Can You Guess the World’s Most Surprising Hit Names? 🌍
Take a world tour of Nameberry visitors’ quirkiest favorites
Today on the blog, we take a deep dive behind the scenes at the most viewed names of the year in 25 countries all around the globe.
Nameberry’s real-time list of the most popular names on our site gives an excellent insight into what’s trending right now… if you live in one of our top countries for visitor numbers, like the US or the UK.
But if you don’t – or if you’re simply curious about tastes and trends in diverse locations – this is a real treasure trove of namenerdery (and one of my favorite posts to compile each year!)
Some of these Top 5 lists are fascinating for their variety – like Ghana’s blend of traditional Akan days names, modern English word names, trendy rising stars, and overlooked vintage gems.
Others are interesting for their distinctive style stamp: O-ending names for both genders in Brazil; long, lilting, A-ending girl names in Italy; double A boy names in India; names meaning “lion” in Pakistan (any insights, Berries?)
Challenge! Guess Nameberry’s Quirkiest International Hits 🌍
Beyond the Top 5, there are even more intriguing oddities to discover… Like the 12 quirky choices below, which each rank especially highly in one particular country (and often not the one you’d expect!)
I’ve done my best to dig into the backstory of these surprising global hits to explain why they might be attracting disproportionate interest from some parts of the world.
Important disclaimer: these explanations are just my best guess, and some are significantly more tenuous than others! If you have any insider insights, please share 🤗
How many of these surprisingly high-ranking names can you guess?
1
Rank? #1 for boys
Where? Romania
Why? The classical name of several saints venerated in the Eastern Orthodox Church, which is by far the biggest religious denomination in the country – over 70% of the population, according to the 2021 census.
This thorny Latinate option is also associated with a species of tree that is especially prevalent in the south of Romania.
2
Rank? #13 for girls
Where? Kenya
Why? Another overwhelmingly Christian-majority nation, spiritual word names like Hope, Faith, Patience and Blessing have long been favored in Kenya. But this more unusual virtue name ranks higher with our Kenyan visitors than any of those!
It’s actually mostly used in African nations like Kenya and Nigeria in its British spelling, but since we only had the US version in our database (now remedied!), it’s the five-letter variant that features here.
3
Rank? #2 for boys
Where? Czech Republic
Why? It seems that the Czechs are a nation of Star Wars fans! Czech megafan Petr Harmáček is the brains behind Harmy’s Despecialized Edition, a reconstruction of the original film trilogy without later special effects. And the 2021 Czech census even revealed the growth of Jediism as a religion.
In the US, this name is coming over from the Dark Side – climbing from outside the Top 1000 to not far below the Top 500 within the past decade.
4
Rank? #6 for girls
Where? Norway
Why? Short, sleek, strong girl names like Alma and Nora are very fashionable in all of the Nordic nations right now. This quirky choice has a cool, modern sound that fits right in – but it boasts deep historic roots.
Its soundalike sister also enjoys disproportionate popularity in Scandinavia, both in terms of Nameberry searches and for real in next-door neighbor Sweden.
5
Rank? #10 for boys
Where? Uganda
Why? Our Ugandan visitors love boy names starting with that cool Cal- syllable – both Caleb and Calvin also rank particularly highly there. And other unusual surname names attract disproportionate attention too: think Aldridge, Byron, Carlyle…
The Ugandan love of soccer may also play to this name’s advantage. A Mozambican player from the 1980s gave it a boost in his native country, perhaps inspiring other parents in the region.
6
Rank? #15 for girls
Where? South Korea
Why? This old-school French classic is white hot with our South Korean visitors, but the reason is something of a mystery!
K-pop star JUNNY released an album with a related name last year, and recently embarked on a European tour to promote it. Could that be the reason for this name’s surprising success?
7
Rank? #2 for boys
Where? Mexico
Why? The -iel ending is one of the coolest name sounds for boys in Spanish-speaking communities right now. It’s disproportionately popular in the US states that border Mexico, and the current Mexican Top 200 includes several stylish examples, such as Abdiel, Ezequiel and Uriel.
This name may not be as legitimately Biblical as those options, but it does have a fashionable sound and a fantasy namesake to lend it extra cachet.
8
Rank? #12 for girls
Where? Greece
Why? This rare floral name has been gaining attention on Nameberry lately, but it’s particularly popular with our Greek visitors. The sounds seem to appeal – three of our Top 5 most viewed girl names in Greece also start with A, including the similar Amalia.
What’s more, this elaborate vintage option ultimately derives from a Greek word, meaning “to sparkle”.
9
Rank? #9 for boys
Where? Belgium
Why? The two majority languages in Belgium are French and Dutch (or Flemish), the latter of which is spoken by around 59% of the population. You can see this split in the Belgian name stats: French names like Léon and Georges jostle with Dutch favorites like Lars and Gust, with cross-cultural Noah and Olivia at the top.
This cute Dutch short form, which is the equivalent of Ludo, is popular with Flemish parents – and I think it has real potential in English too! It boasts that cool long O vowel sound which is so stylish right now.
10
Rank? #8 for girls
Where? Bangladesh
Why? You might be more familiar with this light and lively Finnish option as a boy name, but it’s technically unisex – and our Bangladeshi visitors view its female page about four times as often as the male page.
The reason could boil down to the two possible English transcriptions for the Bengali letter ভ: bh or v. Many people in Bangladesh are given two names: a “good name” (bhalo nam), which is the legal name used on official documentation, and a “calling name” (dak nam), an often unrelated nickname by which they are known day-to-day.
How many did you guess? Share your thoughts in the comments! 👇
I'm obsessed with this!! Can we do a quiz like this weekly please? So so fun. ♥️