In Switzerland one name really stands out. At the end of 2017, 84,100 people called Maria were living in Switzerland, a number that far outstrips the second most popular female name Anna (41,950), according to figures from the Federal Statistical Office.
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Part of Maria’s secret to success is its appeal in all of Switzerland’s linguistic regions – it comes comfortably top in all four regions. Male name popularity was more evenly spread across Daniel (62,460), Peter (59,400), Thomas (52,670) and Hans (52,570) and more mixed across linguistic regions.
The chart above shows the top five names by gender across Switzerland’s total permanent population at 31 December 2017. The names Peter and Maria were favorite baby names in 1957, Daniel rose to preeminence in 1977, and their legacy lives on.
Popular baby names in 2017
The most popular names given to new-borns in 2017 show that popularity doesn’t last forever. Among new-born baby girls, Maria didn’t even make the top 20. And among new-born baby boys, Daniel, Peter, Thomas and Hans were all absent from the top 20 list of boys names.
New kids on the block in 2017 are most likely to bear the names Emma (1st), Mia (2nd) or Sofia (3rd) if they are girls, and Noah (1st), Liam (2nd) or Luca (3rd) if they are boys. Noah has held the top spot for five years running, and Emma has featured in the top two for the last six years.
In 2017, Emma was a popular baby name among Switzerland’s German- (2nd), French- (1st) and Italian-speakers (2nd). Noah’s popularity was fairly universal too, coming first in German-speaking Switzerland, second in the Italian-speaking region and third among Switzerland’s French speakers.
More on this:
Swiss first names – interactive charts (in French) – Take a 5 minute French test now
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