🇨🇦 Most Popular Baby Names in Canada (2024)
Canada has no national statistic of first names, because births are registered by the provinces. The ranking here is the sum of the three largest provinces that publish their name data openly: Ontario, Quebec and British Columbia, home to about three quarters of Canadians. A year is only shown once at least two of the three have published it, so the list never rests on a single province.
Data source: Ontario, Quebec and BC vital statistics · Year: 2024 · 50 girl names, 50 boy names
Before you settle on a name, it helps to know what the register will accept. Baby naming rules in Canada: the legal basis, the deadline and what a registrar may refuse.
Names Used Only in Canada
Canada has 8 names in its 2024 ranking that appear in none of the other twelve countries on this site. Accents are ignored in that comparison, so Léo and Leo count as one name, but different spellings such as Sofia and Sophia count as two.
Boys: 8 names
LoganEdouardNolanEmileJaydenCalebRyanWesley
2023 to 2024: What Moved
Compared with 2023, in the girls' ranking, 44 of the 50 names changed position, 3 are new and 3 kept exactly the same place; in the boys' ranking, 40 of the 50 names changed position, 2 are new and 8 kept exactly the same place.
Girls
Biggest climbers: Beatrice (#42 → #25, +17), Clara (#22 → #12, +10), Victoria (#33 → #23, +10), Elizabeth (#29 → #20, +9), Eva (#26 → #18, +8)
Biggest drops: Emily (#32 → #45, -13), Hazel (#36 → #49, -13), Isla (#17 → #27, -10), Luna (#28 → #37, -9), Aria (#24 → #29, -5)
New in the ranking: Ayla, Eliana, Aurora
Dropped out: Avery, Maeve, Layla
Boys
Biggest climbers: Raphael (#47 → #35, +12), Emile (#43 → #33, +10), Jules (#49 → #39, +10), Adam (#13 → #8, +5), Arthur (#18 → #13, +5)
Biggest drops: Mason (#36 → #48, -12), Owen (#22 → #29, -7), Alexander (#38 → #45, -7), Hudson (#34 → #40, -6), Jacob (#8 → #12, -4)
New in the ranking: Victor, Wesley
Dropped out: Aiden, Michael
Steady Through 2021–2024
Olivia tops the girls' ranking in Canada, and has done so 4 years running.
44 girls' names appear in every year from 2021–2024 without a gap. The 30 highest placed:
OliviaCharlotteEmmaSofiaAmeliaSophiaMiaAliceMilaChloeFlorenceClaraMayaLilyCharlieAvaNoraEvaZoeElizabethSophieEllieVictoriaEvelynBeatriceRoseIslaVioletAriaIsabella
Noah tops the boys' ranking in Canada, and has done so 4 years running.
43 boys' names appear in every year from 2021–2024 without a gap. The 30 highest placed:
NoahLiamLeoWilliamTheodoreJamesThomasAdamLucasBenjaminNathanJacobArthurTheoOliverJackLoganEthanHenryGabrielLouisLucaCharlesJacksonLeviMuhammadFelixSamuelOwenEdouard
Five Years at the Top
How today's ten most common names ranked in each year since 2021. A blank cell means the name was not in that year's list.
Girls
Nine of today's top ten girls' names were already in the top ten in 2021.
| Name | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Olivia | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Charlotte | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 |
| Emma | 2 | 2 | 2 | 3 |
| Sofia | 9 | 11 | 6 | 4 |
| Amelia | 4 | 4 | 4 | 5 |
| Sophia | 6 | 5 | 7 | 6 |
| Mia | 5 | 7 | 8 | 7 |
| Alice | 11 | 9 | 9 | 8 |
| Mila | 8 | 8 | 5 | 9 |
| Chloe | 7 | 6 | 10 | 10 |
Boys
Seven of today's top ten boys' names were already in the top ten in 2021.
| Name | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Noah | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Liam | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| Leo | 4 | 4 | 3 | 3 |
| William | 3 | 3 | 4 | 4 |
| Theodore | 9 | 5 | 5 | 5 |
| James | 12 | 14 | 10 | 6 |
| Thomas | 6 | 6 | 6 | 7 |
| Adam | 16 | 12 | 13 | 8 |
| Lucas | 11 | 9 | 7 | 9 |
| Benjamin | 5 | 7 | 9 | 10 |
Canada Among the Thirteen Countries
Where the most common names of Canada stand in the other twelve countries on this site, each in its most recent year. Accents are ignored; different spellings count as different names.
