With the France’s national statistics bureau having just unveiled the top boys' and girls' names given in 2023, we delve into the country’s ranking of the most popular names. See how they compare to some of Europe’s favourite ones, as well as the current trends.
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France’s National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies – or INSEE – has revealed its ranking of the most popular first names given to children born over the past year.
Louise, Gabriel, Ambre... Some are original, others more classic – especially with the rising trend of vintage names in France.
Indeed, there’s a current tendency in France for more retro names, which are enjoying something of a revival. L'Officiel des prénoms reported earlier this year that a feminine name that was very popular in the 1910s was making a comeback: Madeleine. The retro trend also extends to boys' names, with the popular 1900-1920s name Lucien leading the way this year.
The 2023 ranking revealed that names like Louise, Jade and Ambre for girls and Gabriel, Léo and Raphaël for boys, dominated the ranking, much like they did in 2022 and 2021.
The list of the most popular girls' names in France in 2023 sees Louise jump from second place last year to the top spot, ahead of Ambre and Alba, and much to the detriment of Jade, now in 4th place. Notable popularity spikes include Alma, who was only 16th last year and is now in 7th place, and Eva, who was 29th last year and is now in the top 15, holding the 11th spot.
1. Louise (3177)
2. Ambre (3168)
3. Alba (3088)
4. Jade (2891)
5. Emma (2663)
6. Rose (2375)
7. Alma (2342)
8. Alice (2256)
9. Romy (2198)
ADVERTISEMENT10. Anna (2129)
So, it’s Louise for the win. Again, quite a classic pick, as the proto-Germanic and Frankish name has been around for a wee while. The feminine French and German form of Louis means “loud”, “to battle or fight” and “loot bringer.”
Rankings varied by region, but strangely, Louise doesn’t appear at the top of any of the regions, which are divided by Ambre and Alba - and Alma in Paris. In overseas regions, such as Guadeloupe, Martinique, French Guiana and Reunion, the name Inaya dominates.
As for the most popular boys' names in France in 2023, the top 7 names remain unchanged compared to last year – with the exception of Louis, who has moved ahead of Maël to nab the 4th spot. Gabriel remains the most popular name, followed by Raphaël and Léo. Adam, who was in 9th place last year, has overtaken Arthur in 8th place, and Lucas, in 10th place last year, has dropped 4 places to 14th.
ADVERTISEMENT1. Gabriel (4527)
2. Raphaël (3477)
3. Léo (3454)
4. Louis (3331)
ADVERTISEMENT5. Maël (3280)
6. Noah (3163)
7. Jules (3020)
8. Adam (2966)
ADVERTISEMENT9. Arthur (2915)
10. Isaac (2551)
Gabriel is derived from the Hebrew name Gaḇrīʾēl (גַבְרִיאֵל) meaning "God is my strength" or “man of God”. Angelic by nature, considering Archangel Gabriel features quite prominently in both Christianity and Islam (Archangel Gabriel delivers the news of Jesus’s birth to Mary, while in Islam, he inspires Muhammad to write the Quran), the popularity of Gabriel as a name seems to have taken off in the 2000s and has remained in a great many lists’ Top 50 boys name ever since.
Again, depending on the region, the most popular first name is not the same. While Gabriel dominates in most of them, in Corsica it's the name Ange that reigns supreme, while in French Guiana, Martinique and Guadeloupe, Noah takes the lead.
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That’s France out of the way – how does the Gallic list compare with other European countries?
Experts at BabyCentre unveiled the most popular boys and girls names in the UK, with another classic name, Olivia, making a triumphant return to number one in the girls’ list. Amelia, Isla, Lily and Ava make up the top 5.
Olivia is a Latin name meaning "olive tree," and records of the name date back to 13th-century England – with its initial popularity attributed to the sought-after heiress in William Shakespeare's Twelfth Night. The name Olivia is considered nature-inspired, with olive trees and branches traditionally representing peace. The UK are not alone in favouring Olivia, as it was also the most popular female baby name in the US last year.
