Baby names

The Department of Internal Affairs has listed the top 10 girls’ and boy baby names in New Zealand for 2017.

In order of popularity, these are the girls’ names: Charlotte, Isla, Olivia, Ava, Amelia, Mia, Mila, Sophie, Emily.

The top 10 boys’ names are: Oliver, Jack, Noah, William, Hunter, James, George, Mason, Lucas, Arlo.

If you listen to Jan 8 2016, you will hear that there are very few changes from three years ago. Also, there are only two or three hundred babies with each of these popular names, out of a birth rate of nearly 60,000 babies for the year. In fact, there were 13,000 different baby names registered with the department in 2017.

The department also listed the most popular Maori names given to babies in New Zealand for the year 2016. Some of these babies might be Maori, some not Maori. Parents choose a Maori name because they like it, because an ancestor had that name or because they want their child to identify with Aotearoa, New Zealand.

These are the girls’ names: Maia, Ariana, Manaia, Anahera, Hana, Amaia, Aroha, Ataahua, Tia, Ria.

Here are the boys’ names: Nikau, Ari, Kauri, Manaia, Te Ariki, Mikaere, Ihaia, Rawiri, Hemi, Tai

Correction: The previous post was two years ago not three years ago.