Name statistics: First names given to newborns in 2009

Alice and Lucas make number one in 2009

Alice is the new top name on the list of the most popular first names for girls during 2009 while Lucas stays in first place among the boys. Alice has never topped the list before but has been in the top ten most popular names for girls since 2005. Lucas was number one in 2006 and 2008, and has been in the top ten most common names for boys since 2000.

The name Alice was given to 977 girls, corresponding to 1.8 percent of all names given to little girls. Second place was taken by Maja (870 girls), previously number one, while Ella came in third (810 girls), moving from last year's fourth place. Emma and Julia, who had second and third place in 2008, fell to fourth and seventh place respectively. The only new name for girls in the top ten list is Ebba, which took tenth place after moving up from 14th place. 

Lucas stayed in first place among boys (1 114 boys), corresponding to two percent of boys given names in 2009. Elias took second place (1 018 boys), up from last year's fourth place, closely followed by Oscar and William sharing third place with 1 010 boys given those names. Three new-comers made it to the top ten list: Oliver, Viktor and Axel. They knocked down Filip, Emil and Isak. 

Top names Alice and Lucas not as popular in the entire country

Of Sweden's 21 counties, Alice tops the list in seven counties, while Lucas tops the list in four counties. At the same time, William, sharing third place in total, has the top placing in six of the counties. In the Greater Stockholm and Greater Gothenburg areas, Alice and Oscar are the favourite names, while Maja and Elias top the list in Greater Malmö.

*In northern Sweden, Alice and Elsa share first place.

Many unusual names

The 53 600 girls who were given names in 2009 received 5 900 different names, while the 56 700 boys received 5 200 different names, if each spelling variation is counted as one name. Close to 3 900 girls and 3 400 boys received names, or at least spelling variations that were unique.

Ellie and Milo climbing the quickest

Ellie, Meja and Malva are those girls' names that have soared the most in popularity since 2008. Miranda, Hanna and Ingrid are the girls' names that have plummeted sharply at the same time. Among the boys, Milo, Charlie and Mio rose the most, while Marcus, Fabian and David took the greatest tumble.

Jennifer and Johan dropped out - Rut and Ruben entered the top 100

New on the top 100 list are the girls' names Vilda, My, Malva, Nicole, Greta and Rut. Among the new boys' names here we see Elton, Mio, Dante and Ruben. Those girls' names leaving their places on the top 100 list were Annie, Engla, Irma, Jennifer, Majken and Vendela. Among the boys leaving were Christoffer, Johan, Martin and Pontus. Johan was the most popular first name for boys during most of the 1970s and 1980s, but has now left the top 100 list.