The Czech Statistical Office (ČSÚ) has recently released the most popular baby names given by parents in the Czech Republic in 2022. According to the report, boys’ and girls’ top two names remained consistent with previous years. Jakub and Eliška continued to dominate as the most favored names for newborns.
For boys, Jakub has been the most popular name for 12 consecutive years, followed closely by Jan. Jan, who was ranked second last year and has consistently been among the top ten most frequently given names for boys since 1950. On the other hand, Jakub reached the top ten for the first time in 1984. The third position in 2022 was secured by Matyáš, who has been in the top ten since 2010.
In terms of regional popularity, Jakub was the most popular name in all regions except for Královéhradecký, where Matyáš took the lead. Among girls, Eliška emerged as the top name in 11 regions, while Anna claimed the title in Prague and Plzeňský region, and Viktorie in Liberecký region.
Interestingly, the trend of multi-word names separated by spaces or hyphens has increased. While less than half a percent of boys and girls born in 1990 had multi-word names, the percentage has now grown to over 4% for boys and nearly 5% for girls in 2022.
The diversity of names has also increased over time. Since 2010, 29 girls’ and 25 other boys’ names have been among the top 20 rankings. Last year, out of every 1,000 girls, there were 80 different names, compared to 70 different names for every 1,000 boys. This level of diversity was not as common in the past.
It is worth mentioning that boys’ names are more likely to be inherited within families than girls’. Names like Antonín, Václav, and Jindřich are often passed down through generations, while Ludmila, Natálie, and Diana are commonly inherited among girls.
The choice of a baby’s name holds great significance, reflecting a country’s cultural and historical background. The popularity of names like Jakub and Eliška showcases the enduring appeal of traditional Czech names while embracing the growing trend of multi-word names in modern times.
As the years go by, the Czech Republic continues to witness the evolution of naming traditions, reflecting parents’ diverse and ever-changing preferences in welcoming their newborns into the world.