International baby names are fascinating because of their similarities and differences. It's surprising to see what girls' names are popular in a wide variety of cultures and countries-- like Emma, Anna, Chloe, Olivia, and Sarah. The name Emma has skyrocketed in many different places, along with similar names such as Ema and Emily. Variations of Gabriela and Gabrielle also have become very popular in many countries. In the Spanish speaking world, the name Maria is very common, along with combined names like Maria Guadalupe and Maria Carmen.
It's also interesting to see the differences between cultures. For example, the United Kingdom and the United States have similar top names, but Ruby is very common in the U.K. and very uncommon in the U.S. Sophia has hit the Top 10 list in the U.S., but in the U.K. it's all about Sophie. The name Madison is topping the charts in the U.S. and Canada, but hasn't caught on nearly as much elsewhere. Leonie is a popular name in Germany and the German speaking word, but is rarely used in English speaking countries. The name Jennifer, which was the "Emma" of the 1970s, is falling from favor in places like the U.S., but it's become a very popular name in the Phillipines.
Here is a sampling of the top baby names for girls in countries throughout the world. Unless otherwise noted, the names listed are from 2006 data. Most, but not all, reflect the top five most popular names.
Australia-- Ella, Emily, Olivia, Chloe, Sophie
Belarus-- Darja, Anastasija, Maria, Polina, Anna
Belgium-- Lotte, Julie, Emma, Amber, Fleur
Brazil (2005)-- Julia, Givanna, Maria Eduarda, Isabela, Gabriela
Canada-- Emma, Emily, Sarah, Madison, Hannah
Chile (2005)-- Constanza, Catalina, Valentina, Javiera, Martina
Croatia-- Lana, Lucija, Petra, Ana, Emma
Czech Republic- Tereza, Eliška, Adéla, Natálie, Anna
Estonia-- Laura, Maria, Anna, Sandra, Lisette
Finland-- Maria, Emilia, Sofia, Aino, Olivia
France-- Emma, Lea, Manon, Clara, Chloe
Germany-- Marie, Sophie, Maria, Anna, Leonie
Hungary (2005)-- Anna, Viktoria, Reka, Vivien, Zsofia
Ireland (2005)-- Emma, Sarah, Katie, Amy, Aoife
Israel-- Noa, Roni, Yael, Adi, Sarah
Japan (2005)-- Hina, Yui, Miu, Haruka, Sakura
Lithuania-- Gabriele, Gabija, Viktorija, Karolina, Greta
Mexico-- Gabriela, Maria Carmen, Adriana, Alejandra, Maria Guadalupe
Netherlands (2005)-- Sanne, Emma, Anna, Iris, Anouk
Norway-- Thea, Emma, Julie, Ida, Nora
Phillipines (2005)-- Maricel, Michelle, Jennifer, Janice, Mary Grace
Romania-- Maria, Ioana, Ana-Maria, Cristina, Andreea
Russia-- Alexandra, Alina, Anastasia, Ekaterina, Anna
Scotland-- Sophie, Emma, Erin, Katie, Lucy
Slovakia-- Katarina, Zuzana, Janka, Lucia, Hana
Spain (2005)-- Lucia, Maria, Paula, Laura, Marta
Sweden-- Emma, Maja, Agnes, Julia, Alva
Turkey-- Elif, Zeynep, Irem, Busra, Merve
Ukraine-- Valeriya, Sofiya, Victoriya, Anastasiya, Anna
United Kingdom-- Olivia, Grace, Jessica, Ruby, Emily
United States-- Emily, Emma, Madison, Abigail, Olivia
If your country isn't on the list, email me with the Top 5 baby girl names in your country and I will be happy to include them!
Related articles:
- Choosing a baby girl name
- International names for boys
- Baby names: Unusual or popular?
- Baby shower gift ideas
- Jewish baby naming traditions
Naomi Rockler-Gladen - Instructional designer and freelance writer, Naomi Rockler-Gladen writes some of Suite101's most read work.
