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Popular baby names in Quebec (Canada), 2024

Flag of Quebec
Flag of Quebec

Last year, the Canadian province of Quebec welcomed about 77,400 babies.

What were the most popular names among these babies? Emma and Noah.

Here are Quebec’s top 50+ girl names and top 50 boy names of 2024:

Girl names

  1. Emma, 461 baby girls
  2. Olivia, 452
  3. Florence, 449
  4. Charlotte, 447
  5. Alice, 407
  6. Charlie, 364
  7. Beatrice, 334
  8. Clara, 331
  9. Sofia, 327
  10. Livia, 298
  11. Lea, 285
  12. Romy, 281
  13. Mila, 280
  14. Juliette, 276
  15. Mia, 254
  16. Eva, 235
  17. Zoe, 234
  18. Rose, 232
  19. Victoria, 213
  20. Leonie, 212
  21. Billie, 206
  22. Julia, 205
  23. Rosalie, 198
  24. Chloe, 185
  25. Jeanne, 178
  26. Elena, 176 (tie)
  27. Flavie, 176 (tie)
  28. Jade, 173
  29. Elizabeth, 171
  30. Margot, 159
  31. Amelia, 158
  32. Adele, 152
  33. Eleonore, 149
  34. Ophelie, 144
  35. Raphaelle, 143
  36. Sophia, 140
  37. Clemence, 138
  38. Maeva, 135
  39. Camille, 130
  40. Lily, 129
  41. Ellie, 127
  42. Lena, 123
  43. Flora, 121
  44. Estelle, 109
  45. Aurelie, 107
  46. Eloise, 105 (tie)
  47. Marguerite, 105 (tie)
  48. Sophie, 104
  49. Jasmine, 102
  50. Evelyne, 101 (tie)
  51. Nora, 101 (tie)

Boy names

  1. Noah, 572 baby boys
  2. Leo, 531
  3. Liam, 494 (tie)
  4. William, 494 (tie)
  5. Thomas, 448
  6. Louis, 445
  7. Arthur, 435
  8. Edouard, 426
  9. Emile, 389
  10. Theo, 387
  11. Jacob, 354
  12. Charles, 346
  13. Adam, 340 (tie)
  14. Jules, 340 (tie)
  15. Nathan, 338
  16. James, 329
  17. Raphael, 303
  18. Laurent, 282
  19. Lucas, 274
  20. Theodore, 273
  21. Arnaud, 268
  22. Felix, 264
  23. Logan, 261
  24. Victor, 254
  25. Henri, 252
  26. Benjamin, 244
  27. Eloi, 237
  28. Elliot, 234
  29. Jackson, 228
  30. Gabriel, 226
  31. Samuel, 209
  32. Nolan, 204
  33. Milan, 203
  34. Ethan, 192
  35. Matheo, 181
  36. Antoine, 180
  37. Jayden, 168
  38. Olivier, 163
  39. Alexis, 159
  40. Leonard, 152
  41. Matteo, 139
  42. Eli, 137
  43. Robin, 131
  44. Hubert, 127
  45. Axel, 126
  46. Leon, 125 (tie)
  47. Zack, 125 (tie)
  48. Caleb, 124
  49. Jake, 123 (tie)
  50. Maverick, 123 (tie)

In the girls’ top 10, Clara and Sofia replaced Lea and Juliette.

In the boys’ top 10, Emile and Theo replaced Jacob and Nathan.

And what about the names at the other end of the spectrum?

Among those given to fewer than five babies, I spotted the place names Kenai and Sitka, the plant name Melilot (sweet clover), the French word Tantine (meaning “auntie”), and the Inuktitut versions of various Christian names:

  • Joanassie (based on John, Jonah, or Jonas)
  • Jusipi/Juusipi (based on Joseph)
  • Paulusie (based on Paul)
  • Silasie (based on Silas)
  • Tuumasi (based on Thomas)
  • Elisapee/Elisapi/Elisapie (based on Elizabeth)

I also noticed names from various indigenous languages, such as…

  • Aqiaruk, which means “stomach” in Inuktut.
  • Arnaq Talittuq, made up of the Inuktitut words arnaq, meaning “woman,” and talittuq, meaning “disappears, hides.”
  • Maikaniss, which means “wolf cub” in Innu. (The word maikan means “wolf.”)
  • Mispun, which means “it is snowing” in East Cree.
  • Missinak, which means “turtle” in Innu.
  • Nipinok, based on the Cree word nipinohk, meaning “last summer.” (The word nipin means “summer.”)
  • Piponik, based on the Cree word pipon, meaning both “winter” and “year.”
  • Putulik
  • Qumaluk
  • Tillikasak
  • Timangiak
  • Uashtessiu, part of the Innu term uashtessiu-pishimu, meaning “the month when the leaves become yellow” (i.e., October).
  • Uiviru
  • Ulluriaq, which means “star” in Inuktitut.
  • Weetalutuk

(I can’t give you the usual sampling of Quebec’s single-use names because, as of 2024, the province has decided to stop specifying which names were given to just one baby. The single-use names — along with the names that were given to two, three, and four babies — are now labeled “<5” in the data.)

Finally, here’s a link to Quebec’s 2023 rankings, if you’d like to compare last year to the year before.

Sources:

Image: Adapted from Flag of Quebec (public domain)

What gave the baby name Ariel a boost in 1982?

The character Ariel Aldrin from the TV series "As The World Turns" (1956-2010)
Ariel from “As The World Turns“

In 1981, the unisex name Ariel was given to roughly the same number of girls and boys.

