names associated with green: Olive, Silvano, Thao

pine trees, green

Looking for baby names that are associated with green — including baby names that mean “green”?

If so, you’ve come to the right place! I’ve collected dozens of options for you in this post.

Before we get to the names, though, let’s take a quick look at what the color green represents…

Symbolism of green

What does the color green signify?

In Western cultures in particular, green can be symbolic of:

  • Nature
  • Growth
  • Wealth
  • Luck
  • Envy
  • Freshness
  • Quality

The overriding association with nature is due to the abundance of green plant life on Earth. Plants contain a green pigment called chlorophyll that allows them to absorb energy from light.

The color can also be associated with safety and permission, thanks to green traffic lights (which signal when it’s safe to proceed).

Top baby names associated with green

Determining the top names in a category isn’t difficult when you’re working with an easily definable category, like PH names. When it comes to names that have a connection to the color green, however, we need to account for the fact that certain names have a stronger connection than others.

With that in mind, here are the top baby names that have an obvious association with the color green:

  1. Ivy
  2. Jade
  3. Olive
  4. Forest
  5. Emerald

Now here are the same five names again, but this time around I’ve added some details (including definitions, rankings, and popularity graphs).

Ivy

The word ivy refers to any of several species of climbing or ground-creeping evergreen plants in the genus Hedera. By extension, it also refers to the deep green color of ivy’s foliage.

Ivy is currently the 49th most popular girl name in the U.S.

Graph of the usage of the baby name Ivy in the U.S. since 1880
Usage of the baby name Ivy

Jade

The word jade refers to two similar-looking minerals, nephrite and jadeite, that are commonly used as gemstones. By extension, it also refers to the green color of these minerals.

Their common name can be traced back to the 16th-century Spanish term piedra de ijada, meaning “loin stone” (because the stone was thought to help cure loin and kidney ailments).

Jade is currently the 91st most popular girl name in the nation.

Graph of the usage of the baby name Jade in the U.S. since 1880
Usage of the baby name Jade

Olive

The word olive refers to the fruit of the olive tree (Olea europaea). By extension, it also refers to the dark yellowish-green color of unripened olive fruit. (Ripened olives are black.)

Olive is currently the 182nd most popular girl name in the U.S.

Graph of the usage of the baby name Olive in the U.S. since 1880
Usage of the baby name Olive

Forest

The word forest refers to a dense growth of trees and underbrush that covers a large area of land. It’s based on the Medieval Latin word foresta (or forestis).

The more popular spelling of the name, Forrest, represents transferred usage of the English surname. The surname Forrest originally referred to a person who lived near or worked in a royal forest (that is, a forest owned by the sovereign and used as a hunting ground).

Forest is currently the 715th most popular boy name in the nation. (Forrest ranks 414th.)

Graph of the usage of the baby name Forest in the U.S. since 1880.
Usage of the baby name Forest

Emerald

The word emerald refers to a vivid green variety of the mineral beryl. By extension, the word also refers to the green color of these crystals.

The name of the stone can be traced back to the ancient Greek word smaragdos, which referred to any green gemstone (including emerald, beryl, malachite, and jasper).

Emerald is currently the 913th most popular girl name in the U.S.

Graph of the usage of the baby name Emerald in the U.S. since 1880
Usage of the baby name Emerald

More names associated with green

All the names below are associated with the color green. The names range from common to uncommon, and their associations range from strong to slight.

