The top 10 Norwegian baby names for boys and girls

National stats bureau Statistics Norway published on Wednesday morning 2019’s most popular name choices for new-born babies.

Emma, ​​Nora and Sofie were Norway’s three most popular names for girls last year, while Jakob, Lucas and Filip topped the list for boys.

A total of 423 boys were given the name Jakob last year, making it the most popular name overall. 393 girls were named Emma.

Emma is the most-popular girl’s name for the second year in a row. In 2018, Lucas was the most-frequently chosen name for boys. Sofie and Jakob were the most common choices in 2017.

“Emma comes from German and means ‘great’. It previously peaked in 1880, then the name Emma was almost gone from 1940 to 1970, before it increased steadily and then exploded in 2003,” senior adviser Jørgen Ouren said in a Statistics Norway press release.

Norwegian sporting success appears to have influenced the lists, with several of the names on the 2019 also belonging to well-known names in the sports world.

Ada, which is now in sixth place, is a name shared by Ada Hegerberg, who received global recognition as the world's best female footballer in 2018 and 2019. 291 girls were named Ada last year.

Ada Hegerberg. Photo: AFP

The Ingebrigtsen brothers, the trio of superstar Norwegian long-distance runners, can also see their names high on the list.

“Many will probably recognize some of the names of the well-known Ingebrigtsen brothers from this year’s top ten. Here we find names like Henrik, Filip and Jakob [the names of the three Norwegian brothers who have all also been European 1500-metre champions, ed.],” Ouren said.

The brothers' youngest sister is named Ingrid -- a name which is also in the 2019 top 10.

Jakob Ingebrigtsen. Photo: AFP

"Ada Hegerberg and the Ingebrigtsen brothers help to give these names attention, and it may be enough that parents are reminded of these names on television," Ivar Utne, an associate professor at the University of Bergen’s Department of Linguistic, Literary and Aesthetic Studies, told NRK.

This year's list is also in keeping with trends in recent years, Utne added.

“Parents now like short and old names with a lot of vocal sound. Many go for names that were almost extinct, beautiful names that were in use 100-120 years ago. This is something parents often look for,” he said.

Top ten names in Norway in 2019:

Girls:

• Emma (393)
• Nora/Norah (379)
• Sofie/Sophie (326)
• Ella (319)
• Olivia (303)
• Ada 291)
• Sofia/Sophia (271)
• Sara/Sarah/Zara (265)
• Maja/Maia/Maya (260)
• Ingrid (258)

Boys:

• Jakob/Jacob (423)
• Lucas/Lukas (392)
• Filip/Fillip/Philip/Phillip (387)
• Oskar/Oscar (358)
• Oliver (353)
• Emil (347)
• Henrik (339)
• William (333)
• Noah/Noa (314)
• Aksel/Axel (311)

Most popular by county:

• Østfold: Maja/Lucas
• Akershus: Ella/Jakob
• Oslo: Nora/Mohammad
• Hedmark: Emma/Oliver
• Oppland: Emma/Lucas
• Buskerud: Nora/Oskar
• Vestfold: Sofie/William
• Telemark: Sofie/Håkon
• Aust-Agder: Nora/Henrik
• Vest-Agder: Nora/Noah
• Rogaland: Emma/Filip
• Hordaland: Emma/Jakob
• Sogn og Fjordane: Maja/Isak
• Møre og Romsdal: Emma/Kasper
• Trøndelag: Emma/Oliver
• Nordland: Emma/Oskar
• Troms: Ingrid/Jakob
• Finnmark: Emilie/Oskar

READ ALSO: Norway's most popular kids' names in 2018