Most popular first names in 2024: Emilia and Noah again unbeaten!

Most popular first names in 2024: Emilia and Noah again unbeaten!

There is a new trend in baby names in Germany, and one name in particular stands out: “Mohammed” has taken first place in Berlin and Brandenburg for the first time, displacing Matteo. This is reported by the renowned portal exxpress.at, which spotlights the annual evaluation by name researcher Knud Bielefeld. Overall, the popular names “Emilia” and “Noah” continue to lead the nationwide rankings and continue their dominance, just like last year.

As the daily news reported, the top ten names for girls and boys remain stable. As of 2021, Emilia is the most common choice for girls and Noah for boys, with minimal changes in the ranks below. Sophia and Emma follow in the list of the most popular girls' names, while Matteo and Elias come in second and third place for boys. Regional differences can also be observed: Leon dominates in Bavaria, while other names are more popular in various regions of northern and eastern Germany.

The return of old names

An interesting aspect of this year's statistics is the return of old, once unpopular names. Bielefeld notes that names like Gerda and Erika are gaining popularity again, especially in Saxony. In contrast, the name “Meta,” which was popular in the 2010s, declined sharply in popularity after Facebook Group renamed Meta. The name researcher explains: “The connection to a tech giant has apparently overshadowed the personal charm of the name.”

A total of around 240,000 birth reports from registry offices and maternity clinics in 391 cities were analyzed for the evaluation. The naming trends show that many parents are looking for established and unobtrusive names, while at the same time a small group are looking for original and individual names. This mix of tradition and novelty ensures that the naming landscape in Germany is constantly changing, even if the major trends remain constant, as the evaluations show.