🇳🇱 Most Popular Baby Names in the Netherlands (2025)
The Dutch list comes from the Sociale Verzekeringsbank, the agency that pays child benefit, and not from Statistics Netherlands, which does not publish first names. The SVB releases every name carried by at least ten children; the ranking here takes the top 50 per sex. Dutch law leaves the choice to the parents and lets the registrar refuse only names that are inappropriate or that are existing surnames.
Data source: Sociale Verzekeringsbank (SVB) · Year: 2025 · 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 the Netherlands: the legal basis, the deadline and what a registrar may refuse.
Names Used Only in the Netherlands
The Netherlands has 42 names in its 2025 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.
Girls: 18 names
NoorMilouTessJulieSaarLotteEviMaudLiekeHaileyLynnLoïsIsaLaurenRoméeFennaRoosYuna
Boys: 24 names
SemMeesNoudMilanDaanMatsLuukGuusBramOlivierOtisSiemFlorisTeunGijsMorrisMoosBoazJoepJesseKaiAbelTiesJan
2024 to 2025: What Moved
Compared with 2024, in the girls' ranking, 40 of the 50 names changed position, 4 are new and 6 kept exactly the same place; in the boys' ranking, 46 of the 50 names changed position, 2 are new and 2 kept exactly the same place.
Girls
Biggest climbers: Lily (#35 → #15, +20), Julie (#34 → #17, +17), Sarah (#45 → #28, +17), Sofia (#24 → #13, +11), Isa (#48 → #37, +11)
Biggest drops: Elin (#12 → #26, -14), Ella (#27 → #41, -14), Lauren (#28 → #39, -11), Sophia (#31 → #42, -11), Noa (#33 → #44, -11)
New in the ranking: Ayla, Roos, Rosa, Yuna
Dropped out: Fleur, Fien, Jasmijn, Isabella
Boys
Biggest climbers: Tobias (#49 → #27, +22), Kai (#50 → #39, +11), Otis (#31 → #22, +9), Julian (#45 → #37, +8), Owen (#40 → #33, +7)
Biggest drops: Boaz (#22 → #34, -12), Lio (#33 → #44, -11), Jesse (#28 → #38, -10), Ties (#37 → #46, -9), Joep (#29 → #36, -7)
New in the ranking: Hugo, Milo
Dropped out: Jake, Jurre
Steady Through 2021–2025
Noor tops the girls' ranking in the Netherlands in 2025.
40 girls' names appear in every year from 2021–2025 without a gap. The 30 highest placed:
NoorOliviaNoraJuliaMilaSophieEmmaYaraMilouSaraNinaLunaSofiaTessZoëJulieMaeveSaarMiaAnnaLotteEvaEmilyEviElinLivSarahLinaMaudSofie
Noah tops the boys' ranking in the Netherlands, and has done so 5 years running.
41 boys' names appear in every year from 2021–2025 without a gap. The 30 highest placed:
NoahLiamLucaSemMeesJamesLucasSamFinnLeviNoudAdamMilanDaanMatsZaynMasonLuukGuusBramOlivierOtisSiemFlorisOliverTeunGijsMorrisBenjaminMoos
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
Eight of today's top ten girls' names were already in the top ten in 2021.
| Name | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Noor | 18 | 10 | 9 | 7 | 1 |
| Olivia | 5 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| Nora | 4 | 8 | 6 | 3 | 3 |
| Julia | 1 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 4 |
| Mila | 2 | 3 | 3 | 6 | 5 |
| Sophie | 6 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 6 |
| Emma | 3 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 7 |
| Yara | 10 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 8 |
| Milou | 8 | 11 | 12 | 15 | 9 |
| Sara | 12 | 12 | 11 | 9 | 10 |
Boys
Eight of today's top ten boys' names were already in the top ten in 2021.
