It’s that time of the year again. A brand new year has just begun, allowing us the chance to look back on the past 12 months and reflect on some of the key events and popular trends of 2022 - from Google trends and the word of the year, to the most-streamed songs and artists. 

So, what about families in the Netherlands; which baby names proved most popular amongst new parents in 2022? While Noah has held on to the crown for boys' names, the real news is that Emma has reclaimed its spot as the most popular girls' name in the Netherlands in 2022!

Emma and Noah claim top spots on list of top Dutch names

Every January, the Dutch social insurance bank SVB (Sociale Verzekeringsbank) - which is responsible for paying out the Dutch child benefit - publishes a list of the most popular names in the Netherlands in the previous year. Overall, between January and November of last year, 168.526 babies were born, 86.108 of which were boys, and 82.418 girls, marking a slight drop compared to 2021.

Over the past several years, the top five for both boys' and girls' names have remained relatively unchanged, but 2021 managed to bring one surprise, as Julia rose to knock Emma off the top spot as the most common girl's name. In 2022, however, everything returned to the status quo, as Emma reclaimed the number one position. According to the SVB, 677 babies born last year were given the name Emma. 

As for boys' names, Noah has been revealed as the most popular for the fourth year in a row, although it does seem to have fallen in popularity slightly; while in 2021 945 newborns were named Noah, this number fell to 871 in 2022. 

Most popular boys and girls names in 2022

These are 2022’s most popular baby names in the Netherlands. 

Girls: 

1. Emma
2. Julia
3. Mila
4. Sophie
5. Olivia
6. Yara
7. Saar
8. Nora
9. Tess
10. Noor

Boys: 

1. Noah
2. Liam
3. Luca
4. Lucas
5. Mees
6. Finn
7. James
8. Milan
9. Levi
10. Sem

Find out how popular your name was last year on the SVB website.

Thumb: Alena Sli via Shutterstock.com.