The organisation said the popularity of certain names are impacted by film, the royal families, and music - with names like Taylor (Swift) doubling in popularity. (Incidentally, Willow, which is the name of a Taylor Swift song on her 'Folklore' album, also climbed the popularity ladder to the number 10 spot).
ADVERTISEMENTWhen it comes to the boys in the UK, Muhammad held onto the top spot, with Noah still the second most popular name chosen by parents. Theo made the top three, followed by Oliver and Arthur. Notably, Jack dropped from third place to tenth.
Muhammad is an Arabic name meaning “praiseworthy” - stemming from the passive participle of the Arabic verb ḥammada (حَمَّدَ), meaning “to praise” - and links directly to the founder of Islam, the Prophet Muhammad. It is believed to be the most popular name in the world. Ten years ago, it was estimated to have been given to 150 million boys – and the number is growing.
Additionally, BabyCentre also noted a trend for witched-themed or magical names, with the likes of Lyra, Luna and Sage spiking, to the detriment of traditionally royal names such as William, Charles and Harry, which dropped in popularity.
Heading to Spain, where culture and tradition deeply influence name choices. The most popular baby names for 2023 according to statistics from the country’s National Statistics Institute (INE), also reflects a good blend of traditional names and more modern ones that have recently surged in popularity. Still, the traditional names have the upper hand.
ADVERTISEMENTFor the girls, Lucía tops the list, followed by Sofía and Martina. María and Paula make up the rest of the top 5. One of France’s favourites, Alba, comes in 6th place, and considering she’s already been mentioned in this list, it’s worth noting that the name stands for “dawn” in Latin – meaning that the name represents new beginnings.
The top spot’s Lucía is a name of Latin origin, meaning “light”, and has been a favourite in Spain for several years now. Variants of the name are common in France (Lucie), the UK (Lucy) and Italy (Lucia).
Regarding boys’ names, Hugo was the most popular last year, with Mateo, Lucas, Leo and Marcos following behind. Hugo is a name of Germanic origin, meaning “mind” and “intellect”, and it has consistently ranked among the top names in Spain.
When heading further north to Germany, both Noah and Sophia topped the 2023 rankings.
ADVERTISEMENTThe Association for German Language (GfdS) stated that the top ten names given to baby girls and boys in Germany last year remained largely the same as in the past few years. Sophia overtook Emilia as the most popular girls’ name by a tiny margin, while Noah has been the most popular boys name in the country for five years in a row.
Sophia and Emilia were joined by Emma, Mia and Hannah, while Leon, Paul, Emil and Luca remained favourites for boys’ names.
Sophia – also spelled Sofia – comes from the Greek Σοφία, meaning “wisdom”, while Noah (also number 6 in France’s top boys’ names last year) is derived from the Biblical figure. The name is of Hebrew origin, from the root word "nuach” / “nuakh”, meaning “rest”.
There weren’t many changes compared to previous years in the German list. However, there were two completely new names in the top 10s: Lia for girls (from 14th to 10th place) and Liam for boys (up from 15th to 10th place).
ADVERTISEMENTThe general trend seems to be that short names are in fashion, with experts noting that there has been a trend for short ones with brighter vowels such as A, E and I.
It should also be noted that there was some contrast between the different regions of Germany for baby names. In the north, the top 10 names for girls included Ida and Frieda, while in the south, Marie, Anna and Leonie ranked high. For boys, the north saw names like Theo, Mohammed and Fiete in the top 10, while the south favored Lukas, Felix and Jakob.
Finally, heading down south, the trend in Italy seems to also be gravitating towards classic names.
For girls, Sofia also takes the 2023 top spot like in Germany, while Aurora and Giulia are still in the top 3 (and have been for several years). Ginevra and Vittoria round up the top 5. The same trend is seen with the boys, with Leonardo taking the number 1 spot, followed by Francesco, Tommaso, Edoardo and Alessandro.
ADVERTISEMENTLeonardo is of German origin meaning “lion-hearted” or “brave as a lion.” It is derived from the Germanic name Leonhard, and is also popular in Spain and Portugal.
There we have it. While certain musicians, actors and cultural touchstones have their influence, it seems like classic names are all the rage. That and witchcraft, according to UK experts.
More witchcraft for your baba names please.