Those that have been popular enough to appear in the U.S. baby name data are linked to their corresponding popularity graphs.

olives, green
  • Alder trees have green foliage. The word alder is derived from the Old English word for the tree, alor.
  • Aran is a Thai masculine name meaning “forest.”
  • Aranya is a Hindi gender-neutral name based on the Sanskrit word aranya, meaning “forest.”
  • Ash trees have green foliage. The word ash is derived from the Old English word for the tree, æsc.
  • Aspen trees have green foliage. The word aspen is derived from the Old English word for the tree, æspe.
  • Aurora is part of both “aurora borealis” and “aurora australis” — the names of the polar lights, which are predominantly green. The polar lights are caused by solar wind (that is, charged particles emitted by sun) striking the Earth’s magnetic field. The word aurora means “dawn” in Latin.
  • Balsam fir trees have dark green foliage. The name of the tree can be traced back to the Hebrew word basam, meaning “spice, perfume.”
  • Beryl is a mineral that can be green. The name of the stone ultimately comes from the ancient Greek word beryllos. (Green beryl is a paler green than emerald.)
  • Birch trees have green foliage. The word birch is derived from the Old English word for the tree, beorc.
    • Björk is the Icelandic word for “birch.”
  • Blerim is an Albanian masculine name based on the word blerim, meaning “greenness, verdure.”
  • Blerta is an Albanian feminine name based on the word blertë, meaning “green.”
  • Burkni is an Icelandic masculine name meaning “fern.”
  • Cactus plants are typically green. The name of the plant is derived from ancient Greek word kaktos.
  • Cedar trees have dark green foliage. The name of the tree ultimately comes from the ancient Greek word kedros.
  • Celadon is a pale grayish-green color. The name of the shade was inspired by a character named Céladon — a shepherd who wore pale green clothing — in the popular 17th-century French novel L’Astrée by Honoré d’Urfé.
  • Chloe (or Chloë) is derived from the ancient Greek word khloe, which referred to “the first green shoot of plants in spring.”
  • Chloris, based on the ancient Greek word khloros, meaning “pale green” or “greenish-yellow,” was the name of several figures in Greek mythology.
    • Chlora is a variant of Chloris.
  • Clover leaves are green. The word clover is derived from the Old English word for the plant, claefre.
  • Codrin is a Romanian masculine name based on the word codru, meaning “forest.”
  • Cyan is the bluish-green color halfway between green and blue on the visible spectrum. The name of the shade comes from the ancient Greek word kyanos, meaning “dark blue.”
  • Cypress trees have dark green foliage. The word cypress is derived from the ancient Greek word for the tree, kyparissos. (In Greek mythology, a grieving boy named Kyparissos was transformed into a cypress tree.)
  • Douglas is part of Douglas Fir — the name of a species of tree with dark green foliage. The tree was named in honor of Scottish botanist David Douglas.
  • Emeraude is the French word for “emerald.”
  • Esmeralda is the Spanish word for “emerald.”
  • Evergreen trees retain their green foliage year-round.
  • Fern fronds are green. The word fern is derived from the Old English word for the plant, fearn.
ferns, green
  • Giada is the Italian word for “jade.”
  • Green, of course, refers to the color green. :)
  • Greenlee comes from a habitational surname that can be traced back to the Old English words grene, meaning “green,” and leah, meaning “clearing, meadow.”
  • Gretna is part of Gretna Green — the name of the Scottish village that became famous in the late 18th century as an elopement destination for young English couples. The village name originally referred to the “green by Gretna,” with the word Gretna meaning “gravelly hill” (from the Old English elements greot, “grit,” and hoh, “heel” — denoting a hill shaped like the heel of a foot).
  • Haljand is an Estonian masculine name based on the word haljas, meaning “green, verdant.”
  • Holly trees have green foliage. The word holly is derived from the Old English word for the tree, holen.
  • Hunter is a dark yellowish-green color. It was the shade of green worn by hunters during the 19th century.
  • Ivik is a Greenlandic masculine name meaning “(blade of) grass.”
  • Jandi is a Korean feminine name meaning “grass.”
  • Kelly is a bright green color. The Irish surname Kelly can be traced back to the Old Irish personal name Cellach.
  • Khidr (also spelled Khadir) is an Arabic masculine name meaning “green.”
  • Lakhdar is an Arabic masculine name based on al-akhdar, meaning “the green.”
  • Leaf green is the bright yellowish-green color typical of plant leaves (due to the presence of chlorophyll).
