Popular and unique baby names in Zurich, 2023

Flag of Switzerland
Flag of Switzerland

Last year, the Swiss city of Zurich welcomed 4,475 babies — 2,202 girls and 2,273 boys.

What were the most popular names among these babies? Sofia and Leo.

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

Girl names

  1. Sofia, 26 baby girls
  2. Olivia, 21
  3. Ella, 20
  4. Emma, 17 (tie)
  5. Mila, 17 (tie)
  6. Sophia, 16
  7. Elena, 15 (tie)
  8. Mia, 15 (tie)
  9. Lea, 14 (tie)
  10. Lia, 14 (tie)
  11. Clara, 13 (3-way tie)
  12. Emilia, 13 (3-way tie)
  13. Leonie, 13 (3-way tie)
  14. Hanna, 12 (6-way tie)
  15. Lou, 12 (6-way tie)
  16. Nina, 12 (6-way tie)
  17. Nora, 12 (6-way tie)
  18. Sophie, 12 (6-way tie)
  19. Valentina, 12 (6-way tie)
  20. Ida, 11
  21. Anna, 10 (6-way tie)
  22. Emily, 10 (6-way tie)
  23. Lara, 10 (6-way tie)
  24. Laura, 10 (6-way tie)
  25. Lina, 10 (6-way tie)
  26. Zoe, 10 (6-way tie)
  27. Amélie, 9 (8-way tie)
  28. Ava, 9 (8-way tie)
  29. Malea, 9 (8-way tie)
  30. Maria, 9 (8-way tie)
  31. Maya, 9 (8-way tie)
  32. Mira, 9 (8-way tie)
  33. Romy, 9 (8-way tie)
  34. Yuna, 9 (8-way tie)
  35. Alice, 8 (9-way tie)
  36. Elea, 8 (9-way tie)
  37. Isabella, 8 (9-way tie)
  38. Lily, 8 (9-way tie)
  39. Louise, 8 (9-way tie)
  40. Luana, 8 (9-way tie)
  41. Luna, 8 (9-way tie)
  42. Sara, 8 (9-way tie)
  43. Zoé, 8 (9-way tie)
  44. Ada, 7 (12-way tie)
  45. Alma, 7 (12-way tie)
  46. Carla, 7 (12-way tie)
  47. Eliana, 7 (12-way tie)
  48. Elin, 7 (12-way tie)
  49. Elina, 7 (12-way tie)
  50. Giulia, 7 (12-way tie)
  51. Isabel, 7 (12-way tie)
  52. Julia, 7 (12-way tie)
  53. Mara, 7 (12-way tie)
  54. Paula, 7 (12-way tie)
  55. Stella, 7 (12-way tie)

Boy names

  1. Leo, 28 baby boys
  2. Louis, 19
  3. Emil, 16 (3-way tie)
  4. Leonardo, 16 (3-way tie)
  5. Theo, 16 (3-way tie)
  6. Gabriel, 15
  7. Leon, 14
  8. Julian, 13 (7-way tie)
  9. Luca, 13 (7-way tie)
  10. Luka, 13 (7-way tie)
  11. Matteo, 13 (7-way tie)
  12. Max, 13 (7-way tie)
  13. Noah, 13 (7-way tie)
  14. Oliver, 13 (7-way tie)
  15. Alexander, 12 (6-way tie)
  16. Daniel, 12 (6-way tie)
  17. Felix, 12 (6-way tie)
  18. Jakob, 12 (6-way tie)
  19. Levi, 12 (6-way tie)
  20. Nicolas, 12 (6-way tie)
  21. Arthur, 11 (3-way tie)
  22. Henry, 11 (3-way tie)
  23. Maximilian, 11 (3-way tie)
  24. Elio, 10 (4-way tie)
  25. Mael, 10 (4-way tie)
  26. Milo, 10 (4-way tie)
  27. Vincent, 10 (4-way tie)
  28. Benjamin, 9 (8-way tie)
  29. Elia, 9 (8-way tie)
  30. Kian, 9 (8-way tie)
  31. Laurin, 9 (8-way tie)
  32. Leano, 9 (8-way tie)
  33. Malik, 9 (8-way tie)
  34. Noé, 9 (8-way tie)
  35. Oskar, 9 (8-way tie)
  36. Aaron, 8 (11-way tie)
  37. Anton, 8 (11-way tie)
  38. David, 8 (11-way tie)
  39. Diego, 8 (11-way tie)
  40. Elias, 8 (11-way tie)
  41. Luan, 8 (11-way tie)
  42. Mateo, 8 (11-way tie)
  43. Oscar, 8 (11-way tie)
  44. Paul, 8 (11-way tie)
  45. Samuel, 8 (11-way tie)
  46. Valentin, 8 (11-way tie)
  47. Adam, 7 (11-way tie)
  48. Adrian, 7 (11-way tie)
  49. Dario, 7 (11-way tie)
  50. Emilio, 7 (11-way tie)
  51. Henri, 7 (11-way tie)
  52. Hugo, 7 (11-way tie)
  53. Jonathan, 7 (11-way tie)
  54. Karl, 7 (11-way tie)
  55. Liam, 7 (11-way tie)
  56. Mattia 7 (11-way tie)
  57. Vito, 7 (11-way tie)

