Mithu Kuna 
Best Baby Names of 2017: Ideas from Across the World
If you’re pregnant and haven’t picked a name for your baby yet, this post is dedicated to you!
We’ve rounded up the top baby names this year from across the world. From the U.S., Canada, U.K., Australia and Germany, this post is full of ideas.
Read on to find out the hottest baby names this year.
Best Baby Names in the U.S.
BabyCenter.com collected data from more than 500,000 parents in 2017 and compiled a top 100 list.
Top 20 Girl Names for 2017
- Sophia
- Olivia
- Emma
- Ava
- Isabella
- Mia
- Aria
- Riley
- Zoe
- Amelia
- Layla
- Charlotte
- Aubrey
- Lily
- Chloe
- Harper
- Evelyn
- Adalyn
- Emily
- Abigail
Top 20 Boy Names for 2017
- Jackson
- Liam
- Noah
- Aiden
- Lucas
- Caden
- Grayson
- Mason
- Elijah
- Logan
- Oliver
- Ethan
- Jayden
- Muhammad
- Carter
- Michael
- Sebastian
- Alexander
- Jacob
- Benjamin
Some interesting stats from BabyCenter.com:
- This is the 8th consecutive year that the names Sophia and Jackson are a top choice.
- New to the top ten this year are Amelia, Grayson and Logan.
- Names that jumped the most spots include Luna and Mateo.
Rapper names:
- The name Chance was 21% more popular in 2017. This is probably due to the rapper Chance, who can be seen as a role model with his positive lyrics.
- The rapper Kendrick seemed to influence new parents too. His name jumped 9%.
- Dre (as in Dr. Dre) jumped a whopping 40%.
- The name Queen jumped 41%. Queen Latifa — who is a supporter of many causes — could be a contributing factor. Queen has also become a popular term of endearment.
Color names:
- For boys, Blue (as in Beyoncé’s baby Blue Ivy) jumped 14% and Hazel was up 88%.
- For girls, Lavender and Ebony jumped 27% and 35%, respectively.
Female Disney characters:
- Heroine Moana was 64% more popular.
- Belle (from Beauty and the Beast) jumped 23%.
- Jasmine (from Aladdin) is soon to break into the top 100 list.
Unique names given to less than 100 out of 500,000 BabyCenter babies:
- Alessia
- Farah
- Emory
- Ivory
- Pearl
- Rosemary
- Yara
- Sierra
- Benji
- Clay
- Duke
- Franco
- Harely
- Jerry
- Rex
- Lewis
Best Baby Names in Canada
BabyCenter.ca collected Canadian user’s registration data to compile a list of the most popular baby names in 2017.
Top 5 Girl Names in Canada:
- Olivia
- Emma
- Charlotte
- Sophia
- Aria
Top 5 Boy Names in Canada:
- Noah
- Liam
- Jackson
- Lucas
- Logan
Interesting facts about Canada’s best girl names:
- The names Maya and Aria made large leaps this year, rising to 14th and 5th place, respectively.
- The names Sadie, Rose, Ruby, Georgia, Brooke, Paige, Samantha and Willow dropped out of the top 100.
- Sophia, which was the #1 Canadian baby name in 2016, fell to 4th place this year.
Interesting facts about Canada’s best boy names:
- Jackson was 15th place last year, but moved back into the top 3 this year.
- Names that made a big leap this year include Edward, Zayn, Callum, Kayden and Matteo.
- Isaac, Harrison and Tristian were significantly less popular this year.
Best Baby Names in the U.K.
Bounty, the U.K. parenting website, also put out their own list the top 100 baby names of 2017.
Top 5 Girl Names for 2017:
- Olivia
- Amelia
- Emily
- Isla
- Ava
Interesting facts about Bounty’s girl names:
- Sophia is likely to fall out of the top 10
- Isabella leaped to 8th place
- Ivy jumped into the top 20
- Willow is gaining popularity now at place 23
Top 5 Boy Names for 2017:
- Oliver
- Harry
- Jack
- Noah
- George
- Charlie
Interesting facts about Bounty’s boy names:
- Each year, there’s no change between the top 3 names.
- Carter is quickly rising, up 21 spots.
- This year, Grayson has broken the top 100.
Britain’s Most Unusual Girl Names:
- Adalie
- Agape
- Birdie
- Noam
- Onyx
Britain’s Most Unusual Boy’s Names:
- Ajax
- Dougal
- Henderson
- Jools
- Marvellous
Top Australian Baby Names
After delivering over 1,000 babies in 2017, the Queensland’s Greenslopes Private Hospital in Australia compiled a list of names.
