Olivia, Noah retain titles as Alberta's most popular baby names

One-letter entries making inroads

Olivia and Noah have once more been crowned Alberta's most popular baby names.

This is Olivia's 11th consecutive year at No. 1 for girls and Noah's fifth year at No. 1 for boys, according to a list of last year's most popular baby names released by the province Wednesday.

Some parents opted for a unique spelling of Noah, with such variants as Nouah, Noûh, Noahh and Noa on the list of boys' names.

The longest name from 2023 was given to a girl named Gaininlord-kleo-dyah.

There are several one-letter names, including M. (with the period), and A and K (without).

Other short handles include a baby named Md. and another given Xxx as a moniker. There may have been some inspiration from comic books, with one baby boy being named Jor-el, a name recognized by Superman fans.

Classic rock names also appear on both lists, with 23 babies named Hendrix, three named Zeppelin and six named Bowie. Aretha, Lennon, Elvis and Presley are also featured.

For Twilight fans, there were two Renesmee's born in Alberta last year, which is the name of the fictional baby of Edward Cullen and Bella Swan.

Kylie Jenner may have also influenced 2023 baby names, with six girls named Stormi, which is famously Jenner's first-born's name. Stormi first appeared on the Alberta baby names list in 2018, the year Jenner's baby, Stormi Webster, was born.

Gemstone-related names were popular, with Amethyst, Emerald, Jade, Amber, Ruby, Pearl and Diamond on the list of girls' names.

More unique names from 2023 are Kathysgirl, Happiness, Night-sky and Coyote.

There were a total of 47,263 births registered in Alberta in 2023. Parents have up to one year to register their child's birth, so this list may change slightly.

THE TOP 10 GIRLS' NAMES

■ Olivia (210)

■ Amelia (145)

■ Sophia (138)

■ Charlotte (135)

■ Emma (133)

■ Isla (120)

■ Evelyn (114)

■ Chloe/violet (tie at 101)

■ Ava/emily (tie at 99)

■ Hannah/hazel (tie at 98)

This is the first time Violet has been in the top 10 for girls names in at least four decades, according to the Alberta government.

THE TOP 10 BOYS' NAMES

■ Noah (276)

■ Liam (181)

■ Oliver (178)

■ Theodore (173)

■ Jack (153)

■ Henry (146)

■ Lucas (140)

■ Benjamin (137)

■ James (136)

■ William (133)

The names in this list remain the same as last year, with a slight change in order.