European Baby Names

When it comes to choosing a baby name, inspiration can come from all around the world. With its different cultures, traditions, and history, Europe is home to some of the most beautiful and meaningful names.

Here at La Coqueta, our collections marry modern traditionalism with Spanish nostalgia. Creating luxury children’s clothing from newborn to age 10, we strive to represent all ages, lifestyles, and nationalities. With this in mind, we analysed baby name data from Office from National Statistics (ONS) to discover how various European cultures have influenced recent* baby name choices in England and Wales. Read on to find out more…

Our research included analysing 180 baby names in total – 90 boy names and 90 girl names – including those with French, German, Greek, Irish, Italian, Russian, Scandinavian, Scottish, and Spanish origins. Here’s what we found:

Top European Baby Names Overall

Overall, based on the names with the highest counts in 2020, the 50 most popular European-inspired baby names include:

Overall Rank	Name	Gender	Origin	2020 Gender Rank	2020 Name Count
1	Henry	Boy	German	11	2,868
2	Charlie	Boy	German	12	2,810
3	Finley	Boy	Irish	16	2,613
4	William	Boy	German	20	2,215
5	Isabella	Girl	Italian	8	2,052
6	Freya	Girl	Scandinavian	12	1,982
7	Ella	Girl	German	16	1,887
8	Elsie	Girl	Scottish	19	1,772
9	Charlotte	Girl	French	20	1,732
10	Evelyn	Girl	French	21	1,709
11	Max	Boy	French	33	1,585
12	Sophie	Girl	Greek	26	1,525
13	Alice	Girl	German	27	1,432
14	Louis	Boy	French	52	1,186
15	Maisie	Girl	Scottish	41	1,094
16	Penelope	Girl	Greek	44	1,020
17	Bonnie	Girl	Scottish	45	1,015
18	Chloe	Girl	French	46	980
19	Hallie	Girl	Scandinavian	49	954
20	Scarlett	Girl	French	50	942
21	Emma	Girl	German	60	816
22	Ellie	Girl	Greek	67	772
23	Finn	Girl	Irish	73	757
24	Margot	Girl	French	80	652
25	Charles	Boy	German	88	646
26	Leon	Boy	French	93	620
27	Austin	Boy	French	105	571
28	Clara	Girl	French	90	570
29	Maeve	Girl	Irish	94	547
30	Zoe	Girl	French	107	473
31	Robert	Boy	German	125	439
32	Leonardo	Boy	German	128	428
33	Beau	Boy	French	131	419
34	Eloise	Girl	German	129	386
35	Lydia	Girl	Greek	136	366
36	Nina	Girl	Spanish	145	350
37	Paisley	Girl	Scottish	146	349
38	Anastasia	Girl	Russian	148	341
39	Connor	Boy	Irish	158	335
40	Rocco	Boy	Italian	163	326
41	Cora	Girl	Greek	153	326
42	Zoya	Girl	Russian	162	312
43	Lorenzo	Boy	Italian	179	298
44	Cole	Boy	French	183	291
45	Athena	Girl	Greek	184	270
46	Xander	Boy	Greek	200	255
47	Xavier	Boy	Spanish	205	245
48	Otto	Boy	German	211	241
49	Kiara	Girl	Irish	217	219
50	Nico	Boy	Italian	232	210

Names with German, French, and Irish origins are currently the top choices for European-inspired baby names. In 2020, 14,824 babies were given one of the 20 German names analysed, 12,290 were given one of the 20 French names analysed, and 5,653 were given one of the 20 Irish names analysed. Following the top 3 included Greek (5,305), Scottish (4,706), Italian (3,954), Scandinavian (3,768), Russian (1,649), and Spanish (1,412).

Top Girl Names

Based on the names with the highest counts in 2020, the 10 most popular European-inspired baby girl names include:

Gender Rank	Name	Origin	2020 Gender Rank	2020 Name Count
1	Isabella	Italian	8	2,052
2	Freya	Scandinavian	12	1,982
3	Ella	German	16	1,887
4	Elsie	Scottish	19	1,772
5	Charlotte	French	20	1,732
6	Evelyn	French	21	1,709
7	Sophie	Greek	26	1,525
8	Alice	German	27	1,432
9	Maisie	Scottish	41	1,094
10	Penelope	Greek	44	1,020

Names with German, Scottish, French, and Greek origins all featured twice in the top 10 for baby girl names, with Italian and Scandinavian making up the remainder. A variety of influences made up the top spots, with Isabella, Freya, and Ella making the top 3.

Top Boy Names

Based on the names with the highest counts in 2020, the 10 most popular European-inspired baby boy names include:

Gender Rank	Name	Origin	2020 Gender Rank	2020 Name Count
1	Henry	German	11	2,868
2	Charlie	German	12	2,810
3	Finley	Irish	16	2,613
4	Wiliam	German	20	2,215
5	Max	French	33	1,585
6	Louis	French	52	1,186
7	Finn	Irish	73	757
8	Charles	German	88	646
9	Leon	French	93	620
10	Austin	French	105	571

German and French were most popular influences for baby boy names, with both featuring 4 times. Irish making up the remainder, featuring twice. Classic German names were particularly popular for boys, including the royal monikers Henry, William, and Charles.

Top Names By Country of Origin

As well as looking at the most popular names overall and by gender, we also analysed the figures based on each name’s country of origin. Here’s what we found:

Origin	Top Girl Name	2020 Name Origin	Top Boy Name	2020 Name Count
French	Charlotte	1,732	Max	1,585
German	Ella	1,887	Henry	2,868
Greek	Sophie	1,525	Xander	255
Irish	Maeve	547	Finley	2,613
Italian	Isabella	2,052	Rocco	326
Russian	Anastasia	341	Erik	130
Scandinavian	Freya	1,982	Jensen	191
Scottish	Elsie	1,772	Lennox	112
Spanish	Nina	350	Xavier	245