Photo: iStock/LaylaBird
The province of Ontario has released the top names for babies born in 2020 and while the top spots are no surprise, there were a few upsets in the rankings further down the list.
Here are the top names for girls in Ontario for 2020:
1. Olivia 2. Charlotte 3. Emma 4. Amelia 5. Sophia 6. Ava 7. Isla 8. Chloe 9. Evelyn 10. Mia
First off, let's just congratulate Olivia for her remarkable staying power. This name has been the top baby name for girls for the past 11 years! Talk about a reigning champ. There are just masses of Olivias in all grade levels up to grade 6 at this point. Let's just say you could probably walk into most elementary school classrooms (or I guess pop into their zoom call, ugh) and find at least one Olivia sitting in there. It's iconic behaviour, honestly.
Charlotte beat Emma for the silver for the second year in a row, which, you know, good for her. She spent quite a few years in the bronze slot and is holding onto that silver like her life depended on it. Watch out Liv, Char is coming for ya.
As far as the rest of the field goes, there was some shuffling in the rankings, but mostly names we've seen before. That is, except for little Isla, who jumped ten spots going from 17th in 2019 to 7th in 2020. You go girl! However, this means that Abigail, who was 8th in 2019, seems to have been knocked out of the Top 10 by Isla's rise. Sorry friend, but you're off the list and that means you're nothing to us now. Just kidding! Big love to all the Abby's out there!
Now onto the boys:
1. Noah 2. Liam 3. Benjamin 4. Oliver 5. Jack 6. Lucas 7. Theodore 8. William 9. Ethan 10. Leo
After enjoying the top spot in 2017, losing it to Liam in 2018 and regaining it again in 2019, Noah was able to hold on to the No. 1 spot for 2020. While he doesn't have the consistency of the powerhouse that is Olivia, Noah's 2020 victory proves that it's hard to keep a true champion down. That being said, Liam has had a consistent run in the silver position so it wouldn't be surprising if the rivalry between these two continues to go back and forth in the coming years.
As for the rest of the field, we have two newcomers to the Top 10 list in Leo (who jumped from 17th in 2019 to 10th in 2020—not quite the jump that Isla made, but still impressive) and Theodore (who jumped from 13th in 2019 to 7th in 2020). Good job, boys! But two new names in the Top 10 means that two names were bumped, so condolences to Logan and James. These two held the 9th and 10th slots, respectively, in 2019, so it's not too surprising to see them slip off the list. Now, Ontario hasn't released the full data set yet, so they may be sitting pretty in 11th and 12th. We'll see!
Other hard falls include two Top 5 losses: Ethan, who fell from 5th in 2019 to 9th in 2020, and Lucas, who dropped from a nice bronze 3rd in 2019 to a 6th in 2020. Womp womp. Hopefully they can hang on to the Top 10, or perhaps this is just a sign of what is yet to come. Only time will tell.
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