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 Zurich last year:

Unique girl namesUnique boy names
Audelia, Barla, Colombine, Dora, Emmeline, Franka, Georgia, Hera, Inga, Janna, Karlotta, Lielle, Malva, Nele, Ornella, Pelin, Ronela, Soline, Thekla, Urmi, Viktoria, Wanda, Xiomara, Yuliana, ZoriAlain, Benedikt, Corsin, Duri, Egon, Fiete, Golden, Hendrik, Ilya, Jannik, Klaus, Lars, Markus, Nayan, Ognjen, Piem, Rentaro, Simeon, Taavi, Ulysse, Vidan, Wilhelm, Xhonson, Yaris, Ziko

Barla and Corsin are both Romansh names, interestingly.

I didn’t post about Zurich’s top baby names of 2022, but here are Zurich’s 2021 rankings, as well as Switzerland’s 2022 rankings.

Sources: Vornamen in der Stadt Zürich – Stadt Zürich, Stadt Zürich 2023: Zunahme der Bevölkerungszahl, Rückgang der Geburten, Behind the Name

Image: Adapted from Flag of Switzerland (public domain)

Popular and unique baby names in Quebec (Canada), 2023

Flag of Quebec
Flag of Quebec

Of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada, Quebec is the second-largest in terms of both population (after Ontario) and area (after Nunavut).

Last year, Quebec welcomed close to 78,000 babies. What were the most popular names among these babies? Alice/Florence (tied) and Noah.

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

Girl names

  1. Alice, 465 baby girls (tie)
  2. Florence, 465 (tie)
  3. Emma, 456
  4. Olivia, 430
  5. Charlie, 415
  6. Charlotte, 405
  7. Livia, 359
  8. Lea, 326
  9. Beatrice, 300 (tie)
  10. Juliette, 300 (tie)
  11. Clara, 296
  12. Mila, 295
  13. Romy, 294 (tie)
  14. Sofia, 294 (tie)
  15. Rose, 291
  16. Zoe, 280
  17. Mia, 253
  18. Eva, 222
  19. Rosalie, 211
  20. Chloe, 208
  21. Leonie, 200
  22. Victoria, 189
  23. Flavie, 188 (tie)
  24. Julia, 188 (tie)
  25. Jade, 183
  26. Adele, 180 (tie)
  27. Elena, 180 (tie)
  28. Maeva, 177
  29. Billie, 175
  30. Amelia, 159 (tie)
  31. Jeanne, 159 (tie)
  32. Raphaelle, 158
  33. Ophelie, 145
  34. Sophia, 144
  35. Margot, 142
  36. Eleonore, 140
  37. Sophie, 133
  38. Elizabeth, 132
  39. Clemence, 127
  40. Ellie, 124 (tie)
  41. Flora, 124 (tie)
  42. Camille, 123 (3-way tie)
  43. Laura, 123 (3-way tie)
  44. Maya, 123 (3-way tie)
  45. Lily, 121
  46. Simone, 119
  47. Jasmine, 115
  48. Mathilde, 109
  49. Sarah, 105
  50. Anna, 104

Boy names

  1. Noah, 613 baby boys
  2. Liam, 556
  3. Leo, 549
  4. Thomas, 535
  5. William, 520
  6. Edouard, 495
  7. Jacob, 468
  8. Louis, 427
  9. Nathan, 400
  10. Arthur, 398
  11. Emile, 378
  12. Charles, 369
  13. Theo, 357
  14. Jules, 346
  15. Arnaud, 329
  16. James, 320
  17. Adam, 318
  18. Logan, 310
  19. Raphael, 299
  20. Felix, 293
  21. Theodore, 273
  22. Laurent, 272
  23. Lucas, 266
  24. Victor, 259
  25. Elliot, 258
  26. Eloi, 254
  27. Henri, 251
  28. Benjamin, 245
  29. Jackson, 233
  30. Gabriel, 218 (tie)
  31. Milan, 218 (tie)
  32. Olivier, 207
  33. Nolan, 201
  34. Samuel, 194
  35. Matheo, 189
  36. Eli, 188 (tie)
  37. Ethan, 188 (tie)
  38. Jayden, 180
  39. Antoine, 175
  40. Alexis, 172
  41. Leonard, 149
  42. Matteo, 147
  43. Jake, 146
  44. Robin, 143
  45. Zack, 135
  46. Tristan, 132
  47. Luca, 128 (tie)
  48. Mayson, 128 (tie)
  49. Axel, 127
  50. Malik, 126

The girls’ top 100 included Romane (52nd), Lily-Rose (72nd), Yasmine (78th), and Lyvia (89th).