Girls
Six of the top ten girls' names rank in at least six other countries.
| Name | Rank here | Other countries where it ranks | Highest elsewhere |
|---|---|---|---|
| Olivia | 1 | 11 | #1 in England and Wales |
| Charlotte | 2 | 4 | #2 in the United States |
| Emma | 3 | 10 | #1 in Austria |
| Sofia | 4 | 11 | #1 in Switzerland |
| Amelia | 5 | 5 | #3 in England and Wales |
| Sophia | 6 | 6 | #1 in Germany |
| Mia | 7 | 10 | #3 in Switzerland |
| Alice | 8 | 4 | #3 in Sweden |
| Mila | 9 | 7 | #5 in the Netherlands |
| Chloe | 10 | 4 | #21 in Spain |
Boys
Five of the top ten boys' names rank in at least six other countries.
| Name | Rank here | Other countries where it ranks | Highest elsewhere |
|---|---|---|---|
| Noah | 1 | 12 | #1 in Austria |
| Liam | 2 | 10 | #1 in the United States |
| Leo | 3 | 9 | #3 in France |
| William | 4 | 5 | #3 in Norway |
| Theodore | 5 | 2 | #4 in the United States |
| James | 6 | 3 | #6 in the Netherlands |
| Thomas | 7 | 4 | #32 in Italy |
| Adam | 8 | 8 | #9 in France |
| Lucas | 9 | 8 | #6 in Spain |
| Benjamin | 10 | 5 | #11 in the United States |
Which countries name most alike
Of its 100 names, Canada shares the most with the United States (61), England and Wales (42) and Switzerland (41), and the fewest with Norway (21). Germany is left out of this comparison, because its list has only ten names per sex.
Where the Names of Canada Come From
The most frequent origin among the 100 names of 2024 is Hebrew, with 33. The largest change since 2021 is in Hebrew names: 31 then, 33 now. A name with two origins, such as Lucas with Greek and Latin, counts for both. More on the groups in the guide to name origins.
| Origin | Names in 2021 | Names in 2024 |
|---|---|---|
| Hebrew | 31 | 33 |
| Latin | 26 | 28 |
| Greek | 13 | 13 |
| Germanic | 13 | 13 |
| English | 10 | 9 |
| French | 4 | 5 |
| Irish | 5 | 4 |
| Italian | 3 | 4 |
👧 Most Popular Girl Names in Canada (2024)
#1OliviaLatin
Meaning: Olive tree
Olivia is linked to the Latin oliva, olive. Shakespeare gave it to the countess in Twelfth Night, and the play made it familiar in English.
#2CharlotteGermanicFrench
Meaning: Free woman
Charlotte is the French feminine form of Charles, from the Germanic karl, meaning free man. Queen Charlotte, wife of George III, and the novelist Charlotte Brontë bore it.
#3EmmaGermanic
Meaning: Whole, universal
Emma began as a short form of Germanic names built on ermen or irmin, meaning whole or universal. Emma of Normandy was queen of England twice in the eleventh century, married first to Æthelred and then to Cnut.
#4SofiaGreek
Meaning: Wisdom
Sofia is the spelling of Sophia used in Italian, Spanish, the Scandinavian languages and the Slavic languages. It goes back to the Greek sophia, wisdom.
#5AmeliaGermanic
Meaning: Work, industrious
Amelia blends the Germanic Amalia, from amal, meaning work, with the Latin Aemilia. Henry Fielding gave the name to the heroine of his 1751 novel Amelia.
#6SophiaGreek
Meaning: Wisdom
Sophia is the Greek word for wisdom. It was borne by early Christian saints and by Byzantine empresses.
#7MiaHebrewScandinavian
Meaning: Mine; wished-for child
Mia began as a short form of Maria in Scandinavian and German usage. In Italian and Spanish the same word means mine.
#8AliceGermanicFrench
Meaning: Noble kind
Alice comes from the Old French Aalis, a short form of the Germanic Adalheidis, meaning noble kind. Lewis Carroll published Alice's Adventures in Wonderland in 1865.
#9MilaSlavic
Meaning: Gracious, dear
Mila comes from the Slavic element mil, meaning gracious or dear, and began as a short form of names such as Ludmila and Milena.
