There were 49,938 babies born in Alberta in 2021 – 25,714 boys, 24,219 girls and five genders not stated in the initial registration. Olivia maintained a record-setting popularity streak for girls’ names, topping the list every year since 2013. Noah placed first among baby boy names for the third consecutive year.

Charlotte, Ava, Emma and Amelia were among the top five most popular names for baby girls, while Jack, Oliver, Liam and Theodore ranked high among name choices for baby boys.

“I want to congratulate everyone who welcomed a new addition to their family in 2021. After a challenging couple of years, the birth of a baby is something we can all celebrate. The future is bright for Alberta families, as parents are now benefiting from our made-in-Alberta child-care agreement with the federal government that reduces fees for parents of children who are newborn to kindergarten age by an average of half this year, and an average of $10 per day in 2026. We look forward to watching these children grow up and seeing how they shape the future of our province.”

Nate Glubish, Minister of Service Alberta

In 2021, Alberta’s baby names reflected parents’ creativity, with names like Archangel, Chickadee, Tuba and Jocko appearing on the list. Other names appear to be inspired by popular fictional characters (Mads, Jedi, Anakin, Hobbes, Furious), vehicles (Audi, Benz, Royce, Chevy, Mercedes), locations (Monaco, Scotland, Denver, Brisbane, Nairobi) and music (Zeppelin, Jagger, Jethro).

Quick facts

  • Notable changes to the 2021 lists:
    • Evelyn appears in the top 10 list for girls for the first time, after placing 12th in 2020.
    • Henry appears in the top 10 list for boys for the first time, after placing 11th in 2020.
    • Chloe and Aria both reappear in the girls’ top 10 list for the first time since 2017; they tied for ninth place that year.
    • Emily dropped to 14th place among the most popular girls’ names, after appearing in the top 10 list every year since 1993.
    • Ethan, which until this year held the record as being No. 1 for the longest period, has moved back into the top 10 list of popular boys’ names, after dropping to 12th place in 2020.
    • Maverick has increased in popularity on the boys’ names list over the last five years, steadily moving up from 45th most popular in 2017 to 13th most popular in 2021.
  • 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: nine years (2013-2021)
  • 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)
  • Parents have up to one year to register their child’s birth. As a result, the list of 2021 baby names and birth statistics may change slightly.

Boys’ names and frequency – top 10

(In brackets is the number of babies with each name)

Place

Boy Names (2021)

Boy Names (2020)

Boy Names (2019)

Boy Names (2018)

Boy Names (2017)

1

Noah (274)

Noah (239)

Noah (275)

Liam (225)

Noah (250)

2

Jack (219)

Oliver (229)

Liam (234)

Oliver (212)

Liam (244)

3

Oliver (208)

Liam (206)

Oliver (225)

Noah (199)

Benjamin (229)

4

Liam (197)

Benjamin (182)

Ethan (213)

Ethan (188)

Logan (226)

5

Theodore (191)

William (178)

Jack (198)

Logan (182)

Lucas (182)

Lucas (216)

6

William (174)

Jack (169)

William (185)

Jacob (181)

William (213)

7

Ethan (162)

Lucas (163)

Lucas (174)

William (178)

Ethan (192)

8

Levi (148)

Theodore (159)

Owen (167)

Benjamin (176)

Oliver (190)

9

Benjamin (147)

Levi (153)

Benjamin (163)

Jack (167)

Jack (189)

10

Henry (146)

Owen (152)

Jacob (162)

Alexander (158)

James (158)

Jacob (178)

Girls’ names and frequency – top 10

(In brackets is the number of babies with each name)

Place

Girl Names (2021)

Girl Names (2020)

Girl Names (2019)

Girl Names (2018)

Girl Names (2017)

1

Olivia (210)

Olivia (236)

Olivia (229)

Olivia (235)

Olivia (236)

2

Charlotte (166)

Emma (184)

Charlotte (188)

Emma (230)

Emma (215)

3

Ava (165)

Charlotte (161)

Sophia (181)

Charlotte (175)

Charlotte (187)

4

Emma (163)

Ava (159)

Emma (178)

Emily (164)

Ava (184)

Sophia (184)

5

Amelia (160)

Sophia (151)

Ava (161)

Ava (161)

Emily (159)

6

Sophia (137)

Amelia (145)

Amelia (159)

Abigail (153)

Abigail (154)

7

Isla (135)

Isla (133)

Emily (150)

Harper (150)

Amelia (149)

8

Abigail (120)

Emily (127)

Abigail (141)

Sophia (146)

Isabella (141)

9

Evelyn (119)

Chloe (119)

Lily (123)

Hannah (137)

Amelia (145)

Aria (129)

Chloe (129)

10

Aria (112)

Abigail (114)

Elizabeth (124)

Elizabeth (130)

Lily (127)