The boys’ top 100 included Hubert (58th), Eliott (64th), Romeo (78th), and Philippe (85th).

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 Quebec last year:

Unique girl namesUnique boy names
Ateret, Balkissa, Clovia, Dunnia, Elisapee, Fauve, Genia, Hestelle, Inuluk, Japnaaz, Kaudjak, Luluthia, Miskomin, Namu, Orzala, Pimprenelle, Pulammaq, Qiana, Rydia, Subby, Tanilla, Ulluriaq, Ummaluk, Valerina, Wilsie, Xiran, Yoldez, ZivahAuklin, Benno, Clavis, Deepak, Endri, Ferruccio, Galvany, Heston, Inukpak, Jassir, Keslin, Latevi, Melrick, Naullaq, Nipin, Orphe, Puulik, Rayler, Sorance, Tsalel, Tukalak, Uasheshkuan, Vladan, Wistaron, Xincheng, Yuutin, Zuryel

Some definitions/associations for a few of the above:

  • Ateret means “crown” in Hebrew.
  • Fauve is French for “tawny” and, by extension, can refer to a big cat (such as a lion).
  • Inukpak means “giant” in Inuktitut.
  • Miskomin means “raspberry” in Ojibwe.
  • Naullaq is based on the Inuktitut word naulaq, which refers to a harpoon head.
  • Nipin means “summer” in Cree.
  • Pimprenelle is French for “burnet,” which refers to herbs of the genus Sanguisorba.
  • Pulammaq means “root” in Inuktitut.
  • Uasheshkuan means “the sky is clear, cloudless” in Innu.
  • Ulluriaq means “star” in Inuktitut.
  • Yuutin means “it is windy” in East Cree.

I also spotted a single girl named Chaya Mushka, and two other babies — one girl and one boy — named Mispun, meaning “it is snowing” in East Cree.

Finally, here’s a link to Quebec’s 2022 rankings, if you’d like to compare.

Sources:

Image: Adapted from Flag of Quebec (public domain)

Popular and unique baby names in Sweden, 2023

Flag of Sweden
Flag of Sweden

Sweden tricked us, you guys.

Last year, Statistics Sweden ominously announced that it would “stop producing name statistics.”

It neglected to mention that the country’s baby name data would continue coming out every year — that the names were simply going to be handled by a different government agency (the Swedish Tax Agency) going forward.

I wanted to be annoyed about this deception, but my annoyance evaporated after I learned that the Swedish Tax Agency had released all of the country’s 2023 baby name data — meaning that we could finally check out Sweden’s rare and unique names (yay!).

So, without further ado, let’s take a look…

Sweden welcomed 100,051 babies in 2023. What were the most popular names among these babies? Vera and Noah.

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

Girl names

  1. Vera, 608 baby girls
  2. Elsa, 603
  3. Alma, 597
  4. Selma, 538
  5. Alice, 512
  6. Signe, 494
  7. Ellie, 490
  8. Olivia, 488
  9. Astrid, 470
  10. Ella, 467
  11. Stella, 447
  12. Maja, 442
  13. Freja, 434
  14. Saga, 426
  15. Alva, 415
  16. Agnes, 392
  17. Ebba, 381
  18. Leah, 375
  19. Alba, 365
  20. Hedda, 362
  21. Iris, 344
  22. Wilma, 341
  23. Ines, 339
  24. Alicia, 335
  25. Mila, 332
  26. Luna, 304
  27. Lilly, 292
  28. Sigrid, 288
  29. Elvira, 286
  30. Leia, 280
  31. Juni, 274
  32. Julia, 258
  33. Hilma, 256
  34. Clara, 253
  35. Majken, 242 (tie)
  36. Molly, 242 (tie)
  37. Ellen, 241
  38. Ester, 238 (tie)
  39. Lykke, 238 (tie)
  40. Lily, 236
  41. Nora, 232
  42. Ingrid, 226
  43. Nova, 223
  44. Edith, 205
  45. Livia, 204
  46. Sally, 203
  47. Lea, 198
  48. Tyra, 194
  49. Liv, 193
  50. Esther, 192