| Name | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Noah | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Liam | 6 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 2 |
| Luca | 9 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 3 |
| Sem | 3 | 10 | 6 | 5 | 4 |
| Mees | 11 | 5 | 8 | 6 | 5 |
| James | 7 | 7 | 10 | 9 | 6 |
| Lucas | 2 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 7 |
| Sam | 15 | 15 | 14 | 13 | 8 |
| Finn | 8 | 6 | 13 | 11 | 9 |
| Levi | 5 | 9 | 5 | 8 | 10 |
The Netherlands Among the Thirteen Countries
Where the most common names of the Netherlands 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
Four of the top ten girls' names rank in at least six other countries; two rank in no other country at all.
| Name | Rank here | Other countries where it ranks | Highest elsewhere |
|---|---|---|---|
| Noor | 1 | 0 | |
| Olivia | 2 | 11 | #1 in Canada |
| Nora | 3 | 8 | #3 in Norway |
| Julia | 4 | 5 | #6 in Spain |
| Mila | 5 | 7 | #9 in Canada |
| Sophie | 6 | 3 | #13 in Austria |
| Emma | 7 | 10 | #1 in Austria |
| Yara | 8 | 1 | #25 in Switzerland |
| Milou | 9 | 0 | |
| Sara | 10 | 4 | #19 in Spain |
Boys
Four of the top ten boys' names rank in at least six other countries; two rank in no other country at all.
| Name | Rank here | Other countries where it ranks | Highest elsewhere |
|---|---|---|---|
| Noah | 1 | 12 | #1 in Austria |
| Liam | 2 | 10 | #1 in the United States |
| Luca | 3 | 9 | #4 in England and Wales |
| Sem | 4 | 0 | |
| Mees | 5 | 0 | |
| James | 6 | 3 | #6 in Canada |
| Lucas | 7 | 8 | #6 in Spain |
| Sam | 8 | 1 | #14 in Sweden |
| Finn | 9 | 2 | #21 in Switzerland |
| Levi | 10 | 5 | #12 in the United States |
Which countries name most alike
Of its 100 names, the Netherlands shares the most with Switzerland (34), Canada (31) and Austria (27), and the fewest with Italy (14). Germany is left out of this comparison, because its list has only ten names per sex.
Where the Names of the Netherlands Come From
The most frequent origin among the 100 names of 2025 is Hebrew, with 36. The largest change since 2021 is in Hebrew names: 35 then, 36 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 2025 |
|---|---|---|
| Hebrew | 35 | 36 |
| Latin | 27 | 27 |
| Germanic | 11 | 12 |
| Greek | 12 | 11 |
| Arabic | 4 | 5 |
| Irish | 4 | 4 |
| Norse | 4 | 3 |
| English | 4 | 3 |
| Scandinavian | 3 | 3 |
| Slavic | 2 | 3 |
| French | 3 | 2 |
👧 Most Popular Girl Names in the Netherlands (2025)
#1NoorArabic
Meaning: Light
Noor comes from the Arabic nur, meaning light. In the Netherlands it doubles as a short form of Eleonora.
#2OliviaLatin
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.
#3NoraLatinIrish
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.
#4JuliaLatin
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.
#5MilaSlavic
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.
#6SophieGreek
Meaning: Wisdom
Sophie is the French form of Sophia, the Greek word for wisdom, and is also used in German, Dutch and English.
#7EmmaGermanic
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.
#8YaraArabic
Meaning: Small butterfly, or water lady
Yara is used in Arabic with the sense of a small butterfly. A separate Brazilian name of Tupi origin, Iara, refers to a water spirit.
#9MilouFrench
Meaning: Blend of Marie and Louise
Milou is a Dutch and French name formed by blending Marie and Louise. It is also the original French name of Tintin's dog.
#10SaraHebrew
Meaning: Princess
#11NinaHebrewSpanish
Meaning: Grace; little girl
#12LunaLatin
Meaning: Moon
Luna is the Latin word for moon and the name of the Roman goddess of the moon.
#13SofiaGreek
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.
#14TessGreek
Meaning: Harvester, or of Thasos
Tess is a short form of Theresa, a name of uncertain Greek origin linked either to a word for harvest or to the island of Thasos.
