Emma, Noah and Sam were the most popular names for Dutch children in 2022

Emma, Noah and Sam were the most popular children's names selected in 2022. Last year, 677 girls were given the name Emma, and 871 boys were given the name Noah.

Noah was also at the top in 2020 and 2021. Emma was in third place last year. The most popular gender-neutral name is Sam, with 581 babies getting this name in 2022. It was the first time that category was announced by the Social Insurance Bank.

After Emma, the name Julia was the most popular for girls, as it was chosen 655 times, according to the annual overview. Another 624 girls were given the name Mila, which wound up in third place.

Among the boys, Liam was in second place on the names list, having been used 666 times. Third place went to Luca, which was slightly lower at 664.

On the list of gender-neutral names, Isa was in second with 377 children getting thatname. That was followed by Bo, with 305.

According to Gerrit Bloothooft, an onomologist at Utrecht University, Noah and Emma have been popular in many European countries for years. "It is striking that after the successes of Max Verstappen, his first name has not become more popular," said Bloothooft.

"For boys, the Arabic name Zayn and the Old Testament name Boaz seem to be rising, just like for girls - also internationally - Luna and the Irish name Maeve."

In 2022, more than 168,000 babies were born in the Netherlands up to and including November 2022. The figures include more than 86,000 boys and more than 82,000 girls.

Top 10 most popular girls’ names in the Netherlands in 2022

1. Emma
2. Julia
3. Mila
4. Sophie
5. Olivia
6. Yara
7. Saar
8. Nora
9. Tess
10. Noor

Top 10 most popular boys’ names in the Netherlands in 2022

1. Noah
2. Liam
3. Luca
4. Lucas
5. Mees
6. Finn
7. James
8. Milan
9. Levi
10. Sem

Top 10 most popular gender-neutral names in the Netherlands in 2022

1. Sam
2. Isa
3. Bo
4. Jip
5. Lou
6. Charlie
7. Noa
8. Dani
9. Quinn
10. Bowie