Olivia tops Ontario's list of most popular baby girls name for 15th consecutive year — but why is it so popular?

The reign of the Olivias continues — especially in Ontario.

Elizabeth Di Filippo
·Lifestyle & Features Editor
Updated ·4-min read
baby girl
The name Olivia has been the most popular baby name for girls in Ontario for the last 15 years. (Image via Getty Images)

The reign of the Olivias continues — especially in Ontario. On Wednesday, the Ontario Ministry of Public and Business Service Delivery and Procurement released the top baby names of 2023, with Olivia taking the top spot for baby girls for the fifteenth year in a row. For boys, Noah came in first place for the fifth year in a row, with Liam coming in a close second.

While there were few surprises on the list for young parents, teachers and name aficionados, there were two names that made their debut to the list: Mila and Henry.

  1. Olivia

  2. Charlotte

  3. Amelia

  4. Emma

  5. Sophia

  6. Mia

  7. Sofia

  8. Ava

  9. Mila

  10. Isla

  1. Noah

  2. Liam

  3. Theodore

  4. Oliver

  5. Jack

  6. Lucas

  7. Benjamin

  8. William

  9. Leo

  10. Henry

In October, Statistics Canada released the top 10 most popular baby names in Canada from 2023. For the eighth year in a row, Olivia topped the name list for baby girls in Canada. However, while there were 1,650 Olivia's born in 2023, there were a combined total of 1,938 babies named Sofia or Sophia.

Noah has been the most popular baby name in Canada since 2021. It's followed closely by Liam, which was previously the most popular baby name for boys in Canada from 2012 to 2020.

Statistics Canada released the top baby names from 2023. (Image via Statistics Canada)
Statistics Canada released the top baby names from 2023. (Image via Statistics Canada)
Olivia remains the top name in Canada for the eighth year in a row. (Images via Getty Images)
Olivia remains the top name in Canada for the eighth year in a row. (Images via Getty Images)

In addition to Canada, the name Olivia has been the most popular go-to for girls in the United States for the past five years. Olivia has also been the top baby name for girls in the United Kingdom since 2016.

What's in a name? More specifically, what's in a name that makes Olivia so popular?

"Every generation needs to reinvent baby names," author Pamela Redmond, the co-creator and CEO of Nameberry tells Yahoo Canada. While some expectant parents may look at popularity as a factor in choosing a name for their baby, Redmond explains many focus on their lived experience. "They'll say, 'Well, I didn't grow up with an Olivia,' especially if they're first-time parents and they haven't been around other babies or other baby names."

According to Nameberry, Olivia grew in popularity thanks to Shakespeare's Twelfth Night; records of the name exist from 13th-century England. Gone With the Wind star Olivia de Havilland helped popularize the name in the U.S., along with actress and singer Olivia Newton John.

Present-day stars Olivia Munn, Olivia Wilde and Olivia Rodrigo have helped keep the name in mainstream media, as have characters Olivia Benson (Mariska Hargitay) from Law & Order: Special Victims Unit and Olivia Pope (Kerry Washington) in Scandal.

British-born actress Olivia de Havilland helped make the name popular in the United States. (Photo via John Kobal Foundation/Getty Images)
British-born actress Olivia de Havilland helped make her first name popular in the United States. (Photo via John Kobal Foundation/Getty Images)

Redmond shares that the resurgence of names like Charlotte and Liam are similar to what happened in the 1980s: For instance, the Royal Family — specifically, Princess Diana‚ influenced many baby names back then. The birth of Princes William and Harry (whose formal name is Henry) brought a "kind of combination of freshness and style to history and conservatism."

"Suddenly, it was cool again to be royal. Parents who maybe grew up in the '60s and '70s, there was a kind of hippie and ethnic naming. Now, it was suddenly like those names William, Henry, Elizabeth, Sarah — those time-honoured names — were fashionable again," Redmond explains. "Olivia and Charlotte and Liam — a form of William — are a continuation of that. Same, but different. It captures that historic royal classic name without being the same names that the parents grew up with or that their parents grew up with."

From Jennifer to Ashley, Michael to Jason, name trends, in the grand scheme of things, are always changing.

According to Statistics Canada, there were a few baby names that experienced a significant leap in popularity in 2023. For boys, the names Zayn, Ibrahim, Myles or Miles as well as Matteo all grew in popularity. For girls, names like Reheat, Kiara, Amira, Margot and Maeve became more popular.

Nameberry noted a similar trend for the names Margot and Maeve in the U.S. in 2023. Redmond says Margot is one name that stands out to her as the potential to become the next sgeneration's Olivia.

"It's a spin on Margaret and it's very stylish," she says. "I think it's a name that's just going to keep getting more popular. Maybe it doesn't grow in statistics because there are several spellings (Margot, Margo, Margeaux), so it might not seem as popular as it actually is."

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