Alberta families welcomed 49,030 babies in 2020 – 25,160 boys and 23,870 girls. Olivia was the most popular girl’s name for the eighth year in a row, giving it the longest popularity streak for any girl’s name in Alberta since 1980. Noah placed first on the boys’ names list for the second consecutive year.
Other popular names for girls were Emma, Charlotte, Ava and Sophia. Oliver, Liam, Benjamin and William rounded out the top five names for boys.
Alberta remains a province of many cultural and ethnic backgrounds, and many of our youngest members have names reflecting that diversity. Alberta is home to baby girls named Amara, Amaya, Zahra, Zoya, Baani, Danika, Raya, Thalia, Yuna and Chimamanda. Some of Alberta’s youngest boys are named Mateo, Ahmed, Bodhi, Yusuf, Zorawar, Arjun, Gurbaaz, Miguel, Abdul and Idris.
“Last year was difficult for everyone, but every new baby that an Alberta family welcomed brings joy and also hope for the future. Whether parents welcomed their firstborn or a sibling to other children, they can count on the same thing: Alberta is a great place to raise a family and we have a strong future ahead of us.”
In a year unlike any other, positivity seemed to be a popular theme for some new parents, with names like Hope, Peace, Faith, Charity, Joy, Happy and Brave appearing on the list of registered names.
Some parents also seemed to be inspired by athletes (Kobe, Muhammad-Ali, Beckham), mythology (Artemis, Persephone, Aries, Zeus), music (Dre, Zeppelin, Bowie), video games (Zelda, Link, Eevee), literature (Guinevere, Atticus) and places (Cairo, Nile, Phoenix).
Quick facts
- Notable changes to the 2020 lists:
- Isla appeared in the top 10 list for girls for the first time. The name was 12th most popular among girls in 2019.
- Theodore and Levi appeared in the top 10 list for boys for the first time. The names were 19th and 27th most popular among baby boys in 2019, respectively.
- Lily increased in popularity among girls’ names, from 24th most popular in 2019 to ninth in 2020.
- Ethan dropped to 12th place among the most popular boys’ names, after appearing in the top 10 list every year since 2000.
- Historically, girls’ names that held the No. 1 spot for the longest consecutive time period include:
- Jessica: six years (1990-1995)
- Emily: five years (1998-2002)
- Olivia: eight years (2013-2020)
- Historically, boys’ names that held the No. 1 spot for the longest consecutive time period include:
- Matthew: five years (1995-1999)
- Ethan: nine years (2001-2009)
- Liam: seven years (2010-2016)
- The highest birth count recorded in recent history for Alberta was 56,744, recorded in 2015.
- Parents have up to one year to register their child’s birth. As a result, the list of 2020 baby names and birth statistics may change slightly.
Girls’ names and frequency (top 10)
(In brackets is the number of children with each name)
|
Place |
Girl names (2020) |
Girl names (2019) |
Girl names (2018) |
Girl names (2017) |
Girl names (2016) |
|
1 |
Olivia (236) |
Olivia (229) |
Olivia (235) |
Olivia (236) |
Olivia (292) |
|
2 |
Emma (184) |
Charlotte (188) |
Emma (230) |
Emma (215) |
Emma (249) |
|
3 |
Charlotte (161) |
Sophia (181) |
Charlotte (175) |
Charlotte (187) |
Sophia (215) |
|
4 |
Ava (159) |
Emma (178) |
Emily (164) |
Ava (184) Sophia (184) |
Ava (207) |
|
5 |
Sophia (151) |
Ava (161) |
Ava (161) |
Emily (159) |
Emily (187) |
|
6 |
Amelia (145) |
Amelia (159) |
Abigail (153) |
Abigail (154) |
Charlotte (180) |
|
7 |
Isla (133) |
Emily (150) |
Harper (150) |
Amelia (149) |
Amelia (172) |
|
8 |
Emily (127) |
Abigail (141) |
Sophia (146) |
Isabella (141) |
Abigail (171) |
|
9 |
Lily (123) |
Hannah (137) |
Amelia (145) |
Aria (129) Chloe (129) |
Chloe (166) |
|
10 |
Abigail (114) |
Elizabeth (124) |
Elizabeth (130) |
Lily (127) |
Aria (137) |
Boys’ names and frequency (top 10)
(In brackets is the number of children with each name)
|
Place |
Boy names (2020) |
Boy names (2019) |
Boy names (2018) |
Boy names (2017) |
Boy names (2016) |
|
1 |
Noah (239) |
Noah (275) |
Liam (225) |
Noah (250) |
Liam (277) |
|
2 |
Oliver (229) |
Liam (234) |
Oliver (212) |
Liam (244) |
Benjamin (252) |
|
3 |
Liam (206) |
Oliver (225) |
Noah (199) |
Benjamin (229) |
Lucas (247) |
|
4 |
Benjamin (182) |
Ethan (213) |
Ethan (188) |
Logan (226) |
Oliver (230) |
|
5 |
William (178) |
Jack (198) |
Logan (182) Lucas (182) |
Lucas (216) |
Noah (228) |
|
6 |
Jack (169) |
William (185) |
Jacob (181) |
William (213) |
William (213) |
|
7 |
Lucas (163) |
Lucas (174) |
William (178) |
Ethan (192) |
Ethan (205) |
|
8 |
Theodore (159) |
Owen (167) |
Benjamin (176) |
Oliver (190) |
Jack (197) |
|
9 |
Levi (153) |
Benjamin (163) |
Jack (167) |
Jack (189) |
Lincoln (192) |
|
10 |
Owen (152) |
Jacob (162) |
Alexander (158) James (158) |
Jacob (178) |
Owen (189) |