  • Laurel trees have green foliage. The word laurel is derived from the Latin word for the tree, laurus.
  • Levert comes from the French surname LeVert, which is based on the Old French word vert, meaning “green.”
  • Lin (second tone) is a Chinese name that can mean “valuable jade,” depending upon the character being used to write the name.
  • Linden trees have green foliage. The word linden is derived from the Old English word for the tree, lind.
  • Malachite (pronounced MAL-uh-kiet) is a mineral that is green. The name of the mineral ultimately derives from the ancient Greek word malache, meaning “mallow” — a reference to the resemblance between the color of malachite and the leaves of the mallow plant.
  • Matsu is a Japanese feminine name that can mean “pine tree,” depending upon the kanji being used to write the name.
    • Matsuko is a Japanese name that can include the element Matsu.
    • Matsue is another Japanese name that can include the element Matsu.
  • Midori is a Japanese gender-neutral name that can mean “green, verdure,” depending upon the kanji being used to write the name.
  • Mint leaves are green. Aromatic mint plants are part of the genus Mentha, the name of which derives from the ancient Greek word minthe.
    • Minttu is the Finnish word for “mint.”
    • Mynta is the Swedish word for “mint.”
    • Mynte is the Danish word for “mint.”
  • Moss are small, flowerless plants that grow in dense green mats. The Old English word for “moss” was mos.
  • Myrtle trees have green foliage. The word myrtle is derived from the ancient Greek word for the tree, myrtos.
malachite, green
Malachite
  • Oak trees have green foliage. The word oak is derived from the Old English word for the tree, ac.
  • Oihan is a Basque masculine name meaning “forest.”
    • Oihana is the feminine form of Oihan.
  • Olivine is a mineral that is usually yellowish-green. The name of the mineral can be traced back to the Latin word oliva, meaning “olive.”
  • Oren is a Hebrew masculine name meaning “pine tree.”
    • Orna is the feminine form of Oren.
  • Qorsuk is a Greenlandic masculine name meaning “green, yellowish-green.”
  • Pallav is a Hindi masculine name based on the Sanskrit word pallava, meaning “shoot, sprout, young leaf.”
    • Pallavi is the feminine form of Pallav.
  • Panna is a Hindi feminine name that can mean “emerald” or “leaf.”
  • Peridot, a variety of the mineral olivine, is yellowish-green.
  • Phyllis, the ancient Greek word for “foliage” (based on phyllon, meaning “leaf”) was the name of several figures in Greek mythology.
  • Pilutaq is a Greenlandic gender-neutral name meaning “leaf.”
  • Pine needles are green. The word pine is derived from the Latin word for the tree, pinus.
  • Sage leaves are grayish-green. The name of the sage plant (genus Salvia) can be traced back (via Old French sauge) to the Latin word salvus, meaning “healthy.”
  • Sirkka is a Finnish feminine name that can be derived from the word heinäsirkka, meaning “grasshopper” (many of which are green), or from the word sirkkalehti, meaning “cotyledon” (the embryonic leaf of seed-bearing plants).
  • Silvanus, based on the Latin word silva, meaning “wood, forest,” was the name of the Roman god of forests.
    • Silvano (masculine) and Silvana (feminine) are the modern Italian forms of Silvanus.
    • Sylvain (masculine) and Sylvaine (feminine) are the modern French forms of Silvanus.
  • Silvester is derived from the Latin word silvestris, meaning “forested” or “of the forest.”
  • Silvius was a Roman masculine name based on the Latin word silva, meaning “wood, forest.”
    • Silvio (masculine) and Silvia (feminine) are the modern Italian and Spanish forms of Silvius.
      • Sylvia is a variant of Silvia.
  • Talar (also spelled Dalar) is an Armenian feminine name based on the word talar or dalar, meaning “green, verdant.”
  • Teal is a dark bluish-green color. The shade was named after the Eurasain teal (Anas crecca), a type of duck with a teal-colored stripe on its head.
  • Thao is a Vietnamese gender-neutral name meaning “herbs, grass.”
  • Turquoise (pronounced TUR-koyz) is a mineral that is sometimes bluish-green. The name of the stone can be traced back to the Old French term pierre tourques, meaning “Turkish stone.” Though it was mined in Persia, the stone was introduced to Europe in the 13th century by Turkish traders.
  • Vipin is a Hindi masculine name based on the Sanskrit word vipina, meaning “forest.”
  • Viridian is a bluish-green color. The name of the pigment comes from the Latin word viridis, meaning “green.”
  • Willow trees have green foliage. The word willow is derived from the Old English word for the tree, welig.
  • Zumra is a Turkish feminine name based on the word zümrüt, meaning “emerald.”