Boy names

  1. Noah, 687 baby boys
  2. Hugo, 652
  3. William, 565
  4. Liam, 558
  5. Nils, 536
  6. Oliver, 517
  7. Elias, 516
  8. Adam, 507
  9. August, 506
  10. Sam, 504
  11. Alfred, 485
  12. Otto, 479
  13. Leo, 463
  14. Leon, 415
  15. Frans, 414
  16. Charlie, 388
  17. Olle, 372
  18. Theo, 366
  19. Harry, 362
  20. Arvid, 351
  21. Ludvig, 350
  22. Malte, 345
  23. Ebbe, 338 (tie)
  24. Lucas, 338 (tie)
  25. Tage, 330
  26. Elliot, 327
  27. Henry, 326
  28. Adrian, 322
  29. Gabriel, 319
  30. Elton, 318
  31. Ted, 317
  32. Walter, 314
  33. Vincent, 296
  34. Alexander, 294 (tie)
  35. Oscar, 294 (tie)
  36. Valter, 293
  37. Benjamin, 282
  38. Noel, 274 (tie)
  39. Theodor, 274 (tie)
  40. Jack, 268 (tie)
  41. Viggo, 268 (tie)
  42. Axel, 264
  43. Albin, 256
  44. Melker, 251
  45. Levi, 240
  46. Isak, 236
  47. Dante, 233
  48. Lukas, 230
  49. Matteo, 226
  50. Hjalmar, 225

The top names of 2022, Astrid and William, dropped to ninth place and third place, respectively.

The boys’ top 100 included Ture (53rd), Vidar (55th), Loke (71st), and Bill (97th).

The girls’ top 100 included Tuva (66th), Stina (75th), Lo (78th), and Eira (81st).

Farther down on the girls’ list I spotted Madicken, which was given to 15 babies last year. Swedish author Astrid Lindgren featured a fictional 7-year-old girl named Margareta “Madicken” Engström in several of her children’s books. (Lindgren had named the character after a childhood friend, Anne-Marie, whose nickname was Madicken.)

And what about the names at the other end of the spectrum? Here’s a sampling of the more than 8,000 names that were bestowed just once in Sweden last year:

Unique girl namesUnique boy names
Älva, Bergþóra, Cyrine, Dahlina, Elfie, Frigga, Glittra, Holland, Iseline, Jinjin, Källa, Lavendel, Minélle, Neoliva, Ornina, Pommelinn, Qellie, Rauline, Sigunn, Thaïs, Undin, Virvla, Winta, Xanne, Yrja, ZtellaAsterix, Bornwell, Casbian, Delton, Ejnar, Frenne, Grimm, Hälge, Ingemund, Jingda, Kasjan, Lillebror, Mjalton, Nille, Öivind, Palomino, Qingfeng, Robiel, Skjómi, Toste, Uzeer, Villie, Williott, Xanto, Yosia, Zillas

Some definitions/associations for a few of the above:

  • Glittra means “to glitter” in Swedish.
  • Källa means “source” in Swedish. (Originally it referred to a source of water, such as a spring or a well.)
  • Lavendel means “lavender” in Swedish (and several other languages).
  • Lillebror means “little brother” in Swedish.
  • Mjalton refers to Mjältön, an island in Sweden.
  • Skjómi, an Old Norse word meaning “a flickering light,” was used metaphorically in Skaldic poetry to refer to a drawn sword.
  • Virvla means “to whirl” in Swedish. (The related noun virvel means “vortex.”)

Sources: Elsa och Noah populäraste namnen hos nyfödda – Skatteverket, Namn på nyfödda – Skatteverket, Population statistics – Statistics Sweden, Madicken (Mardie) – Astrid Lindgren, Wiktionary, skjómi – Lexicon Poeticum, skjómi – Old Norse Dictionary

Image: Adapted from Flag of Sweden (public domain)

Popular baby names in Northern Ireland (UK), 2023

Flag of the United Kingdom
Flag of the United Kingdom

Northern Ireland — which was partitioned from the rest of Ireland more than a century ago — is a constituent country of the United Kingdom (along with England, Scotland, and Wales).

What were the most popular baby names in Northern Ireland last year? Isla and Noah.