Just one year later, it was given to almost twice as many girls as boys:

Girls named ArielBoys named Ariel
1984636 [rank: 362nd]281 [rank: 504th]
1983650 [rank: 348th]315 [rank: 471st]
1982584 [rank: 394th]294 [rank: 497th]
1981228 [rank: 721st]236 [rank: 553rd]
1980181 [rank: 853rd]239 [rank: 554th]

What caused this sudden interest in Ariel as a girl name?

My guess is a television character.

In February of 1982, Swedish-born Ariel Aldrin (played by actress Judith Blazer) was introduced on the long-running CBS soap opera As The World Turns.

During her time on the show, Ariel worked as a model at the local fashion emporium (“Fashions, Ltd.”) and married two different men: Dr. John Dixon (who she’d mistakenly believed was wealthy) and Burke Donovan (who’s son, she’d discovered, was the heir to a fortune). Neither relationship lasted very long. She “left town to pursue a European count” in 1984.

P.S. Earlier in the ’80s, the name may have been influenced (slightly) by Princess Ariel, one of the main characters of the Saturday morning cartoon Thundarr the Barbarian (1980-1981).

Sources:

Image: Screenshot of As The World Turns

Baby name story: Kelce Taylor-Grace

Taylor Swift watching a Chiefs game (in 2023)
Taylor Swift watching a Chiefs game

On July 24, Kansas City couple Haley Richardson and Robert Dillon welcomed a baby girl named Kelce Taylor-Grace.

The baby’s first name was inspired by Kansas City Chiefs player Travis Kelce, and the first part of her middle name came from singer-songwriter Taylor Swift, who has been romantically linked to Travis Kelce for several years.

Swift and Kelce took their relationship public in September of 2023, when Swift attended a Chiefs game at Arrowhead Stadium; the hospital took the baby’s name public the day after she was born, with a Facebook post that said, in part, “Kelce Taylor is officially in her newborn era.”

The name also contains an Easter egg (in “true Swift fashion”): the initials of the hyphenated middle, Taylor-Grace, are a nod to former Chiefs player Tony Gonzalez.

Source: Ellis, Maddie. “Parents of Newborn Named After Travis Kelce, Taylor Swift Share How They Came up With the Name.” Today.com 27 Jul. 2025.

Image: Adapted from Taylor Swift, Brittany Mahomes & daughter – Arrowhead Stadium for Chiefs vs Chargers 10-22-2023 by Larry Koester under CC BY 2.0.

Girl names on the rise in Canada, 2024

hot air balloons

Which names were the trendiest among baby girls born in Canada last year?

Below you’ll find Canada’s fastest-rising and highest-debuting girl names of 2024.

Rises (absolute)

Here are the girl names that saw the biggest increases in usage in terms of absolute change (number of babies) from 2023 to 2024:

  1. Lainey, rose from 193 to 341 baby girls (+148)
  2. Charlotte, 1,418 to 1,528 (+110)
  3. Eliana, 343 to 452 (+109)
  4. Asees, 180 to 272 (+92)
  5. Clara, 558 to 646 (+88)
  6. Arzoyi, 40 to 127 (+87)
  7. Scottie, 97 to 181 (+84)
  8. Lara, 133 to 210 (+77)
  9. Arzoi, 69 to 144 (+75) [tie]
  10. Ayla, 367 to 442 (+75) [tie]

Lainey, the second-fastest-rising girl name a year earlier, continues to be influenced by country singer Lainey Wilson. (In the U.S., Lainey was similarly one of the fastest-rising girl names in both 2023 and 2024.)

Rises (relative)

Here are the girl names that saw the biggest increases in usage in terms of relative change (percentage of babies) from 2023 to 2024:

  1. Sada, rose from 6 to 29 baby girls (383% increase)
  2. Arjoi, 5 to 19 (280%)
  3. Ambar, 7 to 26 (271%)
  4. Raha, 16 to 59 (269%)
  5. Elody, 6 to 22 (267%)
  6. Jaap, 11 to 40 (264%)
  7. Clea, 7 to 25 (257%)
  8. Ayleen, 5 to 17 (240%)
  9. Haneen, 6 to 20 (233%)
  10. Brie, 5 to 16 (220%) [tie]
  11. Hidayah, 5 to 16 (220%) [tie]

Debuts

Finally, here are the girl names that debuted most impressively in Canada’s baby name data in 2024:

  1. Yashna, 28 baby girls
  2. Lewhat, 17
  3. Riyasat, 16
  4. Jeevat, 14
  5. Sukoon, 13
  6. Kamsiyochukwu, 12 [3 -way tie]
  7. Sanjog, 12 [3 -way tie]
  8. Solenne, 12 [3 -way tie]
  9. Fiora, 11 [5-way tie]
  10. Jasnaaz, 11 [5-way tie]
  11. Jeeva, 11 [5-way tie]
  12. Pranvi, 11 [5-way tie]
  13. Raaya, 11 [5-way tie]

Yashna may have been influenced by a character in the Indian movie Hi Nanna, released in late 2023. (In the U.S., Yashna was the top girl-name debut of 2024 as well.)

Other girl-name debuts in the Canadian data included Apollonia (6), Galadriel (5), and Happy (5).

Do you have thoughts/theories about any of the names above?

Sources: First names at birth by sex at birth, selected indicators (Number) – Statistics Canada, Canada’s most popular baby names in 2024 (Sept. 2025)

Image: Adapted from Turkey-2036 by Dennis Jarvis under CC BY-SA 2.0.