#15LilyLatin
Meaning: Lily flower
#16ZoëGreek
Meaning: Life
Zoë is the Dutch spelling of Zoe, from the Greek word for life.
#17JulieLatin
Meaning: From the Julius family
Julie is the French form of Julia, the feminine of the Roman family name Julius.
#18MaeveIrish
Meaning: She who intoxicates
Maeve is the English form of Medb, the warrior queen of Connacht in the Ulster Cycle. The Irish name is read as she who intoxicates.
#19SaarHebrew
Meaning: Princess
Saar is the Dutch form of Sarah, from the Hebrew sarah meaning princess or noblewoman.
#20MiaHebrewScandinavian
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.
#21AnnaHebrew
Meaning: Grace, favour
Anna is the Greek and Latin form of the Hebrew Hannah, meaning grace or favour. In Christian tradition it is the name of the mother of Mary.
#22LotteGermanicFrench
Meaning: Free woman
#23EvaHebrew
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.
#24EmilyLatin
Meaning: Rival, industrious
#25EviHebrew
Meaning: Life
Evi is a Dutch and German pet form of Eva, from the Hebrew chavah meaning life.
#26ElinGreekScandinavian
Meaning: Bright, shining
Elin is a Swedish and Norwegian form of Helen, from the Greek Helene. Its meaning is uncertain and is often linked to helios, the sun.
#27LivNorse
Meaning: Protection, or life
Liv comes from the Old Norse hlíf, meaning protection or shelter. In modern Norwegian and Danish it coincides with the word for life, which has reinforced its use.
#28SarahHebrew
Meaning: Princess
#29LinaGreekArabic
Meaning: Bright, shining; tender
#30MaudGermanic
Meaning: Mighty in battle
Maud is the medieval form of Matilda, worn down in Norman French from the Germanic elements meaning might and battle.
#31SofieGreek
Meaning: Wisdom
#32LiekeLatin
Meaning: Light
Lieke is a Dutch pet form of Angelique and of names built on Lucia, from the Latin lux meaning light.
#33HaileyEnglish
Meaning: Hay clearing
Hailey is an English place name and surname, from the Old English heg meaning hay and leah meaning clearing.
#34LynnWelsh
Meaning: Lake, pool
Lynn comes from the Welsh llyn, meaning a lake or pool, and reached use as a given name through English place names and surnames.
#35LoïsGreek
Meaning: Disputed, a New Testament name
Loïs appears in the Second Letter to Timothy as the name of Timothy's grandmother. Its Greek origin is not established, and the common gloss as better is a guess.
#36NovaLatin
Meaning: New
#37IsaHebrew
Meaning: God is my oath
Isa is a Dutch and German short form of Isabella, itself a Provençal form of Elisabeth, from the Hebrew elisheva meaning God is my oath.
#38LiviaLatin
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.
#39LaurenLatin
Meaning: From Laurentum
Lauren is a feminine form of Laurence, from the Latin Laurentius meaning a man from Laurentum, a name that evokes the laurel.
#40NoéHebrew
Meaning: Movement
Noé is used in Dutch records as a girls' name alongside the biblical Noa, from a Hebrew root meaning movement.
#41EllaGermanic
Meaning: All, completely
Ella was a Norman name of Germanic origin and is also used as a short form of Eleanor and Ellen.
#42SophiaGreek
Meaning: Wisdom
Sophia is the Greek word for wisdom. It was borne by early Christian saints and by Byzantine empresses.
#43RoméeLatin
Meaning: Pilgrim to Rome
Romée is a Dutch name from the medieval word for a pilgrim who had travelled to Rome.
#44NoaHebrew
Meaning: Movement
Noa is a girls' name in the Hebrew Bible, one of the daughters of Zelophehad, and is unrelated to Noah of the flood. The root means movement or motion.
#45FennaGermanic
Meaning: Peace
Fenna is a Frisian name, generally read as a feminine form of names built on the Germanic fred, meaning peace.