#10ChloeGreek
Meaning: Blooming, verdant
#11FlorenceLatin
Meaning: Flowering, prospering
Florence comes from the Latin florens, meaning flowering or prospering. Florence Nightingale was named after the city where she was born and made it a girls' name in English.
#12ClaraLatin
Meaning: Clear, bright, famous
Clara is the Latin word for clear or bright. Saint Clare of Assisi, a follower of Francis, founded the order of the Poor Clares in the thirteenth century.
#13MayaGreekHebrew
Meaning: Several unrelated origins
Maya has more than one source. It is the Roman goddess Maia who gives her name to May, a Hebrew name connected with water, and separately a Sanskrit word for illusion.
#14LilyLatin
Meaning: Lily flower
#15CharlieGermanic
Meaning: Free woman
Charlie is used for girls as a short form of Charlotte, which descends through French from the Germanic karl meaning a free person.
#16AvaGermanicHebrew
Meaning: Life, bird-like
#17NoraLatinIrish
Meaning: Honour
Nora began as a short form of Honora and Eleanor. Henrik Ibsen gave it to the heroine of his 1879 play A Doll's House.
#18EvaHebrew
Meaning: Life
Eva is the Latin form of Eve, from the Hebrew chavah meaning to live or to breathe. In Genesis she is named as the mother of all living.
#19ZoeGreek
Meaning: Life
#20ElizabethHebrew
Meaning: My God is an oath
#21SophieGreek
Meaning: Wisdom
Sophie is the French form of Sophia, the Greek word for wisdom, and is also used in German, Dutch and English.
#22EllieGreek
Meaning: Bright, shining
#23VictoriaLatin
Meaning: Victory
Victoria is the Latin word for victory and the name of the Roman goddess of victory. Queen Victoria reigned over Britain from 1837 to 1901.
#24EvelynHebrewFrench
Meaning: Wished-for child
#25BeatriceLatin
Meaning: She who brings happiness
Beatrice comes from the Latin Beatrix, meaning she who makes happy. Dante's Beatrice guides him through paradise in the Divine Comedy.
#26RoseLatin
Meaning: Rose
Rose is the flower name, from the Latin rosa. In the Middle Ages it also absorbed Germanic names built on hros, meaning horse.
#27IslaScottish Gaelic
Meaning: From the river Isla
Isla is taken from the Scottish river Isla and the island of Islay. It became a common given name in Britain only in the last thirty years.
#28VioletLatin
Meaning: Violet flower
#29AriaItalian
Meaning: Air, song
#30IsabellaHebrewItalian
Meaning: My God is an oath
#31AbigailHebrew
Meaning: My father is joy
Abigail appears in the Books of Samuel as the wife of Nabal and later of David. The Hebrew joins av meaning father with a root meaning joy.
#32JuliaLatin
Meaning: Youthful
Julia is the feminine form of Julius, the Roman family name of Julius Caesar. Paul greets a Christian woman named Julia in his letter to the Romans.
#33JulietteLatin
Meaning: From the Julius family
Juliette is a French diminutive of Julie, from the Roman family name Julius. Shakespeare's Juliet fixed it in the European imagination.
#34EleanorGreekFrench
Meaning: Bright, shining
Eleanor comes from the Old French Aliénor, a name of uncertain origin. Eleanor of Aquitaine brought it to England in the twelfth century as the queen of Henry II.
#35LiviaLatin
Meaning: From the Livius family
Livia is the feminine of the Roman family name Livius. Livia Drusilla was the wife of Augustus and one of the most powerful women of the early empire.
#36EllaGermanic
Meaning: All, completely
Ella was a Norman name of Germanic origin and is also used as a short form of Eleanor and Ellen.
#37LunaLatin
Meaning: Moon
Luna is the Latin word for moon and the name of the Roman goddess of the moon.
#38HannahHebrew
Meaning: Grace, favour
Hannah is a Hebrew name meaning grace or favour. In the Books of Samuel she is the mother of the prophet Samuel.
#39ElenaGreek
Meaning: Bright, shining
#40LeaHebrew
Meaning: Weary
Lea is the German and Scandinavian spelling of Leah, the wife of Jacob in Genesis. The Hebrew name is usually explained as weary.
#41RomyLatin
Meaning: Rosemary, or from Rome
Romy began as a German pet form of Rosemarie and is also read as a feminine of Roman. The actress Romy Schneider carried it into wide use.
#42EmiliaLatin
Meaning: Rival, industrious
Emilia comes from Aemilia, the feminine form of the Roman family name Aemilius, which is usually linked to the Latin aemulus, meaning rival.
