NAMES: Popular girl and boy names 2023
Here are the names on the name top 2023, both girls’ and boys’ names.
The name top 2023 is here, and we see that the boy’s name Lucas/Lukas and the girl’s name Olivia reign at the very top.
Lucas/Lukas climbed from 4th place last year to 1st place this year, while Olivia climbed from 3rd place last year to 1st place this year.
Utne highlights two typical tendencies in names that are popular:
– The first trends we see are names that catch on quickly and are in use now, often names that were popular 120 years ago, or a twist on those names, says name researcher Ivar Utne to Klikk.no.
Which names are popular often go in waves. Names are “fashionable” until they are no longer trendy and are perceived as old-fashioned.
– Names are often popular for 20-30 years until they disappear almost completely, he says.
The other tendency we see is names that have been used in other countries being “brought” into Norway.
– People often want international names, which are often combined with old names. Such common names include Emma and Jakob, says Utne.
– Many of the names in the top ten are also widely used in the countries around us and in the USA. Nora is a bit special for Norway, perhaps inspired by Nor-, which resembles Norway, he adds.
Here is the name peak 2023 (the number who have been given that name in 2023 in parentheses):
Most popular girl names in 2023
Olivia366Emma360Ella341Leah/Lea328Sofie/Sophie323Nora/Norah/Noora322Sofia/Sophia298Maja/Maia/Maya297Alma288Ada287
Most popular boy names in 2023
Lucas/Lukas494Noah/Noa410Isak/Isac/Isaac365Oliver365Kasper/Casper352Elias345Emil345Jakob/Jacob338Oskar/Oscar335Theodor/Teodor332
With SSB.no you can see more details about which names were most popular in your county.
Also read: Here are the names that make us laugh
– Surprised
– Last year, Jakob and Nora took first place. I am surprised that Nora and Jakob have fallen as much as they have, to 6th and 8th place. I had expected that such steady names at the top for a few years would have declined a little more slowly, says Utne and continues:
– I am also surprised that Lucas has come up again. Figured it was on the way down, because it primarily peaked around 10-15 years ago, and has been weaker since then.
– For many names, the rise is a little bit in and out, he adds.
Utne points out that Olivia and Noah are names that have been on the rise in Norway for several years, and they are very strong in many other countries.
– It is part of an international trend. It’s a bit special that names with so little old Norwegian tradition come out on top, but it probably means that parents are a lot inspired by sounds and are quite international at the moment, says Utne.
Nice sounding name
– We see that people are looking for a nice sound. This is a significant factor.
NAME: Name researcher Ivar Utne says that short names are popular. Photo: Private
Utne says there are three characteristics that make parents think the name has a nice sound.
First characteristic: – We see that names with -m, -n or -li the name goes very well, mostly -l:
Girls’ names: Emma, Olivia, Ella, Lea, Nora.
Boys’ names: Noah, Oliver, Lukas, Emil, Elias.
– L and N are among the most used sounds now. L exists for around half of ten at the top. Four of the girls’ names and six of the boys’ names in 2023, says Utne.
Other characteristics: They have two vowels next to each other with different syllables. Such as:
Olivia (he), Sofia (he), Leah (he), Noah (ho), Elias (he).
– Such names are often popular because they sound nice.
Third characteristic: People are looking for short names.
– Beyond the 2000s, short names have been popular, says Utne.
NAME GUIDE: In the name guide here at Klikk.no you can look up names and see what they mean.
This case was first published on 01/02 2024, and last updated on 01/02 2024.