Norwegian parents were most likely to name their baby girls “Emma” last year, while “Lukas” emerged as the most popular name for baby boys. Both names also topped the list of names most frequently chosen in 2009.
State statistics bureau SSB could report this week that 465 girls were given the name “Emma,” while 552 boys were named “Lukas” or “Lucas.”
The next most popular names for girls in Norway were Linnea, Sara, Sofie and Nora, followed by Ingrid, Thea, Emilie, Ida and Maja to round out the top 10.
The most popular names for boys, after Lukas, were Emil, Mathias, William, Magnus, Markus, Jonas, Kristian, Oliver and Alexander.
It would appear that more Norwegian parents are avoiding names involving the uniquely Norwegian letters of “æ, ø” and “å,” which often cause problems and confusion in e-mail addresses and other aspects of a globalized society. Both of the most popular names are also easy to pronounce, both in and out of Norway.
Views and News staff
