The most popular baby names in the Netherlands during 2009 were Emma for girls and Daan for boys. The top 20 is released annually by the child benefit agency, which keeps a central record of all babies born in the country.
Emma pushes Sophie into second place, while Daan holds on to its top position. Traditional Dutch names are generally more popular than exotic imports. Jayden – recently popularised by Britney Spears’ younger son – and the Anglo-Saxon Tim have both fallen in popularity, from second and third place to fifth and seventh place respectively.
Popular girls’ names have a more international ring – Emma, Sophie, Julia, Lisa and Anne – though there are still some purely Dutch names high on the list, such as Lieke and Femke. The more unusual Noa has moved up a place to enter the top ten.
Longer names such as Wilhelmina or Johannes have fallen out of favour in the Netherlands. Among boys, monosyllabic names are the vogue – Daan, Sem, Tim, Lars, Bram, Max – while for girls, two-syllable names ending in ‘ah’ or ‘uh’ continue to be fashionable – Emma, Lieke, Lotte, Sanne, Anna, Sara.
Islamic names are conspicuous by their absence in the top 20, as are any other names distinctly originating from the country’s ethnic minorities – immigrant groups in the Netherlands are simply not large enough to make an impression on the top 20.
Baby in Dutch carrier bicycle - flickr / ubrayj02
Baby in Dutch carrier bicycle - flickr/ubrayj02
Email this Article
Printer-friendly version
Very interesting! Abdul, we have to find names from the existing ones, as any other wouldn't have a specific meaning. I was curious to know about the top Dutch baby names. Here's what I found:
DAAN, short Dutch form of Daniel:Gender: Masculine
Usage: English, Hebrew, French, German, Scandinavian, Polish, Czech, Spanish, Portuguese, Romanian, Slovene, Biblical, Biblical Greek
Other Scripts: Δανιηλ (Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: DAN-yul (English), dah-nee-EL (Hebrew), dan-YEL (French), DAH-nee-el (German), DAHN-yel (Polish) [key]
From the Hebrew name דָּנִיֵּאל (Daniyyel) meaning "God is my judge". Daniel was a Hebrew prophet whose story is told in the Book of Daniel in the Old Testament. He lived during the Jewish captivity in Babylon, where he served in the court of the king, rising to prominence by interpreting the king's dreams. The book also presents Daniel's four visions of the end of the world.
Due to the popularity of the biblical character, the name came into use in England during the Middle Ages. Though it became rare by the 15th century, it was revived after the Protestant Reformation. Famous bearers of this name include English author Daniel Defoe (1660-1731), Swiss mathematician Daniel Bernoulli (1700-1782), and American frontiersman Daniel Boone (1734-1820).
EMMA:Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, French, Italian, Finnish, Dutch, German, Ancient Germanic
Pronounced: EM-ə (English), E-mah (German) [key]
Originally a short form of Germanic names that began with the element ermen meaning "whole" or "universal". It was introduced to England by Emma of Normandy, who was the wife both of king Ethelred II (and by him the mother of Edward the Confessor) and later of king Canute. It was also borne by an 11th-century Austrian saint, who is sometimes called Hemma.
After the Norman conquest this name became common in England. It was revived in the 18th century, perhaps in part due to Matthew Prior's poem 'Henry and Emma' (1709). It was also used by Jane Austen for the central character, the matchmaker Emma Woodhouse, in her novel 'Emma' (1816).
I was informed by a friend from a certain part of the world where 'official names' do not exist that when people give birth to children, they create names for them. I find this system interesting and quite different from the dominant cultures of the world where people often select names from an official or well-known list to give to their kids.
When my child was born, I gave a name that was meaningful, easy to pronounce and beautiful. While researching the name, I found it had meanings in different cultures of the world -- Russian, Indian, Masai (Kenyan) and American. But I am from none of these cultures.