The Top Baby Names Around the World

From Algeria to Uzbekistan—If you're looking for a name for your baby, you may find international inspiration from this new survey.

Fact checked by Sarah Scott

Fact: Baby name regret is real for many parents, so no, you definitely aren’t alone if you struggle to settle on a name you will love, well, forever. The process of picking the perfect moniker is only made harder by how many resources exist out there with endless lists of popular names, unique names, gender-neutral names, and more. Perusing these lists can be quite helpful—but overwhelming.

One way to narrow down the very busy playing field? Go back to your roots, and turn to your heritage for inspiration. To that end, Letter Solver researched the most popular baby names in every country—in that nation’s native language—and identified the trends in boy and girl naming over the past 12 months.

The data revealed some very interesting overarching themes across the world, with Maria—or some form of that name—emerging as the top pick for new parents in 17 countries. Meanwhile, Mohammed reigns supreme as the most popular boys’ name in ten nations.

Of course, for many people, their heritage has a strong link to religion, and this explains many of the baby naming trends Letter Solver uncovered in its research. Such is the case with Maria and Mohammad, with popular variations of the traditional moniker for girls including Marie and Mia, and all being derived from the Hebrew name Miryam.

Meanwhile, the popularity of the name Mohammed is followed by that of Noah, which took the top spot in seven countries. All of these monikers have ties to religious figures and clearly hold special meaning for parents around the globe. The survey also points out that Noah invented wine in case that influences your name-choosing decisions at all.

Here in the United States, it will surprise very few that Liam and Olivia are the most common choices among new parents. I mean, raise your hand if you don't know a Liam or Olivia—or both.

According to Letter Solver, Liam is actually derived from William, which is Ulliam in Ireland. The name went global in the 19th century during the mass migration from Ireland. But the Social Security Administration (SSA) doesn't even have Liam listed as one of the most popular names of the past century (but William is). Liam has been in the top spot of the SSA's annual list since 2017.

Across the pond in the United Kingdom, people also favor Olivia, but Noahs are more common than Liams among the tea-drinking set. Olivia is also the top choice for girls in many other European nations, and Liam stands as the most popular moniker for boys far beyond our borders, in countries like Peru and Ecuador. Other top choices for children in Europe include Luca for boys, and Sofia for girls, with Astrid getting an honorable mention as Sweden’s favorite female name.

Down under in Australia and New Zealand, the male version of the name Olivia, Oliver, is what most parents of boys end up writing on their babies’ birth certificates. Interestingly, with both countries essentially being islands, Aussie and Kiwi parents of girls are most often going with Isla, which means—you guessed it—'island.'

Ukraine’s most popular names are Artem and Anna, while Slovenia favors Filip and Ema. In the Philippines Jacob and Althea win against all other baby names, and in Mexico, you’ll find a lot of boys named Santiago, and girls called Sofía. In France, Léo is the boy name du jour, while Jade wins out for girls. The Dominican Republic boasts a lot of boys named Adriel and girls called Abigail, Costa Rica favors Samuel and Isabella, and Algeria is all about Muhammad and Maryam.

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Read the original article on Parents.