Here are the country’s top 50 girl names and top 50+ boy names of 2023:

Girl names

  1. Isla, 147 baby girls – pronounced IE-la
  2. Fiadh, 138 – pronounced FEE-a
  3. Grace, 137
  4. Emily, 136
  5. Olivia, 126
  6. Lily, 108
  7. Ella, 97
  8. Aoife, 94 – pronounced EE-fa
  9. Amelia, 92
  10. Freya, 90
  11. Charlotte, 87
  12. Annie, 84 (tie)
  13. Sophie, 84 (tie)
  14. Anna, 83
  15. Eabha, 79 – pronounced EY-va
  16. Ellie, 77
  17. Sophia, 76
  18. Evie, 74
  19. Ava, 73
  20. Maisie, 70
  21. Clodagh, 66 – pronounced KLOH-da
  22. Mia, 63 (tie)
  23. Sadie, 63 (tie)
  24. Rosie, 62 (tie)
  25. Ruby, 62 (tie)
  26. Ivy, 60
  27. Molly, 59
  28. Cara, 57 (4-way tie)
  29. Elsie, 57 (4-way tie)
  30. Lottie, 57 (4-way tie)
  31. Meabh, 57 (4-way tie) – pronounced mayv
  32. Zara, 56
  33. Aria, 54
  34. Erin, 53
  35. Ada, 52
  36. Hannah, 51
  37. Saoirse, 50 – pronounced SEER-sha or SAYR-sha
  38. Bonnie, 48
  39. Cora, 47 (4-way tie)
  40. Isabella, 47 (4-way tie)
  41. Lucy, 47 (4-way tie)
  42. Phoebe, 47 (4-way tie)
  43. Katie, 46 (tie)
  44. Niamh, 46 (tie) – pronounced neev or NEE-iv
  45. Rhea, 45 (tie)
  46. Willow, 45 (tie)
  47. Rose, 44
  48. Sofia, 42
  49. Daisy, 41 (tie)
  50. Sienna, 41 (tie)

Boy names

  1. Noah, 152 baby boys
  2. Jack, 146
  3. James, 131
  4. Cillian, 128 – pronounced KIL-ee-an
  5. Charlie, 123
  6. Leo, 119
  7. Oisin, 116 – pronounced UH-sheen or OH-sheen
  8. Oliver, 114
  9. Luca, 108 (tie)
  10. Theo, 108 (tie)
  11. Tommy, 105
  12. Thomas, 103
  13. Jude, 93
  14. Arthur, 91
  15. Alfie, 85
  16. Daniel, 84
  17. Daithi, 82 – pronounced DAH-hee
  18. Harry, 77
  19. Ethan, 74
  20. Caleb, 73
  21. Finn, 71
  22. Henry, 70
  23. Ezra, 67 (tie)
  24. Jacob, 67 (tie)
  25. George, 66 (tie)
  26. Oscar, 66 (tie)
  27. Archie, 64 (3-way tie)
  28. Isaac, 64 (3-way tie)
  29. Ollie, 64 (3-way tie)
  30. Ronan, 63
  31. Lorcan, 62
  32. Reuben, 61 (tie)
  33. Shea, 61 (tie)
  34. Fionn, 60 (tie)
  35. Rory, 60 (tie)
  36. Darragh, 59
  37. Rian, 57
  38. Conor, 55 (tie)
  39. Freddie, 55 (tie)
  40. Arlo, 53 (tie)
  41. Patrick, 53 (tie)
  42. Luke, 52 (tie)
  43. Tom, 52 (tie)
  44. Jonah, 51 (tie)
  45. Odhran, 51 (tie) – pronounced OH-rawn
  46. Joshua, 50
  47. Max, 49 (tie)
  48. Theodore, 49 (tie)
  49. Michael, 47
  50. Mason, 46 (tie)
  51. Teddy, 46 (tie)

The names that qualified as the “top climbers” of 2023 were…

  • Rebecca, Rhea, Aurora, and Raya (for girls), and
  • Leon, Donnacha, Albie, and Seth (for boys).

And here’s a selection of uncommon names that were given to just three babies each:

Rare girl namesRare boy names
Aizal, Blathnaid, Colleen, Dianaimh, Everly, Georgina, Helen, Ivie, Juniper, Keeley, Laney, Meabha, Neala, Orlagh, Paisley, Searlaith, Tillie, Vera, YasmineAngus, Barney, Connlan, Darren, Ewan, Finbarr, Gearoid, Hamish, Jameson, Kieran, Lughan, Milan, Ned, Orhan, Paraic, Ruaidhri, Scott, Tate, Zayn

What about middle names? The top picks for the middle spot were…

  • Rose, Grace, Mary, Elizabeth, and Marie (for girls), and
  • James, John, Patrick, William, and Thomas (for boys).

Finally, here are Northern Ireland’s 2022 rankings, if you’d like to compare last year to the year before.

Source: Baby Names 2023 | Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency

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