The most popular, top 100 baby boy and girl names in New Zealand, for every year since 1954, makes for interesting reading.
Compiled and recorded by the Department of Internal Affairs, it’s fascinating to see how popular names have changed over the decades.
Top 10 boys names
The top 10 boys names over the last 120 years in New Zealand are: John, David, William, James, Michael, Robert, Peter, Thomas, Andrew and Paul.
Top 10 girls names
The top 10 girls names over this same time period are: Margaret, Mary, Elizabeth, Sarah, Patricia, Susan, Helen, Jennifer, Christine and Karen.
Top names from 1955 – 1975
If you were born in the 50’s, 60’s or 70’s see if you can find your name, or no doubt a few of your friends or classmates from school.
It’s interesting to see how much the names have changed if you then check out the top baby names for 2020. None of the most popular names above even feature. But there are some wonderful new, but actually old fashioned additions.
Girls names
1955
- Susan
- Christine
- Margaret
- Judith
- Jennifer
- Karen
- Patricia
- Mary
- Linda
- Barbara
- Elizabeth
- Robyn
- Wendy
- Helen
- Heather
- Lynette
- Anne
- Sandra
- Diane
- Carol
1960
- Susan
- Karen
- Christine
- Julie
- Deborah
- Sandra
- Donna
- Jennifer
- Elizabeth
- Wendy
- Sharon
- Joanne
- Linda
- Robyn
- Judith
- Mary
- Helen
- Margaret
- Patrica
- Debra
1965
- Karen
- Susan
- Sandra
- Michelle
- Joanne
- Donna
- Deborah
- Sharon
- Tania
- Julie
- Christine
- Jacqueline
- Tracey
- Linda
- Wendy
- Helen
- Elizabeth
- Angela
- Nicola
- Kim
1970
- Lisa
- Michelle
- Karen
- Rachel
- Joanne
- Nicola
- Tracey
- Angela
- Tania
- Deborah
- Tracy
- Kim
- Sarah
- Sharon
- Paula
- Donna
- Julie
- Fiona
- Susan
- Andrea
1975
- Sarah
- Nicola
- Angela
- Lisa
- Michelle
- Rebecca
- Rachel
- Melanie
- Natasha
- Amanda
- Joanne
- Kylie
- Tania
- Karen
- Andrea
- Katrina
- Vanessa
- Kim
- Megan
- Kelly
2020
- Isla
- Charlotte
- Amelia
- Olivia
- Willow
- Harper
- Ava
- Lily
- Sophie
- Ella
- Mia
- Isabella
- Mila
- Chloe
- Emily
- Lucy
- Grace
- Ruby
- Aria
- Hazel
Boys names
1955
- John
- Peter
- David
- Michael
- Robert
- Paul
- Stephen
- Keven
- Christopher
- Ian
- Mark
- Richard
- William
- Brian
- Bruce
- Murray
- Alan
- Anthony
- Wayne
- James
1960
- David
- Peter
- Michael
- John
- Stephen
- Mark
- Paul
- Robert
- Christopher
- Kevin
- Anthony
- Richard
- Ian
- Craig
- William
- Gregory
- Wayne
- Andrew
- Grant
- James
1965
- David
- Michael
- Paul
- Peter
- John
- Andrew
- Mark
- Stephen
- Richard
- Robert
- Christopher
- Craig
- Darren
- James
- Anthony
- Grant
- Wayne
- Shane
- Steven
- Gregory
1970
- Jason
- Michael
- David
- Andrew
- Paul
- Mark
- Stephen
- Craig
- Christopher
- Richard
- John
- Peter
- Shane
- Robert
- James
- Steven
- Matthew
- Simon
- Anthony
- Grant
1975
- Michael
- Andrew
- David
- Mark
- Jason
- Daniel
- Matthew
- Paul
- Richard
- James
- Christopher
- Craig
- Robert
- Aaron
- John
- Nicholas
- Steven
- Stephen
- Scott
- Shane
2020
- Oliver
- Jack
- Noah
- Leo
- Lucas
- George
- Charlie
- Thomas
- William
- Hunter
- Elijah
- Cooper
- James
- Lachlan
- Theodore
- Arlo
- Mason
- Liam
- Oscar
- Hudson
References:
- Most Popular Male and Female First Names Te Tari Taiwhenua | Department of Internal Affairs
- Top baby names of the past 120 years RNZ Jan 1 2020
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