Olivia and Liam were the most popular baby names in Alberta in 2016. Sound familiar? That’s because it’s the fourth year in a row they’ve had the title.
On Friday, the province released its annual list of the most common names for newborns in Alberta.
In 2016, there were 55,594 babies born in the province. Of those babies, 292 were named Olivia and 277 were named Liam.
Olivia was the most popular name overall.
Meanwhile, it’s the seventh year in a row that Liam has been the most popular boy name in the province. Think that’s a long streak? Ethan was the most popular boy name for nine years in a row from 2001 until 2009.
Overall, Service Alberta noted the biggest decline in popularity was recorded for two names: Emily and Mason. Compared to 2015, 65 fewer babies were registered with the name Emily and 63 fewer babies were registered with the name Mason.
The names with the biggest jumps in popularity were Amelia, Benjamin and Charlotte. Compared to 2015, 30 additional babies were registered with the name Amelia, 31 additional babies were registered with the name Benjamin and 39 additional babies were registered with the name Charlotte.
“The top of name charts represent a smaller and smaller portion of today’s baby names,” babynamewizard.com creator Laura Wattenberg said. “Those traditionalists who are happy to choose what is in fashion are now the minority. Once you move past the top 10 or top 100 you see rapid change. You see celebrity names coming in and out. You see parents looking anywhere for inspiration.”
Alberta’s top names for baby boys in 2016
- Liam
- Benjamin
- Lucas
- Oliver
- Noah
- William
- Ethan
- Jack
- Lincoln
- Owen
Alberta’s top names for baby girls in 2016
- Olivia
- Emma
- Sophia
- Ava
- Emily
- Charlotte
- Amelia
- Abigail
- Chloe
- Aria
In 2016, Service Alberta recorded 13,782 different baby names in the province, with many reflecting names found in antiquity, mythology and religion, including Aphrodite, Aristotle, Artemis, Atlas, Daphne, Damaris, Lazarus, Lilith, Maximus, Nika, Octavian, Pandora, Persephone, Perseus, Pius, Torah and Troy.
Meanwhile, inspiring and encouraging words were also used as names, including Awesome, Beautiful, Brave, Comfort, Legend, Patience, Promise, Righteousness, Victorious, Temperance, and Treasure.
“We’ve definitely seen that any positive word is fair game for a name today,” Wattenberg added. “Even a generation ago there was a sense that you had to stay on the modest side. Today, royalty isn’t just an inspiration based on the name of a Queen, you actually name your daughter Royalty.”
Alberta top names for baby boys and girls in 2016
With files from Laurel Gregory
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