#46HannahHebrew
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.
#47AylaTurkishHebrew
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.
#48RoosLatin
Meaning: Rose
Roos is the Dutch word for the rose, and is also a short form of Rosalie and Rosanne.
#49RosaLatin
Meaning: Rose
#50Yuna
👦 Most Popular Boy Names in the Netherlands (2025)
#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.
#3LucaLatinItalian
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.
#4SemHebrew
Meaning: Name, renown
Sem is the Dutch form of Shem, the eldest son of Noah in Genesis. The Hebrew shem means name, in the sense of renown.
#5MeesHebrew
Meaning: Gift of God
Mees is a Dutch short form of Bartholomeus, and is also linked to Matthias. Through Matthias it carries the sense of a gift of Yahweh.
#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.
#7LucasLatinGreek
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.
#8SamHebrew
Meaning: God has heard
Sam is a short form of Samuel, from the Hebrew shema el meaning God has heard, and is used independently across northern Europe.
#9FinnIrishNorse
Meaning: Fair, white
Finn has two roots: the Old Norse Finnr, a person from Finland or a Sámi, and the Irish Fionn, meaning fair or white. Fionn mac Cumhaill is the hero of a cycle of Irish legends.
#10LeviHebrew
Meaning: Joined, attached
#11NoudGermanic
Meaning: Eagle power
Noud is a Dutch short form of Arnout, the Dutch form of Arnold, joining the Germanic arn meaning eagle with wald meaning power or rule.
#12AdamHebrew
Meaning: Earth, man
#13MilanSlavic
Meaning: Gracious, dear
Milan comes from the Slavic root mil, meaning gracious or dear. It is unrelated to the Italian city, whose name has a separate Celtic and Latin history.
#14DaanHebrew
Meaning: God is my judge
Daan is the Dutch short form of Daniel, from the Hebrew dan meaning judge and el meaning God. It is given in the Netherlands and Flanders as a name in its own right.
#15MatsHebrew
Meaning: Gift of God
Mats is a Scandinavian and Dutch short form of Matthias, from the Hebrew Mattityahu meaning gift of Yahweh.
#16ZaynArabic
Meaning: Beauty, grace
Zayn comes from the Arabic zayn, meaning beauty or grace. It appears in compound names such as Zayn al-Abidin.
#17MasonEnglish
Meaning: Stone worker
#18LuukLatin
Meaning: From Lucania
Luuk is the Dutch form of Luke, from the Latin Lucas meaning a man from Lucania in southern Italy. Luke is the author of the third gospel.
#19GuusLatin
Meaning: Venerable
Guus is a Dutch short form of Augustus or Gustaaf. Through Augustus it goes back to the Latin augustus, meaning venerable or majestic.
#20BramHebrew
Meaning: Father of many
Bram is the Dutch short form of Abraham, from the Hebrew av hamon meaning father of a multitude. In the Netherlands it has long been used on its own.
#21OlivierLatin
Meaning: Olive tree
Olivier is the French and Dutch form of Oliver, generally traced to the Latin oliva meaning olive tree. Olivier is Roland's companion in the Song of Roland.
#22OtisGermanic
Meaning: Son of Ode
Otis is an English surname formed from the medieval given name Ode or Odo, which comes from the Germanic aud meaning wealth.
#23SiemHebrew
Meaning: God has heard
Siem is a Dutch short form of Simon, from the Hebrew shim on meaning he has heard.
#24FlorisLatin
Meaning: Flowering
Floris is the Dutch form of Florentius, from the Latin florens meaning flowering or prospering. Several counts of Holland bore the name in the Middle Ages.
#25OliverLatinNorse
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.
#26TeunLatin
Meaning: From the Antonius family
Teun is a Dutch short form of Antonius, an old Roman family name of probably Etruscan origin.
#27TobiasHebrew
Meaning: God is good
Tobias is the Greek form of the Hebrew Toviyyah, meaning God is good. The Book of Tobit tells of Tobias and his journey with the archangel Raphael.
