Noah and Olivia top baby names in 2017

Special to the Post

Noah has unseated Liam to claim the top name among baby boys in Alberta, while Olivia claims the top spot on the girls’ list for the fourth year in a row.

In 2017, Alberta welcomed 53,539 babies into the world – 27,599 boys, and 25,835 girls. Emma, Charlotte, Ava and Sophia remain popular choices for girls’ names, while Liam, Benjamin, Logan and Lucas round out the top five names for boys.

“Congratulations to all the parents who welcomed children in 2017. What I hear from Albertans is that as these children grow up, it’s so important that they have our constant support. From affordable child care and enhanced child and family benefits to school nutrition programs and lower school fees, we are making practical changes to help families and children thrive.”

Brian Malkinson, Minister of Service Alberta

In 2017, Service Alberta recorded 13,899 different baby names, with many reflecting names of characters found in popular movies and television shows, such as Tyrion, Daenerys, Kylo, Leia, Thor, Katniss and Eleven.

Some names appeared to reference mythology and literature, including Zeus, Persephone, Tolkien, Odyssey and Beowulf, while others seemed to be inspired by traits or feelings such as Charisma, Fancy, Liberty and Happiness.

Albertans can look up more than 95,000 names dating back to 1980 through the Alberta Baby Names App, available to download for free on iPhone, iPad and Android devices.

Baby names statistics are recorded by the Vital Statistics branch of Service Alberta, and are based on the registration and notice of birth information. A complete list of names is available on the Open