The popularity of baby names is usually country or even region-specific, with the top names in the US different from those in the UK, which are different again from those in Sweden or Spain.

　　But as the world gets smaller, there’s a growing cadre of names that rank highly on the charts of a wide range of countries.

　　With the recent release of 2022 baby name statistics from early bird nations and provinces around the world, we have the most up-to-the-minute data on which names are the current global stars.

Top International Names

　　The countries and regions we surveyed are: Azerbaijan, Brazil, Bulgaria, Denmark, Germany, Israel, Lithuania, Monaco, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal and Sweden, as well as the Australian state of New South Wales and the Canadian province of British Columbia – the most populous regions to release their 2022 data so far.

　　It’s important to note that there are still a lot of official statistics outstanding for 2022 – and many places don’t publish baby name data at all – so the lists below are not exhaustive.

　　But they do give us a fascinating insight into the biggest international superstar names of the moment!

Top Global Girl Names

　　Due to linguistic and cultural differences, many names are used internationally in alternative spellings or distinct yet closely related variants. Examples include Amelia and Amelija, or Astrid and Asta.

　　These groups have been listed together to give a more accurate picture of the most popular global name families. The #1 international girl name, Sophia, featured in the statistics we studied in six different spellings or variations!

　　1. Sophia – Top 10 in Germany, Sofia in British Columbia and Denmark, Sofija in Lithuania, Sophie in the Netherlands and New Zealand, Sofie in Norway and Zofia in Poland.

　　2. Maria – Top 10 in Bulgaria and Portugal, Maryam in Azerbaijan and Miriam in Israel. Compounds Maria Alice, Maria Cecilia, Maria Clara and Maite all featured in Brazil’s Top 10.

　　3. Olivia – Top 10 in Australia, BC, Denmark, the Netherlands, New Zealand and Norway, plus Oliwia in Poland.

　　4. Alice – Top 10 in Brazil along with Maria Alice, and in Monaco, Portugal and Sweden. Alicja was Top 10 in Poland.

　　5. Ella – Top 10 in Australia, Denmark, Germany, Norway and Sweden.

　　6. Emma – Top 10 in BC, Germany, Monaco, the Netherlands and Norway.

　　7. Nora – Top 10 in Denmark, Norway and the Netherlands, along with Dutch variant Noor. Leonor also made the Top 10 in Portugal.

　　8. Amelia – Top 10 in Australia and New Zealand, and as Amelija in Lithuania. Close soundalikes Emilia and Emilija also made the Top 10 in Germany and Lithuania, respectively.

　　9. Mila – Top 10 in Germany, the Netherlands and New Zealand. Camila also featured in Portugal, Kamilė in Lithuania, and Milan made the Dutch Top 10 for boys.

　　10. Lia – Top 10 in Israel, Leah in Sweden and Leja in Lithuania.

　　Honorable mentions: Alma, Mia and Lena.

Top Global Boy Names

　　The #1 international boy name, Noah, is remarkably consistent in spelling around the globe! In the data we studied, only Lithuania (where almost all male names end in S for grammatical reasons) used a different form: Nojus.

　　Other high-ranking international boy names appear in a much wider range of variations, like the many translations of classic names like John and James.

　　1. Noah – Top 10 in Australia, BC, Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands, NZ, Norway and Sweden, plus variant Nojus in Lithuania. Soundalike Noa also made the Top 10 for girls in Israel.

　　2. William – Top 10 Australia, Denmark, NZ, Norway and Sweden. Liam also ranked as a standalone in BC, the Netherlands, Norway and Sweden.

　　3. Lucas – Top 10 in BC, the Netherlands and Sweden, Lukas in Lithuania, Luca in Australia, New Zealand and the Netherlands.

　　4. Theodore – Top 10 in Australia, BC and NZ, Theodor in Norway. Theo ranked as a standalone in Brazil, Denmark and Germany.

　　5. Jack – Top 10 in Australia, BC and NZ. Several other John variants also ranked internationally: Jan in Poland, Johannes in Norway, Jonas in Lithuania and João in Portugal.

　　6. Oliver – Top 10 in Australia, BC, NZ, Norway and Sweden. Olivia was also one of the top global names for girls.

　　7. Leo – Top 10 in Australia, BC and NZ, Leon in Germany and Poland. Leonardo was also #1 in Monaco.

　　8. Jakob – Top 10 in Norway, Jakub in Poland, Jokubas in Lithuania and English variant James in the Netherlands.

　　9. Adam – Top 10 in Azerbaijan and Israel, Adomas in Lithuania.

　　10. Gabriel – Top 10 in Brazil, Monaco and Portugal.

　　Honorable mentions: Alexander, Henry, Matteo, Muhammad, Rafael, Thomas and Yosef.

About the Author

Emma Waterhouse

　　Emma Waterhouse joined the team in 2017, writing about everything from the top baby name trends 2023 to how not to choose the next big baby name. As Nameberry's head moderator, she also helps to keep our active forums community ticking.

　　Emma's articles on names and naming trends have been featured in publications including the Huffington Post, People, Today's Parent, Fatherly, and Good Housekeeping.

　　A linguist by background, Emma speaks several languages and lives in England's smallest county with her husband and four young children. You can reach her at [email protected].

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