Can you think of any other names that have a connection to the color green?

Sources:

Images by Tony Mucci from Unsplash, forumkrakow from Pixabay, minka2507 from Pixabay, and adapted from Malachite by Didier Descouens under CC BY-SA 3.0.

Popular and unique baby names in Iowa, 2021

Iowa

The Midwestern state of Iowa welcomes roughly 40,000 babies per year.

Last year, the most popular baby names in the state were Charlotte and Oliver, according to the Iowa Department of Public Health.

Here are Iowa’s top 10 girl names and top 10 boy names of 2021:

Girl Names

  1. Charlotte, 174 baby girls
  2. Olivia, 148
  3. Amelia, 141
  4. Ava, 125
  5. Emma, 121
  6. Evelyn, 111
  7. Nora, 110
  8. Sophia, 108
  9. Willow, 101
  10. Eleanor & Harper, 99 (tie)

Boy Names

  1. Oliver, 207 baby boys
  2. Liam, 176
  3. Henry, 169
  4. Noah, 136
  5. Asher, 131
  6. Theodore, 129
  7. Hudson, 125
  8. Owen, 123
  9. Brooks, 122
  10. Jack, 120

The SSA’s rankings for Iowa are very similar, though, so…why bother posting Iowa’s own rankings?

Because the state also releases the rest of its baby name data (yay!), so we have a chance to see the names at the other end of the spectrum.

Over 3,600 girl names and over 2,800 boy names were bestowed just once in Iowa last year. Here’s a selection of Iowa’s unique baby names of 2021:

Unique Girl NamesUnique Boy Names
Amazingrace, Biftu, Celine D’Arc, DaRell, Endellion, Fiolla, Geranium, Hagia-Sophia, Heulwen, Isniin, Johovana, KipperMay, Libba, Mauslynn, Nardos, Onnova, Phyu, Qualoni, Rexha, Six, Tempo, Ulani, Villandry, Wintwar, Xhivani, Yolna, ZelleAdventurous, Biden Rafael, Conker, Divoc, Eastwood, Felty, Grimnir, Healer, Heritier, Isidoro, Judicael, Kenaniah, Lil Junior, McClane, Nightly, Oswalt, Pilot, Qua, Rensselaer, Senanu, Tchite, Utah, Veon, Winiga, XanLee, Yuepheng, Zelldean

Some thoughts on a few of the above…

  • Divoc is “Covid” spelled backwards.
  • Endellion is a Cornish place name. (Former UK PM David Cameron used this name a few years back.)
  • Hagia Sophia, which means “holy wisdom” in ancient Greek, refers to the Hagia Sophia in Istanbul.
  • Heritier (héritier) means “heir” in French.
  • Isniin means “Monday” in Somali.
  • McClane is the surname of the main character (John McClane) in the Die Hard movies.
  • Villandry is a commune in central France.
  • Wintwar (Wint War) is a Burmese name. (A number of refugees from Myanmar live in Iowa.)
  • Zelle is a digital payments network (launched in 2017).

