NZ Herald
  • Home
  • Latest news
  • Herald NOW
  • Video
  • New Zealand
  • Sport
  • World
  • Business
  • Entertainment
  • Podcasts
  • Quizzes
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Travel
  • Viva
  • Weather

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • New Zealand
    • All New Zealand
    • Crime
    • Politics
    • Education
    • Open Justice
    • Scam Update
    • The Great NZ Road Trip
  • Herald NOW
    • All Herald NOW
    • Ryan Bridge TODAY
    • Herald NOW Business
  • On The Up
  • World
    • All World
    • Australia
    • Asia
    • UK
    • United States
    • Middle East
    • Europe
    • Pacific
  • Business
    • All Business
    • MarketsSharesCurrencyCommoditiesStock TakesCrypto
    • Herald NOW Business
    • Media Insider
    • Business analysis
    • Personal financeKiwiSaverInterest ratesTaxInvestment
    • EconomyInflationGDPOfficial cash rateEmployment
    • Small business
    • Business reportsMood of the BoardroomProject AucklandSustainable business and financeCapital markets reportAgribusiness reportInfrastructure reportDynamic business
    • Deloitte Top 200 Awards
    • Deloitte Fast 50
    • Generate wealth weekly
    • CompaniesAged CareAgribusinessAirlinesBanking and financeConstructionEnergyFreight and logisticsHealthcareManufacturingMedia and MarketingRetailTelecommunicationsTourism
  • Opinion
    • All Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Editorials
    • Business analysis
    • Premium opinion
    • Letters to the editor
  • Politics
  • Sport
    • All Sport
    • OlympicsParalympics
    • RugbySuper RugbyNPCAll BlacksBlack FernsRugby sevensSchool rugby
    • CricketBlack CapsWhite Ferns
    • Racing
    • NetballSilver Ferns
    • LeagueWarriorsNRL
    • FootballWellington PhoenixAuckland FCAll WhitesFootball FernsEnglish Premier League
    • GolfNZ Open
    • MotorsportFormula 1
    • Boxing
    • UFC
    • BasketballNBABreakersTall BlacksTall Ferns
    • Tennis
    • Cycling
    • Athletics
    • SailingAmerica's CupSailGP
    • Rowing
  • Lifestyle
    • All Lifestyle
    • Viva - Food, fashion & beauty
    • Society Insider
    • Royals
    • Sex & relationships
    • Food & drinkRecipesRecipe collectionsRestaurant reviewsRestaurant bookings
    • Health & wellbeing
    • Fashion & beauty
    • Pets & animals
    • The Selection - Shop the trendsShop fashionShop beautyShop entertainmentShop giftsShop home & living
  • Entertainment
    • All Entertainment
    • TV
    • MoviesMovie reviews
    • MusicMusic reviews
    • BooksBook reviews
    • Culture
    • ReviewsBook reviewsMovie reviewsMusic reviewsRestaurant reviews
  • Travel
    • All Travel
    • News
    • New ZealandNorthlandAucklandWellingtonCanterburyOtago / QueenstownNelson-TasmanBest NZ beaches
    • International travelAustraliaPacific IslandsEuropeUKUSAAfricaAsia
    • Rail holidays
    • Cruise holidays
    • Ski holidays
    • Luxury travel
    • Adventure travel
  • Kāhu Māori news
  • Environment
    • All Environment
    • Our Green Future
  • Talanoa Pacific news
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Property Insider
    • Interest rates tracker
    • Residential property listings
    • Commercial property listings
  • Health
  • Technology
    • All Technology
    • AI
    • Social media
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
    • Opinion
    • Audio & podcasts
  • Weather forecasts
    • All Weather forecasts
    • Kaitaia
    • Whangārei
    • Dargaville
    • Auckland
    • Thames
    • Tauranga
    • Hamilton
    • Whakatāne
    • Rotorua
    • Tokoroa
    • Te Kuiti
    • Taumaranui
    • Taupō
    • Gisborne
    • New Plymouth
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Dannevirke
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Levin
    • Paraparaumu
    • Masterton
    • Wellington
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Blenheim
    • Westport
    • Reefton
    • Kaikōura
    • Greymouth
    • Hokitika
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
    • Wānaka
    • Oamaru
    • Queenstown
    • Dunedin
    • Gore
    • Invercargill
  • Meet the journalists
  • Promotions & competitions
  • OneRoof property listings
  • Driven car news

Puzzles & Quizzes

  • Puzzles
    • All Puzzles
    • Sudoku
    • Code Cracker
    • Crosswords
    • Cryptic crossword
    • Wordsearch
  • Quizzes
    • All Quizzes
    • Morning quiz
    • Afternoon quiz
    • Sports quiz

Regions

  • Northland
    • All Northland
    • Far North
    • Kaitaia
    • Kerikeri
    • Kaikohe
    • Bay of Islands
    • Whangarei
    • Dargaville
    • Kaipara
    • Mangawhai
  • Auckland
  • Waikato
    • All Waikato
    • Hamilton
    • Coromandel & Hauraki
    • Matamata & Piako
    • Cambridge
    • Te Awamutu
    • Tokoroa & South Waikato
    • Taupō & Tūrangi
  • Bay of Plenty
    • All Bay of Plenty
    • Katikati
    • Tauranga
    • Mount Maunganui
    • Pāpāmoa
    • Te Puke
    • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua
  • Gisborne
  • Hawke's Bay
    • All Hawke's Bay
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Havelock North
    • Central Hawke's Bay
    • Wairoa
  • Taranaki
    • All Taranaki
    • Stratford
    • New Plymouth
    • Hāwera
  • Manawatū - Whanganui
    • All Manawatū - Whanganui
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Manawatū
    • Tararua
    • Horowhenua
  • Wellington
    • All Wellington
    • Kapiti
    • Wairarapa
    • Upper Hutt
    • Lower Hutt
  • Nelson & Tasman
    • All Nelson & Tasman
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Tasman
  • Marlborough
  • West Coast
  • Canterbury
    • All Canterbury
    • Kaikōura
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
  • Otago
    • All Otago
    • Oamaru
    • Dunedin
    • Balclutha
    • Alexandra
    • Queenstown
    • Wanaka
  • Southland
    • All Southland
    • Invercargill
    • Gore
    • Stewart Island

