Top baby names in the Netherlands in 2022: is your name on the list?

On the hunt for a unique name to give your baby? 24Baby has dropped their predictions for the most popular baby names in the Netherlands for 2022!

Just like last year, baby names with only one to two syllables are still one of the Dutch’s most beloved choices for boys and girls. Short and sweet!

Laughing-baby-wrapped-in-white-towel
Awww, look at this cutie! Image: Depositphotos

Beyond this, international baby names continue to climb the ranks — with Italian and Scandinavian names picking up some steam!

Italian names 

Italian names are becoming all the rage this year in the Netherlands. So there’s a good chance you’ll meet more Sofias and Matteos in the future. 

Whether you have Italian roots or simply love the sound of romantic and beautiful baby names, like Aurora and Tommaso, they’re good options if you want to keep up with the trends.

Scandinavian influences

This year, the Dutch have also taken a look at their northern neighbours when deciding on baby names.

Scandinavian baby names tend to have a short and rugged sound to them. For boys, the names Sverre and Vigo are swiftly becoming more fashionable amongst Dutchies.

And for the girls, Liv and Elin will be seen more often throughout your typical Nederlandse families. (Looks like we’ll be getting plenty of little Vikings this year!)

Meaningful baby names

International names aside, another trend is gaining swift popularity amongst parents in the Netherlands.

It’s the idea that the meaning behind your name can have some influence on who you will become as a person. Like Nora which means ‘light’, or Liam,  which means ‘strong-willed warrior’. 

Many Dutch parents-to-be seem to be aware of this, which is probably why baby names with a little bit of a deeper meaning attached to them are becoming more popular.

Girl baby names in the Netherlands

father-and-mother-hands-cupping-feet-of-newborn-baby
Are these the baby feet of a little Mila? Or maybe of a Zoe? Image: Depositphotos

In the 2022 list of top baby girl names in the Netherlands, Julia and Tess are moving up the ladder, but Mila continues to be number one.

Short (and sweet) girl names with four letters and one syllable, such as Saar (Sara), Juul (Julia), and Noor (Nora), are experiencing a swing in popularity this year too.

Meanwhile, what do the biblical names like Sara, Eva, and Anna have in common? They all end with an ‘a’! It’s no secret that these names have been popular for quite some time — and they’re expected to keep their high-ranking status in 2022.

What’s more, Arabic names ending with an ‘a’, like Yara and Nora, are also catching the eye of more and more Dutch parents.

Top 10 girl baby names in the Netherlands for 2022

Yes, yes, we’ll give you the full ranking! Without further ado, here are the predicted top ten baby names for Dutch girls in 2022:

  • Mila
  • Tess
  • Julia
  • Emma
  • Nora
  • Zoe
  • Liv
  • Sara
  • Yara
  • Sophie

Boy baby names in the Netherlands

photo-of-parents-kissing-smiling-baby-boy-on-cheek-both-cheeks-in-a-park
A big kiss for the baby boy! Image: Depositphotos

This year, parents are seemingly looking to give their boys a name with a little extra toughness, like Jake, Max, and Mason — since everyone loves a bad boy (or so they say). 

The Jacks, James, Jakes, and Jaydens of the world are expected to make leaps too as boy names starting with the letter ‘j’ become more trendy. 

Also, old Dutch or Frisian boys’ names are popping up more, with names like Jurre, Jesse, and Jelte climbing the ranks.

And, at last, traditional Dutch boys’ names, like Noah, Sem, and Liam will retain their popularity. 

Top 10 boy baby names in the Netherlands for 2022

But what are the top 10 baby boy names in the Netherlands? Well, we won’t keep you waiting any longer.

  • Sem
  • Liam
  • Noah
  • Finn
  • Lucas
  • James
  • Milan
  • Noud
  • Daan
  • Mees

We don’t know about you, but all of these want to make us say ‘schattig‘ (cute)!

Did you spot your name somewhere in there? Let us know in the comments if you did, or even if you didn’t!

Feature Image: Tatiana Syrikova/Pexels

Kavana Desai
Kavana Desaihttps://medium.com/@kavanadesai
Coping with the aftermath of her 3-year stint in the Netherlands, Kavana is a writer, content creator and editor for DutchReview. Hailing from India, she frequently blogs about the Netherlands, being Indian in the Netherlands, and everything in between. She envisions herself to one day be the youngest person to win that Nobel Prize for Literature (she is also not very humble but welcomes only constructive criticism). In the meantime, she fills her days with writing for DutchReview, writing her master's thesis on art theft, and writing fiction that will hopefully see the light of day soon.

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5 COMMENTS

  1. nobody wanted me to name my baby Saskia Victoria. I did anyways. Everyone here in the US (northern VA area) love it!!!

  2. My husband is from the Nertherlands and our daughter named her daughter Holland! We love it. Not a popular name here in the States, but is so special to our family and people here seem to love it as well 😀

  3. My father came to the U.S. from the Netherlands during WWII when he was 17 years old. During the war my father married an American, and after the war he returned to Holland with his young, pregnant wife and their 2 yr old son. My father and his family returned to America and my father eventually became a U.S. citizen. What does this have to do with your article on names? Well, I found it interesting that in the Top 10 Baby Boy-Names for 2021 the last name listed was Bram. Bram is the last living Uncle that I have over in Holland. His wife Hermien passed on in January of 2021. My father was the middle boy between two brothers and two sisters. Along with their spouses I had a total of 8 Aunts and Uncles. Today I got a copy from my mother the death notice of my Aunt Minie (Hermien). She was the youngest at age 87, being Bram’s wife. I didn’t plan to look here tonight on Dutch Review… it was just a sequence of events online that led me here tonight! Thank you! I will come back to Dutch Review more often! – Linda (Veenstra) Marchand

  4. I find it interesting that Bram is a popular name in the Top 10. I have an uncle in the Netherlands named Bram, yet he was born in 1932. I was led to Dutch Review tonight while searching the web about the name Emile. A friend who knows I’m half Dutch (American born and raised) wondered if his name was popular in Holland. I see Emile is not, but my uncle Bram’s name still is! Thank you for this article. Bram recently lost his wife and he is my last remaining uncle of my 8 aunts and uncles in Holland! I will look at Dutch Review more often!

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