I am so unbelievably blessed to cross paths with many babies at the very beginning of their journey here on Earth. As a photographer who’s primarily focus is newborns, I hear all sorts of baby names. One of my favourite parts of the job is getting “happy mail” from expecting parents announcing that their little one has arrived. I’m always eager to hear what baby’s name is. I remember scouring baby name books when I was expecting my three, trying to find the perfect name. I thought it would be fun to share the top 10 Canadian baby names of 2021 and see how they relate to the babies I photographed in 2021.
Amelia
This is such a pretty name, but looking back, I did not have an Amelia in the studio for 2021. Maybe that’s because I had multiple lockdowns and therefore my end number of babies was perhaps a bit less. In years past, I have photographed an Amelia or two and an Amalia actually.
Sophia
This is a name I was not shocked to see near the top. I’ve photographed so many Sophia/Sofias. It’s such a beautiful name. Funny story, when I was pregnant with my second and we didn’t know if it was a boy or a girl, my eldest used to call the baby Sophie. I have no idea how he came up with that name – he was only two! But if baby #2 happened to be a girl, maybe we would have used it.
Olivia
Again, not shocked. Olivia has really risen in popularity over these last few years and I’ve taken photos of 3 or 4 of them. It’s Latin for “olive tree”. Olivia is based on the Latin word oliva, meaning “olive.” In ancient Greece, the olive was a symbol of Athena as well as a token of peace and fertility, and olive wreaths were awarded to the winners at the Olympic games.
Aria
This one I was a little surprised by. It’s been a couple years since I’ve come across an Aria. It is from Hebrew or Italian origin meaning “air; song or melody; lion”.
Emma
This name has been hanging on the top 10 list forever, it seems. I can see why, it’s so lovely and I particularly like that it can’t really be shortened. WAY back when I was still in school, dreaming about one day having kids. This was my top girls name. I remember watching that episode of Friends were Rachel had her baby and they were deciding on her name. After they said Emma, I knew it would rise in popularity. We’re talking 2002, here.
Noah
Yup. Lots of Noahs have handsomely posed on the other side of my camera. For a boy, it means rest. (funny enough, Noah as a girl name means motion).
Jackson
Such a strong, classic name. I really like this. My mom had it on “my baby name list” when I was pregnant with my first. I think it was pretty popular back then as well.
Liam
I think out of all the boys names that I’ve photographed, this name has got to be the most popular. To be fair, I’m combining the full name, William with it.
Lucas
I’m not really shocked at any of the boys names chosen in the top 10 actually. This one included. Again, I think this name was on my mom’s wish list as well. Or it may have been Marcus. I’ll have to ask her.
Oliver
Olivia and Oliver both made the top 10 list. That’s so neat. And you may have guessed it, Oliver means “olive tree” as well. I’ve had at least one Oliver come for photos since I started my business back in 2014. It’s a strong, noble name and I really like it.
So there you have it. If you’re expecting, maybe this list has given you some ideas. Or maybe it’s swayed you away from a certain name due to its popularity. Maybe next year, if the list doesn’t change much I’ll compile my own list of favourite names. 🙂 If you want to read more, you can see the whole list of 100 top baby names in Canada for 2021 here.
Hope + Salt Photography specializes in natural newborn and baby photography in the Burlington, Oakville, Hamilton and Waterdown areas. For more information or to book a session contact me here!Follow me:
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