#28GijsGermanic
Meaning: Pledge
Gijs is the Dutch short form of Gijsbert, from the Germanic gisil meaning pledge or hostage and beraht meaning bright.
#29MorrisLatin
Meaning: Dark-skinned, Moorish
Morris is a medieval English form of Maurice, from the Latin Maurus meaning a Moor or a dark-skinned man.
#30BenjaminHebrew
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.
#31MoosHebrew
Meaning: Drawn from the water
Moos is a Dutch short form of Mozes, the Dutch form of Moses. In Exodus the name is explained by his being drawn out of the Nile.
#32EliasHebrew
Meaning: My God is Yahweh
Elias is the Greek and Latin form of the Hebrew Eliyahu, Elijah, meaning my God is Yahweh. Elijah is the prophet of the Books of Kings who is taken up to heaven in a whirlwind.
#33OwenWelshLatin
Meaning: Young warrior; well-born
#34BoazHebrew
Meaning: Swiftness, strength
Boaz appears in the Book of Ruth as the landowner who marries Ruth and becomes an ancestor of King David. The Hebrew is usually read as strength or swiftness.
#35ThomasAramaic
Meaning: Twin
#36JoepHebrew
Meaning: He will add
Joep is a Dutch short form of Joseph, from the Hebrew yosef meaning he will add. In Genesis, Rachel names her son with a wish for another.
#37JulianLatin
Meaning: Youthful
Julian comes from the Roman name Julianus, derived from Julius. The Roman emperor Julian and the English mystic Julian of Norwich bore it.
#38JesseHebrew
Meaning: Gift
Jesse is the father of King David in the Hebrew Bible. The name is usually read as gift or, in a related reading, as the Lord exists.
#39KaiGermanicScandinavian
Meaning: Several unrelated origins
Kai has more than one source. In Frisian and Danish it is generally taken as a short form of Nicolaus or Gerhard, and it exists independently in Hawaiian and Japanese with quite different meanings.
#40AbelHebrew
Meaning: Breath, vapour
Abel is the second son of Adam and Eve in Genesis. The Hebrew hevel means breath or vapour, a name often read as a comment on how briefly he lived.
#41MaxLatin
Meaning: Greatest
Max is a short form of Maximilian or Maximus, from the Latin maximus meaning greatest. It is also given as a name in its own right.
#42HugoGermanic
Meaning: Mind, intellect
Hugo is the Latin form of the Germanic Hugo, from hug, meaning mind or spirit, and is used in German, French, Spanish and the Scandinavian languages.
#43JensHebrew
Meaning: God is gracious
Jens is the Danish and Norwegian form of John, from the Hebrew Yochanan meaning God is gracious. It began as a Low German and Danish short form of Johannes.
#44LioLatin
Meaning: Lion
Lio is a short form of Leo and of names built on it, from the Latin leo meaning lion.
#45TedEnglishGreek
Meaning: Guardian of wealth, or gift of God
Ted is a short form of Edward, from the Old English elements for wealth and guardian, and also of Theodore, from the Greek for gift of God.
#46TiesHebrew
Meaning: Gift of God
Ties is a Dutch short form of Matthias, from the Hebrew Mattityahu meaning gift of Yahweh.
#47MiloGermanicSlavic
Meaning: Uncertain, possibly merciful
Milo came to England with the Normans and its origin is disputed. It is generally linked either to a Germanic root meaning mild or to the Slavic mil meaning gracious.
#48DavidHebrew
Meaning: Beloved
David is a Hebrew name usually explained as beloved. In the Bible he is the second king of Israel, who defeats Goliath as a young man.
#49JanHebrewDutchCzech
Meaning: God is gracious
#50MohammedArabic
Meaning: Praiseworthy
Mohammed is a transliteration of the Arabic Muhammad, meaning praiseworthy, from the root hamida meaning to praise.
Data: Sociale Verzekeringsbank (SVB). Figures for 2025. Retrieved automatically four times a year. Browse all countries →