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