Top baby names in Japan, 2024

Flag of Japan
Flag of Japan

This year, the island nation of Japan will likely welcome fewer than 700,000 babies for the first time in modern history.

What will the most popular names among this (relatively small) group of newborns be?

We’ll never know for sure, because Japan doesn’t release official baby name rankings. But the country’s top names of 2024 could include Rin and Tsumugi for girls, and Ao and Haruto for boys.

How do we know this?

Because, every year, two Japanese companies — the Benesse Corporation and the Meiji Yasuda Life Insurance Company — come up with unofficial baby name rankings for Japan using their own data (i.e., the names of the newborns of their own customers/clients). Both companies rank names in two ways: as they’re written, and as they’re said aloud (because so many Japanese names have more than one possible pronunciation).

  • Benesse’s 2024 rankings account for 263,885 babies born in Japan from January to September, 2024.
  • Meiji Yasuda’s 2024 rankings account for 14,325 babies born in Japan from January to September, 2024.

Girl names

Here are Japan’s top girls names as written, according to both companies:

Top baby names for girls in Japan, 2024

The top three girl names on Benesse’s list are commonly read Rin (meaning “cold” or “dignified”), Himari/Hinata (a combination of two kanji characters meaning “sun” and “hollyhock“), and Sui (meaning “green” or “verdant”). The top girl name on Meiji Yasuda’s list is commonly read Tsumugi (meaning “pongee“).

And here are Japan’s top girl-name readings, according to both companies:

Top baby name readings for girls in Japan, 2024

The top three readings on Benesse’s list are Sana, Ema, and Mei, while the top three on Meiji Yasuda’s list are Tsumugi, Ema, and Sana.

Boy names

Here are Japan’s top boy names as written, according to both companies:

Top baby names for boy in Japan, 2024

The top three boy names on Benesse’s list are commonly read Ao/Aoi (meaning “blue-green”), Ren (meaning “lotus”), and Nagi (meaning “calm”). The top name on Meiji Yasuda’s list is commonly read Haruto/Hinato (a combination of two kanji characters meaning “sun” and “soar”).

And here are Japan’s top boy-name readings, according to both companies:

Top baby name readings for boys in Japan, 2024

Notably, Benesse and Meiji Yasuda are in agreement on the top three: Haruto, Minato, and Riku.

Benesse’s data reveals the name Ran (meaning “indigo”) has seen a significant increase in usage among babies of both genders, likely because of (male) Olympic volleyball player Ran Takahashi.

The Japanese name Ran
Ran

And Meiji Yasuda’s data indicates that the most popular kanji character used in boy names (for the fourth consecutive year) is sho, no doubt thanks to the ongoing success of professional baseball player Shohei “Shotime” Otani.

The kanji character "sho"
Sho

Finally, here’s a link to Japan’s unofficial 2023 rankings, if you’d like to compare this year to last year.

Sources

Image: Adapted from Flag of Japan (public domain)

Popular baby names in Italy, 2023

Flag of Italy
Flag of Italy

In 2023, the Southern European country of Italy welcomed 379,890 babies — 184,514 girls and 195,376 boys.

What were the most popular names among these babies? Sofia and Leonardo, yet again.

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

Girl names

  1. Sofia, 4,971 baby girls
  2. Aurora, 4,648
  3. Ginevra, 4,274
  4. Vittoria, 4,194
  5. Giulia, 3,732
  6. Beatrice, 3,425 – pronounced beh-a-TREE-cheh
  7. Ludovica, 3,157
  8. Alice, 3,014 – pronounced a-LEE-cheh
  9. Emma, 2,529
  10. Matilde, 2,465
  11. Anna, 2,128
  12. Camilla, 2,091
  13. Bianca, 1,992
  14. Azzurra, 1,922
  15. Chiara, 1,914 – pronounced KYAH-rah
  16. Nicole, 1,792
  17. Giorgia, 1,780
  18. Isabel, 1,667
  19. Greta, 1,635
  20. Noemi, 1,439
  21. Martina, 1,392
  22. Arianna, 1,389
  23. Gaia, 1,370
  24. Sara, 1,368
  25. Rebecca, 1,328
  26. Viola, 1,325
  27. Elena, 1,270
  28. Ambra, 1,257
  29. Chloe, 1,196 (tie)
  30. Diana, 1,196 (tie)
  31. Adele, 1,194
  32. Mia, 1,192
  33. Margherita, 1,095
  34. Sole, 1,088 – pronounced SOH-leh
  35. Francesca, 1,082
  36. Cecilia, 1,060
  37. Gioia, 1,018
  38. Emily, 1,017
  39. Marta, 964
  40. Elisa, 953
  41. Nina, 929
  42. Lavinia, 912
  43. Anita, 875
  44. Amelia, 870
  45. Eleonora, 853
  46. Carlotta, 833
  47. Maria, 803
  48. Celeste, 788
  49. Eva, 751
  50. Giada, 735

