Popular baby names show Ontario’s diversity

Muhammad in Peel, Maverick in the Soo.

Across Ontario, the most popular baby names are Noah, Ethan and Liam for boys, and Olivia, Charlotte and Ava or Emma for girls — but from region to region, choices vary.

In Barrie, it’s Lincoln for boys; in Waterloo, Grace for girls. Amelia hits the top five in a couple of communities.

In Peel Region, where there is a booming Muslim population, Muhammad is No. 1.

“The meaning of the name is ‘worthy of praise’ and that is also a strong characteristic we hope Muhammad will carry,” said Memona Hossain of Brampton, who gave her son that moniker when he was born in January.

Hossain, who travelled to Mecca and completed the hajj during her pregnancy, said she and husband Pooyan Najafi narrowed their choices to some prophetic names and figured once the baby was born, they’d see which one fit best.

While some Muslim parents choose more secular names — or deliberately pick ones that are easy to pronounce — she said for them, Muhammad “was more of a statement for us to know that you can still grow up here and live a very Canadian life, and have strong Canadian values, and there’s no opposition to having strong Islamic values” as well.

She said her generation of Muslim parents will also go with options such as Adam and Noah — based on the prophets — that are popular with nonMuslims. (In Peel, Adam and Noah are the second and third boy name choices.)

As for Maverick — the No. 1 boy name in Sault Ste. Marie — Government and Consumer Services Minister Bill Walker said it’s an interesting choice, quipping: “It’s better than Goose” — alluding to the movie Top Gun.

He called the regional differences “a reflection of our cultural mosaic.”

This is the 100th year Ontario has tracked baby names.