In 2020, the top two names in Iowa were Olivia and Oliver.

Sources: Top Baby Names – Iowa Public Health Tracking Portal, Iowa – Wikipedia, List of U.S. states and territories by population – Wikipedia, Wiktionary

Popular baby names in Australia, 2021

kangaroo

Australia might be the sixth-largest country in terms of area, but it isn’t very large in terms of population. In fact, it’s one of the least densely populated places in the world.

Last year, Australia welcomed just 309,996 babies — 151,079 baby girls and 158,917 baby boys. By comparison, the U.S. state of Texas recorded 373,340 births the same year.

What were the most popular names among Australia’s 2021 babies?

Well…we don’t know for sure. Because Australia doesn’t release baby name rankings that cover the entire country.

map of Australia

So here’s the next-best thing: Eight sets of regional Australian rankings — representing Australia’s six states and two most populous territories — all gathered into a single post, followed by a guess about the country’s top five names per gender.

Here are the rankings, ordered by total number of births per region (highest to lowest):

New South Wales

Last year, New South Wales welcomed 99,300 babies. Here are NSW’s top baby names of 2021:

Girl Names, NSWBoy Names, NSW
1. Olivia, 493 baby girls
2. Amelia, 489
3. Charlotte, 486
4. Isla, 439
5. Ava, 414
6. Mia, 375
7. Grace, 367
8. Chloe, 335
9. Matilda, 326
10. Ella, 322
1. Oliver, 695 baby boys
2. Noah, 633
3. Jack, 459
4. William, 458
5. Henry, 444
6. Leo, 424
7. Lucas, 410
8. Theodore, 378
9. Levi, 339
10. Liam, 336

In 2020, the top names in NSW were Amelia and Oliver.

Victoria

Last year, Victoria welcomed 76,414 babies. Here are Victoria’s top baby names of 2021:

Girl Names, Vic.Boy Names, Vic.
1. Charlotte, 410 baby girls
2. Olivia, 407
3. Isla, 388
4. Amelia, 363
5. Mia, 353
6. Ava, 331
7. Grace, 312
8. Matilda, 284
9. Zoe, 274
10. Willow, 270
1. Oliver, 551 baby boys
2. Noah, 522
3. Jack, 417
4. Charlie, 360 (tie)
5. Leo, 360 (tie)
6. Henry, 356 (tie)
7. William, 356 (tie)
8. Levi, 312
9. Thomas, 310
10. Archie, 302

In 2020, the top names in Victoria were also Charlotte and Oliver.

Queensland

Last year, Queensland welcomed 64,261 babies. Here are Queensland’s top baby names of 2021:

Girl Names, Qld.Boy Names, Qld.
1. Isla, 347 baby girls
2. Olivia, 320
3. Charlotte, 307
4. Willow, 288
5. Mia, 286
6. Ava, 285
7. Grace, 279
8. Amelia, 276
9. Matilda, 224
10. Lily, 215
1. Oliver, 506 baby boys
2. Noah, 419
3. Henry, 363
4. William, 347
5. Theodore, 331
6. Hudson, 302
7. Jack, 296
8. Charlie, 293
9. Elijah, 277
10. Leo, 274

In 2020, the top names in Queensland were Charlotte and Oliver.

Western Australia

Last year, Western Australia welcomed 34,065 babies. Here are WA’s top baby names of 2021:

Girl Names, WABoy Names, WA
1. Isla, 191 baby girls
2. Ava, 150
3. Amelia, 149
4. Charlotte, 143
5. Olivia, 141
6. Harper, 137
7. Grace, 135
8. Mia, 122 (tie)
9. Willow, 122 (tie)
10. Ella, 117
1. Oliver, 248 baby boys
2. Noah, 214
3. Jack, 188
4. William, 167
5. Leo, 165
6. Elijah, 149
7. Thomas, 144
8. Hudson, 143
9. Charlie, 141
10. Lucas, 140

In 2020, the top names in WA were also Isla and Oliver.

