If you are set to give birth this month, would you give your child a Biblical name?
Millions of parents already have, and over the past 12 months, there has been a 272% increase in Google searches for “Christmas baby names” worldwide, according to Absolute Digital Media. The company ranked the top 209 festive baby names using Nameberry and Forebears to establish which festive baby name is most popular worldwide.
Can you guess what the No. 1 name is? No, it’s not Jesus – though approximately 3.7 million people around the world are named Jesus, with it being most prevalent in Mexico. It’s actually Maria, a derivative of the name of the Virgin Mary.
There are more than 61 million Marias out there, who are most commonly found in Mexico. The name Maria is of Aramaic, Latin origin meaning “drop of the sea, bitter or beloved.”
If you’re looking for a traditional first name for a boy, then David is most popular, ranking second in terms of festive names but 13th overall worldwide. The name David is of Hebrew origin meaning “beloved,” with approximately 13 million people worldwide with the name. You’ll also find the most boys with this name in the United States.
With approximately 11 million people named Michael around the world, it’s ranked the third most popular festive baby name. Most prevalent in the United States, the name Michael has a Hebrew origin meaning “who is like God?” In the Bible, Michael is the archangel who led the other angels to victory in a war against Satan.
The study also shows 54 of the most popular festive baby names in the world are most prevalent in the United States. Interestingly, new parents in Nigeria tend to choose festive baby names with 13 of the most popular names featured.
The Top 10 most popular names are:
- Maria
- David
- Michael
- Mary
- Joseph
- Elena
- Marie
- Emmanuel
- Mario
- Natalya
Read the full list here.
If you prefer a travel-themed name, check out this list of kids named after popular destinations. Or see which names are already trending for 2023.
