Noah retained its position as the favored name for baby boys in the Netherlands last year, while Julia secured the top spot, displacing Emma, in the list of preferred names for girls.
Statistics compiled by the social insurance bank SVB, responsible for child benefits and recording baby name preferences, revealed that 84,195 boys and 80,074 girls were born in 2023.
Amongst boys, Noah was chosen by 888 new parents, maintaining its lead for the past five years, while Julia, selected by 681 families, claimed the prime position, having also been at the top in 2021.
Name expert Gerrit Bloothooft from Utrecht University, speaking to broadcaster NOS, noted that the names listed by the SVB represent only a small fraction, accounting for about 7% of the roughly 13,000 distinct names bestowed upon babies annually.
While Noah predominated in most provinces, there was more diversity in girls' names. In Drenthe, for instance, Daan and Lotte emerged as the most popular names, while Jan and Hailey led in Flevoland.
Top 10 Boys' Names:
Noah
Luca
Lucas
Liam
Levi
Sem
Daan
Mees
Noud
James
Top 10 Girls' Names:
Julia
Olivia
Mila
Emma
Sophie
Nora
Yara
Saar
Noor
Yess
Photo by Kenny Louie from Vancouver, Canada, Wikimedia commons.