Noah has retained its spot as the most popular baby name for boys in New Zealand for the second year in a row, while Isla has made a strong return as the top name for girls.
Minister for Internal Affairs, Brooke van Velden, announced on Wednesday that Noah topped the boys’ list with 250 newborns sharing the name. Isla reclaimed the top spot for girls, after narrowly missing out in 2023, with 190 babies named Isla.
“This is the second consecutive year Noah has been the number one choice for boys, and Isla’s return to the top reflects her popularity,” van Velden said. “Isla has now topped the list for girls three times in the past five years, while Noah has consistently ranked in the top two for boys.”
In addition to Noah, other popular names for boys included Oliver, Jack, George, Luca, Leo, Theodore, Theo, Elijah, and Arthur. For girls, Charlotte, Isabella, Olivia, Lily, Hazel, Harper, Mila, and Mia rounded out the top choices.
Looking back at 2023, Charlotte was the most popular name for girls, followed by Isla and Amelia. Noah was the top name for boys in 2023, with Oliver and Luca taking the second and third spots, respectively.
Top Māori names are typically released around Matariki. For 2023, the most popular Māori names were Aroha and Amaia for girls, and Ariki and Wiremu for boys.
In 2023, New Zealand registered 59,199 births, with a total of 19,404 unique names recorded.
Most Popular Baby Names for Boys (2024):
Noah
Oliver
Jack
George
Luca
Leo
Theodore
Theo
Elijah
Arthur
Most Popular Baby Names for Girls (2024):
Isla
Amelia
Charlotte
Isabella
Olivia
Lily
Hazel
Harper
Mila
Mia
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