South Australia

Last year, South Australia welcomed 19,783 babies. Here are SA’s top baby names of 2021:

Girl Names, SABoy Names, SA
1. Isla, 120 baby girls
2. Charlotte, 110
3. Olivia, 101
4. Harper, 95
5. Ava, 91
6. Amelia, 88 (tie)
7. Ivy, 88 (tie)
8. Grace, 87
9. Lily, 80
10. Willow, 78
1. Oliver, 195 baby boys
2. Noah, 132
3. Henry, 126
4. Charlie, 119
5. Leo, 98
6. Jack, 90
7. William, 85
8. Thomas, 81
9. Hudson, 78
10. Harry/James/Levi/Lucas, 74 each (4-way tie)

In 2020, the top names in SA were Charlotte and Oliver.

Australian Capital Territory

Last year, ACT (Canberra) welcomed 6,410 babies. Here are ACT’s top baby names of 2021:

Girl Names, ACTBoy Names, ACT
1. Charlotte
2. Matilda
3. Grace
4. Ivy (tie)
5. Olivia (tie)
6. Amelia
7. Hazel (2-way tie)
8. Sophia (2-way tie)
9. Ella (2-way tie)
10. Mia (2-way tie)
1. Henry (tie)
2. Oliver (tie)
3. William
4. Theodore
5. Thomas
6. Leo
7. Noah
8. Jack
9. Archer
10. Charlie

In 2020, the top names in ACT were Charlotte and William.

Tasmania

Last year, Tasmania welcomed 6,027 babies. Here are Tasmania’s top baby names of 2021:

Girl Names, Tas.Boy Names, Tas.
1. Charlotte
2. Isla
3. Willow
4. Ruby
5. Ava
6. Matilda
7. Grace
8. Hazel
9. Lucy
10. Lily
1. Oliver
2. Noah
3. Archie
4. Jack
5. Henry
6. William
7. Leo
8. Charlie
9. Hudson
10. Thomas

In 2020, the top names in Tasmania were Willow and Charlie.

Northern Territory

Last year, Northern Territory welcomed 3,736 babies. Here are NT’s top baby names of 2021:

Girl Names, NTBoy Names, NT
1. Isla, 15 baby girls
2. Ivy, 14
3. Amelia, 12 (3-way tie)
4. Ava, 12 (3-way tie)
5. Charlotte, 12 (3-way tie)
6. Hazel, 11 (3-way tie)
7. Matilda, 11 (3-way tie)
8. Mia, 11 (3-way tie)
9. Florence/Harper/Lily/Luna/Olivia, 9 each (5-way tie)
1. Charlie, 16 baby boys
2. Jack, 15
3. James, 14 (tie)
4. Noah, 14 (tie)
5. Elijah, 13 (tie)
6. Luca, 13 (tie)
7. Lucas, 12 (3-way tie)
8. Oliver, 12 (3-way tie)
9. Thomas, 12 (3-way tie)
10. Michael, 11

In 2020, the top names in NT were Charlotte and William.


Australia

Finally, using the data from the five most populous regions — which, together, welcomed nearly 95% of the country’s 2021 babies — we can make a guess about Australia’s top baby names overall:

Possible Top Girl NamesPossible Top Boy Names
1. Isla
2. Olivia
3. Charlotte
4. Amelia
5. Ava
1. Oliver
2. Noah
3. Jack
4. William
5. Leo

I’m confident that Oliver was the #1 boy name in Australia last year, but less confident about Isla being the #1 girl name (because Olivia and Charlotte were so close behind).

What are your thoughts on Australia’s top baby names of 2021?

Sources:

Image by Ashish Upadhyay on Unsplash. Map adapted from Australia location map by NordNordWest under CC BY-SA 3.0.