Boy names

  1. Leonardo, 7,096 baby boys
  2. Edoardo, 5,603
  3. Tommaso, 4,687
  4. Francesco, 4,534
  5. Alessandro, 4,383
  6. Mattia, 4,349
  7. Lorenzo, 4,006
  8. Gabriele, 3,954
  9. Riccardo, 3,600
  10. Andrea, 3,333
  11. Diego, 2,722
  12. Giuseppe, 2,661
  13. Matteo, 2,648
  14. Enea, 2,564
  15. Nicolò, 2,444
  16. Antonio, 2,424
  17. Federico, 2,313
  18. Giovanni, 2,093
  19. Filippo, 2,046
  20. Samuele, 2,041
  21. Pietro, 1,993
  22. Giulio, 1,749
  23. Gioele, 1,641 – pronounced jo-EH-leh
  24. Davide, 1,597
  25. Michele, 1,590
  26. Christian, 1,541
  27. Elia, 1,522
  28. Gabriel, 1,497
  29. Noah, 1,386
  30. Marco, 1,353
  31. Salvatore, 1,324
  32. Liam, 1,236
  33. Luca, 1,230
  34. Vincenzo, 1,211
  35. Thomas, 1,146
  36. Emanuele, 1,100
  37. Alessio, 1,056
  38. Nathan, 1,007
  39. Giorgio, 1,006
  40. Samuel, 1,005
  41. Jacopo, 1,002
  42. Giacomo, 1,000
  43. Ettore, 970
  44. Raffael, 900
  45. Daniele, 899
  46. Simone, 892
  47. Luigi, 886
  48. Damiano, 830
  49. Domenico, 818
  50. Santiago, 798

The girls’ top 100 included Anastasia (57th), Sveva (75th), Mariasole (83rd), and Letizia (97th).

The boys’ top 100 included Ludovico (56th), Niccolò (66th), Brando (73rd), and Ciro (94th).

The girl name Azzurra (which is associated with Italy’s national soccer team gli Azzurri, “the Blues”) ranked 20th in both 2022 and 2021 before jumping to 12th place last year.

Speaking of soccer…I recently learned that Italian soccer star Francesco Totti (who played for AS Roma from 1993 to 2017) influenced baby names in Italy via the names of his three children:

  • The usage of Cristian rose after his son Cristian was born in November of 2005:
    • 2006: 3,028 boys named Cristian (rank: 25th)
    • 2005: 1,619 boys named Cristian (rank: 39th)
    • 2004: 1,616 boys named Cristian (rank: 38th)
  • The usage of Chanel rose after his daughter Chanel was born in May of 2007:
    • 2008: 158 girls named Chanel (rank: 189th)
    • 2007: 63 girls named Chanel (rank: 314th)
    • 2006: fewer than five girls named Chanel
  • The usage of Isabel rose after his daughter Isabel was born in March of 2016:
    • 2017: 1,218 girls named Isabel (rank: 36th)
    • 2016: 910 girls named Isabel (rank: 50th)
    • 2015: 570 girls named Isabel (rank: 69th)

Sources: Contanomi – Quante bambine e quanti bambini si chiamano…? – Istat, Leonardo e Sofia “tengono”, risale Francesco – Istat (Jan. 2024), IstatData

Image: Adapted from Flag of Italy (public domain)

Popular baby names in England and Wales (UK), 2023

Flag of the United Kingdom
Flag of the United Kingdom

Last year, the countries of England and Wales together welcomed 591,072 babies.

What were the most popular names among these babies? Olivia and Muhammad.

