mums abroad - what are the trendy new baby names in YOUR country

When we lived in Zambia many moons ago they used to like naming their kids after english words they liked the sound of.

A driver for the company my Dad worked for was called Golden Delicious which is pretty good! There were a lot of kids named after the day they were born on.

'Banda' is the Zambian version of 'Smith' as a surname, Dad still claims to have worked with a chap called Rubber with the afore mentioned surname. What a comedian.

I live in Asia, hwever in Thailand I know a Jennifer, a Chiara and a Nicole.

In Vietnam, I have met 2 little girls called Mary and Linda.

I don't know any Laotians with western names though.

In Greece the tradition is to name babies after their grandparents, but since most girls seem to be named Maria or Eleni, guess what tops the list when their grandchildren come along. For boys it's Nikos, Ioannis (John) or Yiorgos (George).

Sweden are definitely going through a retro phase. 10 yrs ago when my nephews were born, it was very much early 20th century:

Oskar, Lukas, Markus, Johannes, Jonatan, David, Alfred, Albert, Karl for the boys

Hannah, Sarah, Viktoria, Johanna, Ida, Emily, Lovisa, Beata for the girls

Now they seem to be moving into the mid-20th century: Edvin, Edvard, Doris, Ingrid. Basically, you see the same names on the birth announcements/christenings and the obituaries.

I can't wait to see the Fifties: Clarke, Elvis and the rest.

In Italy they all seem to name their children the same names, a lot of Saras and Alessandros for instance. You know, the sort where you call out to your kid in the park and everyone turns around because it's their name too....

Some people try to be trendy and use an English name, but usually from the naff end of the spectrum - at DD's nursery there's a Ralph and a Denise and a while ago there was a spate of Kevins and Brians. I suppose it's a bit like the adoption of names such as Luca and Bianca in certain British social circles.

Knowledge doesn't surprise me as a name at all. I think I've asked before and you've confirmed Cali that they're an African-American family.

So

Hope
Knowledge
Grace
Faith
Serenity
Gift

etc etc etc not at all unusual to me

I used to teach in a primary school in France and the most popular names seemed to be:

Boys
Florian
Aurelien
Jordan

Girls
Megane (like the car)

I'm in Germany Tickle. We went to Falster and then to Mon (with the dash through the "o"). Loved Mon. We spent our whole holiday muttering "why don't we live in Denmark all the time?!"

SSSandy we've been here 2.5 yrs now. Gorgeous small island right in the middle called Samsø. Love it here, but I do find the language tough!

Where are you, and where did you visit in DK?

Tickle, how long have you been living in Denmark? Just came back from Denmark two weeks ago, loved it there. Trying to nudge dh into moving there in fact.

Oops, I see Ernest already mentioned the "L" thing! Not just our village then!

LOL at "Knowledge"! Poor thing.

In my village in Swiss alps, it seems to be anything beginning with L: We have Leandro, Loraina, Luka and Leonie!

I think that the most pop names in German-speaking Switzerland last year were Leonie and David.

Wondering about the origin of the name Gunk. Is it Turkish perhaps?

Here in Germany, lots of children seem to have names considered here to be traditionally (specifically) Jewish like Hannah, Leah, Rebekka, Esther for girls and I've come across 5 boys called Levi.

An old lady told me a couple of weeks back that she noticed old-fashioned names were coming back into fashion - names like Leonard and Beatrix which were common when she was a girl.

yet our dd1 has an unusual ( but not weird name) and people want to spell it all sorts of ways and it is just as it sounds.

Eidsvold - I agree with your dh. Everyone seems to want to out do everyone else with the bizzare spellings. It's a nightmare when writing birthday cards.

most pop names I have seen used

ben
jack
harry
thomas
oliver

chloe
jessica
caitlin
emily

dh thinks the aussie way is to take a regular spelling, think of the most unusual and off the wall way to spell it and bingo - a baby's name.

The whole surname as a first name is popular here in Oz. At the playgroup I go to we have a Cooper, Spencer, Rhiley etc. DD goes to day care with a Tag (boy)!!?!

Boys in Aus

Joshua
Lachlan
Jack
Thomas
Ethan
James
Daniel
Nicholas
William
Benjamin

Girls in Aus

Emily
Jessica
Chloe
Isabella
Sarah
Sophie
Olivia
Georgia
Grace
Hannah

Here in Denmark, names have to be on the official church list, so nothing too outlandish... it takes a while to get a 'new' name on and I think you have to fight for it. Having said that, when we were naming ds2, Buddy was on the list. Woof woof.

Nature names are popular: Ask (Ash tree), Lærke (lark), Liv (life). Also old nordic: Asbjorn for a boy etc.

My designer sister in Melbourne has just called her baby Chilli. She has some friends with a gorgeous son called Lucky.

we're in northern France and there are at least two little boys called Enzo in the local paper's newborn baby column every week. i see from pizx3 that it is the sixth most popular boys name.

but, i mean, enzo? enzo?

agree with skerriesmum on the canadian names, along with connor, madison and findlay! Findlay, but I have heard it a few times now. THen there is the trend to make up names. Jayden is big. and my ds has a payden (boy) in his class.

Sydneygirl, I know an American couple who named their daughter Sydney, then ended up living there! They're saying they'll have to move before she starts school!
Poor Jamieson, that's a whiskey!

In Canada, the surname-as-first-name is popular, e.g. Cameron, Ryan, McKenzie, Logan. Ethan is also up there.

Oh and how could I forget the popular 'Jett'...!!!

In Aus they seem to love making up their own names. I know a girl called Tenielle...

There are also lots of children called Jayden, Lachlan, Jackson, Bailey, Kai.

Names popular in the UK are also popular here - Eva, Ava, Chloe, Charlotte etc etc.