#43AylaTurkishHebrew
Meaning: Moonlight, or oak wood
Ayla is a Turkish name meaning halo or moonlight, from ay meaning moon. It is also read as a Hebrew name meaning oak, and separately as a Scottish place name.
#44ElianaHebrew
Meaning: My God has answered
Eliana is read in Hebrew as joining el meaning God with a root meaning to answer. A separate Latin Aeliana, from the Roman family name Aelius, shares the spelling.
#45EmilyLatin
Meaning: Rival, industrious
#46RosalieLatin
Meaning: Rose
Rosalie is a French form of Rosalia, from the Latin rosa. Saint Rosalia is the patron of Palermo.
#47AuroraLatin
Meaning: Dawn
Aurora is the Latin word for dawn and the name of the Roman goddess of the dawn. In Tchaikovsky's ballet The Sleeping Beauty the princess is called Aurora.
#48IvyEnglish
Meaning: Ivy
Ivy is the English plant name, from the Old English ifig. It joined the Victorian fashion for flower and plant names.
#49HazelEnglish
Meaning: Hazelnut tree
Hazel is the English name of the hazel tree and was first used as a given name in the nineteenth century.
#50SarahHebrew
Meaning: Princess
👦 Most Popular Boy Names in Canada (2024)
#1NoahHebrew
Meaning: Rest, comfort
Noah is the Hebrew Noach, meaning rest or comfort. In Genesis he builds the ark and survives the flood with his family.
#2LiamIrishGermanic
Meaning: Resolute protector
Liam began as the Irish short form of Uilliam, the Irish form of William, which comes from the Germanic wil, will, and helm, protection.
#3LeoLatin
Meaning: Lion
Leo is the Latin word for lion. Fourteen popes have taken it, from Leo the Great in the fifth century to Leo XIV, elected in 2025.
#4WilliamGermanic
Meaning: Resolute protector
William comes from the Germanic Willahelm, joining wil, will or desire, with helm, protection. William the Conqueror brought it to England in 1066.
#5TheodoreGreek
Meaning: Gift of God
Theodore comes from the Greek Theodoros, joining theos, god, with doron, gift. Theodore Roosevelt was the twenty-sixth president of the United States.
#6JamesHebrew
Meaning: Supplanter
James is the English form of the Latin Iacomus, a variant of Iacobus, Jacob. It is the name of two apostles and of kings of Scotland and England.
#7ThomasAramaic
Meaning: Twin
#8AdamHebrew
Meaning: Earth, man
#9LucasLatinGreek
Meaning: Bringer of light
Lucas is the Latin form of Loukas, Luke, the name of the author of the third gospel. The Greek name probably meant man from Lucania, though it is popularly linked to the Latin lux, light.
#10BenjaminHebrew
Meaning: Son of the right hand
Benjamin comes from the Hebrew Binyamin, meaning son of the right hand. In Genesis he is the youngest of the twelve sons of Jacob.
#11NathanHebrew
Meaning: He gave
#12JacobHebrew
Meaning: Supplanter
Jacob is the third patriarch of Genesis, who takes his brother Esau's birthright. The Hebrew Yaakov is traditionally read from the word for heel, hence one who supplants.
#13ArthurCeltic
Meaning: Bear
Arthur is the legendary king of the Britons at the centre of the Arthurian romances. Its origin is uncertain; a Celtic word for bear and the Roman family name Artorius have both been proposed.
#14TheoGreek
Meaning: Gift of God
Theo is a short form of Theodore, from the Greek theos meaning god and doron meaning gift. It is now given as a full name across most of Europe.
#15OliverLatinNorse
Meaning: Olive tree
Oliver comes from Olivier, one of Charlemagne's paladins in the medieval Song of Roland. It is usually linked to the Latin oliva, olive, though a Germanic root has also been proposed.
#16JackHebrewEnglish
Meaning: God is gracious
Jack began in medieval England as a pet form of John, from the Hebrew Yochanan, meaning God is gracious, and has long been given as a name in its own right.
#17LoganScottish Gaelic
Meaning: Little hollow
#18EthanHebrew
Meaning: Firm, enduring
Ethan appears in the Hebrew Bible as a name for wise men, and the root means firm, solid or enduring. Its modern currency began in the United States.
#19HenryGermanic
Meaning: Home ruler
Henry comes from the Germanic Heimirich, joining heim, home, with ric, ruler. Eight kings of England bore it.
