Liam, Olivia top the list of most popular baby names recorded during past year
More than 13,000 different baby names were recorded in Alberta last year, but Liam and Olivia were the most popular, with more than 200 newborn boys and 200 infant girls receiving the names.
The top baby names of 2018 were announced by Premier Rachel Notley at an event at Mount Royal University on Tuesday.
Oliver and Noah also made the top three for boys, while Emma and Charlotte followed Olivia for most common girl names.
James made the top 10 list of boy names for the first time since 1983, while Harper and Elizabeth joined the top 10 girl names for the first time since records began in 1980.
Notley also pointed out some of the more unique picks on the list of 2018 baby names, such as Jupiter, Galaxy, Captain and Chicago.
More than 50,000 babies were born in Alberta last year. Notley said 3,600 parents received the support of a midwife.
“In all, we’ve seen more than a 30-per-cent increase in the number of midwife-assisted births over the past two years,” Notley said.
The premier said funding was increased for midwifery services by $11 million over three years in the 2016 budget, and the scope of practice for midwives was also expanded.
A complete list of the 13,363 baby names recorded by Service Alberta in 2018 is available online.