Top 5 Girl Names for 2017:
- Olivia
- Zara
- Zoe
- Addison
- Ava
Top 5 Boy Names for 2017:
- Harrison
- Henry
- Oliver
- William
- Liam
Interesting facts about Australia’s top baby names:
- Charlotte, which was the most popular name worldwide in 2015, has dropped to 7th place.
- First place was a tie between Harrison, Henry, Oliver and William. These names are probably inspired by celebrities such as Liam Hemsworth or Prince William.
- The name Arlo jumped into the top 20. (The popularity likely due to the character in the Disney movie The Good Dinosaur).
Best Baby names in Germany
Each year, the Association for the German Language puts together a list of top names. They collect data from over 1 million new babies registered with the government. Their 2017 list comes out a few months into the new year, but the association’s 2016 list is sure to give you some baby name ideas.
Top German Girl Names:
- Marie
- Sophie
- Sophia
- Maria
- Emma
Top German Boy Names:
- Elias
- Alexander
- Paul
- Leon
- Louis
Interesting facts about top German names:
- After 6 years of being in second place, Maria has become the top German name.
- Elias moved up the ranks quickly. In 2015, it was in the top 3 for the first time. Now, it’s the most popular German boy name.
- Over 65,000 different names were registered.
Tips on Choosing Baby Names
When choosing a name for your baby, there are a few things to consider.
Spelling and length. If you grew up with a long and difficult name, you’ve probably experienced its downfalls. From teachers struggling to read your name on an attendance list to having to repeat the pronunciation—at times it can be less than ideal. If you’d rather your child have a simpler experience, keep their name short and sweet. Don’t worry, there are still plenty of unique names that are easy to read and pronounce. Here are a few examples:
- Clover
- Saffron
- Sawyer
- Sage
- Jaxton
- Penelope
- Valor
- Lorenzo
- Monroe
- Atticus
- Blaire
- Everly
- Stella
- Wilder
- Jax
- Colton
Keep the spelling simple. If you want a name to be original, pick a unique name, not a unique spelling. For example, choose Amy over Amiee. Although you may think it looks cool, it’s likely to cause confusion your entire child’s life.
Consider the initials. Before you’re settled on your baby’s name. Consider their initials, both including and excluding their middle name. If you don’t do this beforehand, it could take until your child is in school for you to realize that their initials spell a bad word. For example, the name “Allison Sandra Smith” sounds lovely until you realize the initials are “A.S.S.” You probably don’t want to see those initials on your child’s homework or have it become an unwanted nickname.
Consider nicknames. When choosing your child’s name, make sure you also like what their nickname will likely be. While you can choose to avoid the common nickname, others will probably use it. For example:
- Em for Emily
- Fifi or Sophie for Sophia
- Abby for Abigail
- Vicky for Victoria
Don’t be too out there. While many people want a unique name for their baby, make sure it isn’t over the top unique. In 2015, a French judge had to put his foot down on the matter of bad baby names. He ruled that parents could not name their baby “Nutella” or “Fraise” (the French word for strawberry). In Norway, a mother was sentenced to jail after refusing to pay a fine for naming her child Gesher (translating to “bridge”). In New Zealand, officials approved the name Number 16 Bus Shelter. It’s happening in the U.S. too—some parents are naming their babies Abcde (yes, like the alphabet).
Although the names may be funny, some experts are warning that naming your child something too unique can have consequences. One professor who studies unusual names told the Huffington Post that they can contribute to difficult childhoods. Although they may feel unique as adults, they may have been teased in school.
Consider waiting until your baby is born. If you’re having trouble deciding or agreeing on a name, you may want to wait it out. When you see your son or daughter for the first time, a specific name may resonate with you or stick more. Seeing how your baby looks and seeing his or her personality may make the answer clear.
Are you trying to choose a name for your baby? If you are, comment below which names you’re leaning towards! If you have pregnant friends, share this article to give them some ideas, too!
P.S. Start the New Year by hearing your baby before he or she is even born! Our handheld, at-home fetal dopplers allow you to listen to your baby’s heartbeat while they’re still inside the womb. Sounds amazing, right?
References:
https://www.babycenter.com/top-baby-names-2017.htm
https://www.babycenter.com/baby-name-trends-2017
https://www.babycenter.com/0_unique-baby-names_10398843.bc
http://www.bounty.com/pregnancy-and-birth/baby-names/top-baby-names/the-top-100-boys-names-of-2017
http://www.bounty.com/pregnancy-and-birth/baby-names/top-baby-names/top-100-girls-names-of-2017
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-5166429/Maternity-hospital-reveals-baby-names-2017.html
https://www.thesun.co.uk/fabulous/4581748/unusual-baby-names-2017/
https://gfds.de/pressemitteilung-beliebteste-vornamen-2016/
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-30993608