Media

  • Video
    • All Video
    • NZ news video
    • Herald NOW
    • Business news video
    • Politics news video
    • Sport video
    • World news video
    • Lifestyle video
    • Entertainment video
    • Travel video
    • Markets with Madison
    • Kea Kids news
  • Podcasts
    • All Podcasts
    • The Front Page
    • On the Tiles
    • Ask me Anything
    • The Little Things
  • Cartoons
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / Lifestyle

Top 2020 baby names: Same name tops list eight years in a row

NZ Herald
7 Jan, 2021 04:17 AM3 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save
    Share this article
Oliver remains the most popular name given to boys for the eighth year in a row. Photo / 123rf

Oliver remains the most popular name given to boys for the eighth year in a row. Photo / 123rf

If you named your baby Oliver last year, you're not alone.

Oliver has taken the crown as the most popular baby name given to boys in New Zealand for the past eight years, according to the Department of Internal Affairs.

More than 300 babies were given the popular name in 2020, followed by the second most popular name for boys, Jack, and Noah, in third.

For girls, Isla topped the list, with 243 babies given the name.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Isla first made the top 100 girls' names in 2004 and 2020 is the first year it has topped the list.

Some parents may have been influenced by royals William and Kate.

Charlotte, the name of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge's daughter, was the second most popular girls' name, while the name of their older son, George, was the sixth most popular boys' name.

Amelia is the third most popular name for girls.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Nikau was the most popular Māori name for boys, with 63 babies given the name, followed by Manaia and Ari.

The first name of director Taika Waititi made the top 10 list of Māori names for boys at number nine.

Mia was the most popular Māori name for baby girls last year, with 162 babies given the name, followed by Aria and Maia.

Nikau and Mia remain the most popular Māori boys' and girls' names in 2020, having topped the list for the past several years.

Discover more

Lifestyle

Influencer denies spat over 'unique' baby name

05 Jan 10:47 PM
Black Caps

On top of the world! Black Caps move to World No 1 with crushing win

06 Jan 04:10 AM
New Zealand

Fundraising effort to help café owners after burglary surges past $20K goal

06 Jan 07:51 AM
Entertainment

'Forever and ever baby': Shortland Street couple get married

07 Jan 12:42 AM

Taylor and Darcy are the most evenly split gender-neutral names for 2020, with a 51/49 per cent divide between boys and girls.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Despite their presence in the media, the names Jacinda, Judith and Ashley didn't make the top 10 list.

A total of 17,749 different first names were given to 58,676 babies born in 2020.

In 2019, there were 18,816 different first names given to 61,018 babies.

Top 10 - Boy

1. Oliver
2. Jack
3. Noah
4. Leo
5. Lucas
6. George
7. Charlie
8= William
8= Thomas
10. Hunter

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Top 10 - Boy - Māori

1. Nikau
2. Manaia
3. Ari
4. Mikaere
5. Koa
6. Ihaia
7. Manaaki
8. Te Ariki
9. Taika
10= Mateo
10= Wiremu

Top 10 - Girl

1. Isla
2. Charlotte
3. Amelia
4. Olivia
5. Willow
6. Harper
7 = Ava
7= Lily
9. Sophie
10. Ella

Top 10 - Girl - Māori

1. Mia
2. Aria
3. Maia
4. Amaia
5. Kora
6. Kaia
7. Aroha
8. Anahera
9. Tiana
10. Kaea

Save
    Share this article

Latest from Lifestyle

Premium
Lifestyle

I left my own wedding to go to the pub. This is how I overcame my alcohol addiction

22 Apr 12:00 AM
Premium
Lifestyle

Hannah McQueen: What Kiwis get wrong about retirement village contracts, and what to know before you sign

21 Apr 07:00 PM
Premium
Lifestyle

You don’t really need to take vitamins – all they produce is expensive urine

21 Apr 06:00 PM

Sponsored

Sponsored: New homes draw people to inner city

20 Apr 08:31 AM
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from Lifestyle

Premium
Premium
I left my own wedding to go to the pub. This is how I overcame my alcohol addiction
Lifestyle

I left my own wedding to go to the pub. This is how I overcame my alcohol addiction

Telegraph: After years of blackouts, Della Galton was forced to confront her drinking.

22 Apr 12:00 AM
Premium
Premium
Hannah McQueen: What Kiwis get wrong about retirement village contracts, and what to know before you sign
Lifestyle

Hannah McQueen: What Kiwis get wrong about retirement village contracts, and what to know before you sign

21 Apr 07:00 PM
Premium
Premium
You don’t really need to take vitamins – all they produce is expensive urine
Lifestyle

You don’t really need to take vitamins – all they produce is expensive urine

21 Apr 06:00 PM


Sponsored: New homes draw people to inner city
Sponsored

Sponsored: New homes draw people to inner city

20 Apr 08:31 AM
NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • NZ Herald e-editions
  • Daily puzzles & quizzes
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Subscribe to the NZ Herald newspaper
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • NZME Digital Performance Marketing
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • NZME Events
  • © Copyright 2026 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP