Olivia and Noah topped the list of the most popular first names for newborns in Flemish-speaking Belgium for the second year in a row.
No fewer than 325 Olivia's and 351 Noah's were born in 2021, reports De Standaard.
Olivia has been in the top 20 since 2013, and this is the third time in a row that Olivia is the most popular girls' name in Flanders.
Ella follows in second place with 291 newborns taking the moniker this year. In 2020, Ella was in fifth place. Marie (257) was the third most popular girl’s name, just like last year, and Mila and Nora complete the top 5.
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Noah has been in the Flemish top 10 since 2011 and the top five since 2014. This year, the top three boys' names are identical to 2020’s most popular: Noah is followed by Arthur (324) and Jules (298). Leon (287) and Louis (275) bump Finn and Lucas out of the top five.
Regional differences
There are large regional differences in the popularity of the names: only in Vlaams-Brabant (including Brussels-Capital Region) and Limburg does Olivia take gold. In Antwerp, first place went to Noor (82), in East Flanders Ella (71) and in West Flanders Camille (66).
Noah is number 1 in East Flanders (85), Antwerp (116) and Flemish Brabant (including Brussels-Capital Region) with 80 newborns. In all these places, the name is closely followed by Leon (84), Adam (113) and Arthur (79).
In West Flanders, the newborn Arthurs are in the majority with 83 and in Limburg first place goes to Lucas (47).
The figures do not take into account children who were born or will be born in this last week of the year. Not all babies born abroad with a domicile in Flanders have been counted either.
Top 20 boy names
1. Noah (382)
2. Arthur (324)
3. Jules (298)
4. Leon (287)
5. Louis (275)
6. Adam (271)
7. Lucas (268)
8. Finn (264)
9. Liam (248)
10. Lewis (203)
11. Matteo (188)
12. Vic (185)
13. Lou (184)
14. Otis (182)
15. Victor (181)
16. Mathis (176)
17. Oscar (175)
18. Felix (164)
19. Vince (157)
20. Maurice (155)
Top 20 girl names
1. Olivia (325)
2. Ella (291)
3. Marie (262)
4. Mila (261)
5. Nora (250)
6. Emma (236)
7. Louise (230)
8. Noor (229)
9. Camille (213)
10. Lina (196)
11. Anna (190)
12. Juliette (190)
13. Alice (187)
14. Renée (187)
15. Liv (176)
16. Amélie (175)
17. Elena (160)
18. Lena (146)
19. Julie (145)
20. Sofia (145)
The Flemish Agency for Parenting also reports that the top 20 of boy and girl first names accounts for 13% of all births in Flanders. In 2021, 8,734 different girl names and 8,539 different boy names were given.
The figures come from Opgroeien, which since 2019 has been a merger of Youth Welfare (Jongerenwelzijn), Children and Family (Kind en Gezin) and part of the Flemish Agency for Persons with Disabilities.
