While Noah and Emma were the most popular baby names in Switzerland in 2022, new data from the Federal Statistical Office (FSO) has revealed that both have a long way to go before being the most popular overall. Despite not being popular Swiss names in the 2020s, old-fashioned first names are still the most common in the alpine nation.
When it comes to the most popular women's name, it seems as though the Swiss will never stop saying Maria, with the name taking the top spot as of the end of 2022. 76.111 people called Maria were registered as citizens or holders of residence permits in Switzerland last year, near-double Anna in second place with 39.937 and Sandra in third with 34.882.
The different language regions of Switzerland seemed to vary in terms of their favourite first names: while Maria was the most popular name in all regions, Anna and Ursula took second and third in German-speaking areas, Marie and Anne rounded out the podium in the Romande and Anna and Sara completed the top three in Ticino.
In all, here are the most common women's names in Switzerland:
The total number of people called Maria in Switzerland is in wild contrast to how many babies were actually given the name last year, with Maria placing joint 46th with just 127 birth registrations in 2022. By contrast, Emma, the number one baby girl’s name for 2022, found itself in 63rd overall.
Things were much closer when it came to men's names in Switzerland, with Daniel (62.695) taking the top spot ahead of Peter (55.002) and Thomas (52.660). The top 10 is dominated by biblical names, from David and Michael to Peter and Daniel.
Each language region had its own most popular male name. In the Romande the top three were Jean, Daniel and David, east of the Rostigraben Peter, Daniel and Thomas took the podium places while Marco, Luca and Andrea were the favourites in Ticino.
Nationwide, here are the 10 most popular men's names in Switzerland:
Amazingly, none of the 10 most popular names overall featured in the top 10 baby boy’s names for 2022. Noah, the top baby name last year, found itself in 67th in the overall list.
The FSO concluded that there are over 60.000 different first names registered in Switzerland as of 2022, from the seven people called Ee and the three people called Ezz or Fox to the 14 Zeus’ and the four Wondwossens. For more information, and to see how other first names faired on the list, check out the FSO website.
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