Here are England and Wales’ top 50 girl names and top 50 boy names of 2023:

Girl names

  1. Olivia, 2,906 baby girls
  2. Amelia, 2,663
  3. Isla, 2,337
  4. Lily, 2,290
  5. Freya, 2,086
  6. Ava, 2,050
  7. Ivy, 1,997
  8. Florence, 1,899
  9. Willow, 1,833
  10. Isabella, 1,795
  11. Poppy, 1,755
    • Poppy ranked third among baby girls born in November specifically, no doubt because of the association between poppies and Remembrance Day (Nov. 11).
  12. Sophia, 1,679
  13. Evelyn, 1,673
  14. Elsie, 1,662
  15. Sienna, 1,657
  16. Mia, 1,640
  17. Daisy, 1,585
  18. Grace, 1,541
  19. Sofia, 1,514
  20. Phoebe, 1,510
  21. Rosie, 1,508
  22. Harper, 1,466
  23. Charlotte, 1,373
  24. Evie, 1,350
  25. Millie, 1,349
  26. Bonnie, 1,346
  27. Ella, 1,307
  28. Emily, 1,280
  29. Maya, 1,255
  30. Matilda, 1,212
  31. Aria, 1,198
  32. Delilah, 1,194
  33. Penelope, 1,156
  34. Hallie, 1,154
  35. Mila, 1,127
  36. Maeve, 1,114
  37. Ada, 1,089
  38. Luna, 1,063
  39. Ruby, 1,059
  40. Mabel, 1,051
  41. Maisie, 1,039
  42. Violet, 1,034
  43. Arabella, 1,029
  44. Margot, 1,025
  45. Emilia, 1,017
  46. Isabelle, 984
  47. Esme, 982
  48. Lottie, 980
  49. Aurora, 964
  50. Alice, 955

Boy names

  1. Muhammad, 4,661 baby boys
  2. Noah, 4,382
  3. Oliver, 3,556
  4. George, 3,494
  5. Leo, 3,416
  6. Arthur, 3,387
  7. Luca, 3,195
  8. Theodore, 2,666
  9. Oscar, 2,632
  10. Henry, 2,490
  11. Theo, 2,489
  12. Freddie, 2,481
  13. Archie, 2,400
  14. Arlo, 2,253
  15. Jude, 2,177
  16. Alfie, 2,111
  17. Charlie, 2,010
  18. Jack, 1,953
  19. Thomas, 1,855
  20. Finley, 1,844
  21. Harry, 1,799
  22. Albie, 1,756
  23. Teddy, 1,687
  24. Jacob, 1,655
  25. Lucas, 1,644
  26. Tommy, 1,629
  27. Isaac, 1,611
  28. Mohammed, 1,601
  29. William, 1,544
  30. Edward, 1,501
  31. Elijah, 1,482
  32. Roman, 1,481
  33. Rory, 1,468
  34. Alexander, 1,456
  35. James, 1,430
  36. Louie, 1,421
  37. Reuben, 1,356
  38. Ezra, 1,345
  39. Oakley, 1,343
  40. Joshua, 1,339
  41. Adam, 1,326
  42. Sebastian, 1,313
  43. Hudson, 1,291
  44. Max, 1,274
  45. Louis, 1,236
  46. Ronnie, 1,222
  47. Ethan, 1,198
  48. Hugo, 1,174
  49. Harrison, 1,151
  50. Mason, 1,118

In the girls’ top 10, Willow replaced Mia.

In the boys’ top 10, Luca and Henry replaced Theo and Freddie.

New to the girls’ top 100 were Hazel, Lilah, Autumn, Nevaeh, and Raya.

New to the boys’ top 100 were Jax, Enzo, and Bodhi.

The number of hyphenated girl names increased significantly (from 12,332 to 19,143), while the number of hyphenated boy names decreased slightly (from 3,140 to 2,807).

And here’s a selection of uncommon names that were given to just three babies each in England and Wales (combined) in 2023:

Rare girl namesRare boy names
Alfia, Bluebella, Buddug, Coni, Dolcy, Ephelia, Fen, Glesni, Harasees, Indica, Jodh, Khulood, Larnie, Myrto, Nectaria, Omuwa, Pip, Qiraat, Reevie, Sorrel, Tegwen, Udaina, Vani, Waverly, Xanthea, Yvaine, ZoellaApollon, Banksy, Blaidd, Catalin, Dishan, Eifion, Fayzan, Gurvir, Haaland, Iverson, Jibriel, Kirtan, Lucho, Monaco, Nalan, Orwell, Prevail, Qusay, Ranbir, Sebbie, Tassilo, Ulrich, Vedh, Wildan, Xavian, Yamac, Zuko

Possible explanations/associations for several of the above:

  • Blaidd means “wolf” in Welsh. (It’s also the name of a half-wolf character in the 2022 video game Elden Ring.)
  • Buddug is based on the Welsh word budd, which means “benefit, profit.” It’s the Welsh equivalent of Boudicca (the name of the ancient British queen who led a revolt against the Romans).
  • Fen might refer to the type of wetland.
  • Glesni means “blueness” or “greenness” in Welsh.
  • Haaland is the surname of Norwegian soccer player Erling Haaland (who currently plays for Manchester City F.C.).