#20GabrielHebrew
Meaning: God is my strength
Gabriel is a Hebrew name meaning God is my strength. In the Bible the archangel Gabriel announces the births of John the Baptist and of Jesus.
#21LouisGermanicFrench
Meaning: Renowned warrior
#22LucaLatinItalian
Meaning: Bringer of light
Luca is the Italian form of Luke, from the Greek Loukas, which is usually explained as man from Lucania and popularly linked to the Latin lux, light.
#23CharlesGermanic
Meaning: Free man
Charles comes from the Germanic karl, meaning a free man as distinct from a serf. Charlemagne turned it into one of the standard names of European monarchy.
#24JacksonEnglish
Meaning: Son of Jack
#25LeviHebrew
Meaning: Joined, attached
#26MuhammadArabic
Meaning: Praiseworthy
Muhammad is an Arabic name meaning praised or praiseworthy, from the root hamida, to praise. It is the name of the prophet of Islam.
#27FelixLatin
Meaning: Happy, fortunate
Felix is the Latin word for lucky or happy. It was a Roman cognomen and the name of several saints and popes.
#28SamuelHebrew
Meaning: Name of God; God has heard
Samuel comes from the Hebrew Shemu'el, usually explained as name of God or God has heard. He is the prophet who anoints Saul and David in the Books of Samuel.
#29OwenWelshLatin
Meaning: Young warrior; well-born
#30EdouardEnglish
Meaning: Guardian of wealth
Edouard is the French form of Edward, joining the Old English ead meaning wealth with weard meaning guardian. The eight English kings called Edward are known in French as Édouard.
#31NolanIrish
Meaning: Champion
#32DanielHebrew
Meaning: God is my judge
#33EmileLatin
Meaning: Rival, eager
Emile is the French form of the Roman family name Aemilius, from aemulus meaning rival. Rousseau's Émile of 1762 made it a name associated with education.
#34MaverickEnglish
Meaning: Independent, unbranded
Maverick comes from Samuel Maverick, a nineteenth-century Texas rancher who left his cattle unbranded. His surname became the word for an unbranded animal and then for an independent person.
#35RaphaelHebrew
Meaning: God has healed
#36IsaacHebrew
Meaning: He will laugh
#37JaydenHebrew
Meaning: Thankful
#38ElliotHebrew
Meaning: My God is the Lord
Elliot began as a medieval English surname derived from Elias, the Greek form of Elijah, from the Hebrew meaning my God is Yahweh. It returned as a first name in the twentieth century.
#39JulesLatin
Meaning: From the Julius family
Jules is the French form of Julius, an old Roman family name. It is used in France and French-speaking Canada as a name in its own right.
#40HudsonEnglish
Meaning: Son of Hudd
#41CalebHebrew
Meaning: Dog, faithful
#42RyanIrish
Meaning: Little king
#43ElijahHebrew
Meaning: My God is Yahweh
Elijah is the English form of the Hebrew Eliyahu, meaning my God is Yahweh. He is the prophet in the Books of Kings who is carried up to heaven in a chariot of fire.
#44MatteoHebrewItalian
Meaning: Gift of God
Matteo is the Italian form of Matthew, from the Hebrew Mattityahu, meaning gift of God. Matthew is the apostle traditionally named as the author of the first gospel.
#45AlexanderGreek
Meaning: Defender of men
Alexander comes from the Greek Alexandros, joining alexein, to defend, with aner, man. Alexander the Great carried it from Macedonia across the ancient world.
#46VictorLatin
Meaning: Conqueror
#47WesleyEnglish
Meaning: Western meadow
Wesley is an English place name and surname, from the Old English west and leah meaning clearing or meadow. John Wesley, founder of Methodism, turned it into a given name.
#48MasonEnglish
Meaning: Stone worker
#49MilesLatinGermanic
Meaning: Soldier; mild
#50MateoHebrewSpanish
Meaning: Gift of God
Mateo is the Spanish form of Matthew, from the Hebrew Mattityahu, meaning gift of God.
Data: Ontario, Quebec and BC vital statistics. Figures for 2024. Retrieved automatically four times a year from the open data portals of Ontario, Quebec and British Columbia and summed. A year is only shown once at least two provinces have reported it. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Ontario and the Open Government Licence – British Columbia. Quebec figures: Retraite Québec, licensed under CC BY 4.0. Browse all countries →