Top baby names for 2020
There’s a new name at the top of this years’ baby names list.
Isla beat Charlotte and Amelia to debut as the most popular name given to girls in 2020. Oliver remains the most popular name given to boys for the eighth year in a row.
Nikau and Mia are the most popular Mâori names, followed by Manaia and Aria.
Taylor and Darcy are the most evenly split gender-neutral names for 2020, with a 51/49 per cent divide between boys and girls.
There were no Jacindas or Judiths on the top 10 list for 2020 and no increase in Ashleys despite these names appearing often in the media over the past 12 months.
The full list of top baby names is available on SmartStart, an online tool for new parents.
Jeff Montgomery, Registrar-General Births, Deaths and Marriages at the Department of Internal Affairs, says registering your baby is an important step. It ensures your child has an official identity and can access their legal rights as they grow up.
“The last thing new parents want to be doing is filling out a raft of forms. SmartStart is a free, fast and efficient way to register your child, receive the $60 a week BestStart payment, get an IRD number and even adjust a Ministry of Social Development benefit. You can complete those tasks anytime, on any device through SmartStart,” says Mr Montgomery.
A total of 17,749 different first names were given to 58,676 babies born in 2020. In 2019, there were 18,816 different first names given to 61,018 babies.
Isla first made the top 100 girls’ names in 2004, and 2020 is the first year it has topped the list. Charlotte keeps the second spot while Amelia is now the third most popular name.
Jack is the second most popular name for boys and Noah the third.
Nikau and Mia remain the most popular Māori boys’ and girls’ names in 2020, having topped the list for the past several years.
Top 10 – all names
Tama - Boy |  | Kōtiro - Girl | |||
| Name | Count | | Name | Count | |
1 | Oliver | 315 | 1 | Isla | 243 |
2 | Jack | 261 | 2 | Charlotte | 222 |
3 | Noah | 240 | 3 | Amelia | 213 |
4 | Leo | 235 | 4 | Olivia | 208 |
5 | Lucas | 206 | 5 | Willow | 184 |
6 | George | 197 | 6 | Harper | 177 |
7 | Charlie | 183 | 7= | Ava | 175 |
8= | William | 175 | 7= | Lily | 175 |
8= | Thomas | 175 | 9 | Sophie | 168 |
10 | Hunter | 174 | 10 | Ella | 163 |
Top 1 – Māori names
Tama - Boy | | Kōtiro - Girl | |||
| Name | Count | | Name | Count | |
1 | Nikau | 63 | 1 | Mia | 162 |
2 | Manaia | 51 | 2 | Aria | 132 |
3 | Ari | 49 | 3 | Maia | 85 |
4 | Mikaere | 37 | 4 | Amaia | 59 |
5 | Koa | 31 | 5 | Kora | 40 |
6 | Ihaia | 29 | 6 | Kaia | 34 |
7 | Manaaki | 29 | 7 | Aroha | 33 |
8 | Te Ariki | 27 | 8 | Anahera | 32 |
9 | Taika | 25 | 9 | Tiana | 20 |
10= | Mateo | 24 | 10 | Kaea | 18 |
10= | Wiremu | 24 | | | |
