Norway's most popular names
Norway's state statistics bureau SSB has studied names given to babies born in the country last year, and singled out the most popular ones for boys and girls. While names ride waves of popularity, one thing remains constant: The babies themselves don't have any say in the matter. PHOTO: TOM A KOLSTAD |
The statistics bureau could confirm on Monday that a recent tendency towards short names for girls and Biblical names for boys continued in 2007.
The most popular name for Norwegian girls last year was "Sara," while parents made "Mathias" the most popular name for boys.
"Sara" also ranked as the name most often given to girls in 2002, while "Mathias" (roughly pronounced "Ma-TEE-us" in Norwegian) topped the list in 2003 and in 2004.
The most popular names in 2006 were "Thea" (pronounced "Tay-ah") and "Jonas" ("Yo-nuss").
The statisticians could report that names ride waves of popularity. Many names chosen 50 years ago are almost absent today, while names from 120 years ago are back in fashion.
At the end of the 1800s, for example, fully a third of girl babies born in Norway were given short names ending with "a" or "ah." The same is true is today, and less used are long Norwegian names like "Borghild," "Ragnhild" or "Kjellaug ."
Some parents are also avoiding names that include the Norwegian letters "æ, ø" and "å," because they're not so user-friendly in today's world of e-mail and Internet. While some parents opt for ethnic names like "Ylva" and "Brage" that are deeply rooted in Viking history, others are choosing more internationally familiar names like "Alexander" and "Christopher," even with English spellings instead of the more "Aleksander" or "Kristoffer" in Scandinavia.
SSB officials also note that Swedish naming trends tend to drift over the border and arrive in Norway after a few years. That would indicate that "William, Lucas, Elias" and "Oscar" will become more popular for boys in Norway, as will "Wilma, Maja, Ella" and "Emma" for girls.
Nina Berglund/NTB
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