Here are the 2023 rankings for Scotland and Northern Ireland — the other two countries in the United Kingdom — and the 2022 rankings for England and Wales, if you’d like to compare last year to the year before.

Sources:

Image: Adapted from Flag of the United Kingdom (public domain)

Popular and unique baby names in Iowa, 2023

Flag of Iowa
Flag of Iowa

The U.S. state of Iowa welcomes “around 40,000” babies each year.

What were the most popular names among last year’s babies specifically? Charlotte and Oliver, according to the Iowa Department of Health and Human Services.

Here are Iowa’s top 20+ girl names and top 20+ boy names of 2023:

Girl names

  1. Charlotte, 161 baby girls
  2. Evelyn, 128
  3. Harper, 127
  4. Olivia, 126
  5. Amelia, 125
  6. Emma, 110
  7. Sophia, 109
  8. Eleanor, 106
  9. Ava, 102
  10. Hazel, 88
  11. Nora, 84
  12. Violet, 82
  13. Willow, 77
  14. Mia, 76
  15. Isabella, 75 (tie)
  16. Ivy, 75 (tie)
  17. Lainey, 74
  18. Isla, 71
  19. Grace, 69
  20. Aurora, 67 (tie)
  21. Ellie, 67 (tie)

Boy names

  1. Oliver, 194 baby boys
  2. Henry, 173
  3. Theodore, 154
  4. Liam, 147
  5. Jack, 135 (tie)
  6. Noah, 135 (tie)
  7. Hudson, 114
  8. William, 112
  9. James, 104
  10. Owen, 103
  11. Cooper, 99 (tie)
  12. Maverick, 99 (tie)
  13. Leo, 95
  14. Brooks, 94
  15. Waylon, 91
  16. Benjamin, 88
  17. Wyatt, 87
  18. Elijah, 85
  19. Asher, 84 (3-way tie)
  20. Bennett, 84 (3-way tie)
  21. Lucas, 84 (3-way tie)

The SSA’s rankings for Iowa are mostly (but not exactly) the same.

And what about the names at the other end of the spectrum? Here’s a selection of the baby names that were bestowed just once in Iowa last year:

Unique girl namesUnique boy names
Ainekulu, Berthenina, Caspia, Dotlyn, Eterna, Fauna, Genavee, Historia, Ivella, Jaspen, Kimawari, Landrine, Malulani, Nicklin, Osprey, Pendeza, Quenya, Rosehip, Still, Tcharleen, Vanlal, Wembley, Xanna, Yangkuoth, ZiigwanAsphodel, Brodysseus, Calmly, Datsun, Ethic, Fisk, Grealish, Haiku, Inguun, Jozion, Kakashi, Linux, Malipo, Nayrold, Omegajoe, Pomaikai, Quantum, Render, Sabawoon, Thaylor, Vybe, Witt, Xiver, Yekini, Zettlin

Some possible explanations/associations for a few of the above:

  • Grealish is the surname of English soccer player Jack Grealish.
  • Kakashi is a character from the Japanese manga/anime series Naruto. (The literal translation of his name is “scarecrow.”)
  • Kimawari is the Japanese name of the Pokémon character Sunflora.
  • Malipo means “payments” or “revenge” in Swahili.
  • Malulani is a particular star in Hawaiian astronomy. (The literal translation of the star’s name is “celestial shade.”)
  • Pendeza means “to be pleasing” or “to be attractive” in Swahili.
  • Pomaikai is based on the Hawaiian word pomaika’i, which means “good fortune.”
  • Sabawoon means “dawn” in Pashto.
  • Wembley is a soccer stadium (and music venue) in London.
  • Ziigwan means “it is (early) spring” in Ojibwe.

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

Sources:

Image: Adapted from Flag of Iowa (public domain)