The top baby names in Scotland for 2024 have now been released, with Noah and Olivia proving the most popular.
Noah was the most popular name for baby boys in 2022, while Olivia has been a top three name for baby girls in Scotland since 2008.
But how does that compare more locally? Do north and north-east parents also follow these trends?
We’ve looked at the top names given to newborns in Aberdeen, Aberdeenshire, Moray, the Highlands, Shetland, Orkney and the Western Isles, to see how things look more locally.
Data released today from the National Records of Scotland reveals all of the names given to babies across Scotland last year.
Council area data on baby names is only available when a name is registered to three or more babies.
Here’s the top baby names across each of the north and north-east’s local authority areas, and how they compare to the year before:
Top baby names 2024
Aberdeen
In 2024, Aberdonian parents picked Maya and Sophie for girls, and Noah for boys.
Other popular names included Ava and Daisy for girls and Jack, Muhammad and Oliver for boys.
In 2023, the top names were Charlotte and Isla, as well as Freya and Maisie for girls.
For boys, parents opted for Noah, as well as Alexander and Jack.
Aberdeenshire
Last year, parents of newborns in Aberdeenshire chose Freya the most for their baby girls, while they opted for Rory for boys.
Millie and Sophie were also popular picks for girls, while for boys it was Oliver and Theo.
In 2023, Aberdeenshire’s top names were Freya, Emily and Isla for girls.
For boys, it was James, Finlay and Brodie.
Moray
Last year Moray parents picked Rosie as their top choice for baby girls, while for little boys it was Finn.
Other popular choices included Isla and Evie for girls, and Harris, Jack and Theo for boys.
Meanwhile in 2023, new parents chose Isla, Charlote and Isabella as their favourite girls names.
For boys, there were six names which were joint most popular – Finn, Logan, Luca, Noah, Oliver and Sonny.
Highlands
Parents in the Highlands chose to name their baby girls Isla in 2024.
For baby boys, they picked Archie.
Other popular picks included Freya, Ella and Lily for girls and Angus, Finlay, Noah and Oliver for boys.
In 2023, the top names for girls were Ella, Isla, Elsie, Freya, Lily and Maisie.
For boys, parents picked Archie, Harris, Finlay and Rory.
Shetland
Shetland parents picked James and Theo for their top choices for newborn baby boys last year.
Less than three girls were given each name, so no baby name data for girls has been given for last year.
In Shetland, the most popular baby names of 2023 were James and Leo for boys.
No baby names for girls were released by the National Records of Scotland for 2023 due to low numbers of births.
Orkney
Parents in Orkney opted for Una and Zara as their top pick for baby girls, while for baby boys new parents chose Harry.
Last year, the top names for boys were Archie and Finn.
There wasn’t any names given for girls due to the small numbers of births in 2023.
Western Isles
In 2024, Orla was the most popular choice among new parents in the Western Isles for baby girls.
For baby boys, it was Alexander, Calum and Luke.
In 2023, the top choices for new parents were Isla and Lucy for girls, and James, Daniel and Lachlan for boys.
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