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Baby names

26th Jan 2019

The MOST popular baby name in the world has been revealed, and it might not surprise you

Trine Jensen-Burke

When it comes to baby names, there are SO many great ones to choose from.

There are modern ones and crazy ones and hipster ones. And let’s not forget old lady ones and short ones and nickname ones.

But if you are currently expecting a little girl (nwahhh!), you might want to know about this one stunning baby girl name that is currently riding high in the charts all over the world – and is loved by everyone.

What is it, I hear you ask?

Sofia.

Maybe not all that surprisingly, Sofia is currently is the most used name for girls in more than 10 countries across the globe, including Mexico, Russia, Chile, Estonia and Slovakia. The name – and its variants like Sophia, Sofie and Sophie – also rocks top positions in in two-thirds of all countries that report baby name statistics.

This is what baby name expert Laura Wattenberg, who has conducted research by collecting baby names from 49 countries, had to say: “The dominance of this one name is stunning. The map below shows the popularity ranking of Sofia (or its most standard local equivalent: Sophia in the United States, Sofie in Norway, Zsófia in Hungary) among all names for newborn girls.”

Sophia-world-map-1200-px-labeled

Sofia is a popular choice, there is no doubt about that, but why is it trumping so many other names currently? Well, there are Hollywood legends like Sofia Loren and Sofia Vergara, of course. It is also easy to pronounce in many languages, it feel classic, yet fresh, and it is one of those names that sound equally perfect for a baby girl as it does a grown-up lady.

Keep in mind that the research might not even completely take into account the name’s full influence, as not all countries report baby name statistics – and some only report their top five or 10 names. What this means is that countries that appear as ‘unranked’ in Wattenberg’s research aren’t entirely accounted for—and considering Greece, the homeland of the name Sophia, is listed as ‘unranked,’ it’s pretty likely that the name is even more far-reaching than the findings suggest.

What do YOU think, mamas? Do you have a little Sofia in your life? Do YOU love the name? Let us know in the comments or tweet us at @Herfamilydotie