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ArchivesRe: For Mike: most popular names Germany (Berlin)
in reply to a message by Perrine
After summing the numbers I'm a little surprised at how different the results are from Knud Bielefeld's.
The key differences in the source data are:
- [Knud] only includes first names, while [Berlin] includes first and middle names
- [Knud] applies to all Germany, while [Berlin] obviously only applies to Berlin
- [Knud] operates on a limited sample ("based on the publications of maternity clinics, maternity homes and registry offices in over 450 cities"), while [Berlin] is a near 100% sample for the city
- [Berlin] presumably gathers the names from birth certificates/official documents, not sure about [Knud]
For some years it is possible to distinguish first names from middle names in the Berlin data, but even if middle names are excluded there are still significant differences. For example, in Berlin Adam is ranked as the most popular name with 213 new bearers. However in Knud's data it is ranked #34. Could this be a regional difference?
Here are the results for 2022:
[Berlin]
1 Adam
2 Noah
3 Emil
4 Liam
5 Leon
6 Elias
7 Theodor
8 Leo
9 Levi
10 Felix
1 Emilia
2 Emma
3 Mia
4 Charlotte
5 Ella
6 Mila
7 Mira
8 Lina
9 Lea
10 Anna
[Knud]
1 Noah
2 Matteo
3 Elias
4 Finn
5 Leon
6 Theo
7 Paul
8 Emil
9 Henry
10 Ben
1 Emilia
2 Mia
3 Sophia
4 Emma
5 Hannah
6 Lina
7 Mila
8 Ella
9 Leni
10 Clara
The key differences in the source data are:
- [Knud] only includes first names, while [Berlin] includes first and middle names
- [Knud] applies to all Germany, while [Berlin] obviously only applies to Berlin
- [Knud] operates on a limited sample ("based on the publications of maternity clinics, maternity homes and registry offices in over 450 cities"), while [Berlin] is a near 100% sample for the city
- [Berlin] presumably gathers the names from birth certificates/official documents, not sure about [Knud]
For some years it is possible to distinguish first names from middle names in the Berlin data, but even if middle names are excluded there are still significant differences. For example, in Berlin Adam is ranked as the most popular name with 213 new bearers. However in Knud's data it is ranked #34. Could this be a regional difference?
Here are the results for 2022:
[Berlin]
1 Adam
2 Noah
3 Emil
4 Liam
5 Leon
6 Elias
7 Theodor
8 Leo
9 Levi
10 Felix
1 Emilia
2 Emma
3 Mia
4 Charlotte
5 Ella
6 Mila
7 Mira
8 Lina
9 Lea
10 Anna
[Knud]
1 Noah
2 Matteo
3 Elias
4 Finn
5 Leon
6 Theo
7 Paul
8 Emil
9 Henry
10 Ben
1 Emilia
2 Mia
3 Sophia
4 Emma
5 Hannah
6 Lina
7 Mila
8 Ella
9 Leni
10 Clara
2
Replies
Interesting!
It's definitely good that you didn't include middle names because then Marie and Sophie would win every time ;) Or maybe sometimes Maria. Germans love to add Marie and Sophie to everything (which is because Sophie sounds more like zo-FEE in German so the rhythm works with many names).
Yes, it's regional differences. Berlin is a huge city and more hipster and ahead of trends than the rest of Germany (getting Hamburg would be interesting too because it's big and trends are apparently starting in the North and then going down South).
Southern Germany is more conservative and Catholic and many names that are unfashionable everywhere else are still common there.
Berlin is also very international. I think Adam is so popular because of that. I have heard it used in many countries.
I think that's also why Anna is still so far up. And I think Mira is so popular because it works well in German and many other languages.
The trendy parts of Berlin are Mitte and the very first one that's listed (forgot the name) so they show trends quite well.
Thanks for your hard work!
Oh and Knud also combines spellings. I personally dislike it because he often combines names I wouldn't pronounce the same in German (Emily and Emilie) but then excludes names I would pronounce the same (Emely).
It's definitely good that you didn't include middle names because then Marie and Sophie would win every time ;) Or maybe sometimes Maria. Germans love to add Marie and Sophie to everything (which is because Sophie sounds more like zo-FEE in German so the rhythm works with many names).
Yes, it's regional differences. Berlin is a huge city and more hipster and ahead of trends than the rest of Germany (getting Hamburg would be interesting too because it's big and trends are apparently starting in the North and then going down South).
Southern Germany is more conservative and Catholic and many names that are unfashionable everywhere else are still common there.
Berlin is also very international. I think Adam is so popular because of that. I have heard it used in many countries.
I think that's also why Anna is still so far up. And I think Mira is so popular because it works well in German and many other languages.
The trendy parts of Berlin are Mitte and the very first one that's listed (forgot the name) so they show trends quite well.
Thanks for your hard work!
Oh and Knud also combines spellings. I personally dislike it because he often combines names I wouldn't pronounce the same in German (Emily and Emilie) but then excludes names I would pronounce the same (Emely).
This message was edited 2/3/2023, 11:10 PM
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Yes, the name ranking of Berlin is as different from average Germany as, say New York city from average USA. Berlin has a high quote of immigrants from all over the world living there, and it has also quarters populated with hipster communities and left-leaning people. This all contributes to the specific Berlin naming mix.
Adam is interesting in its own right: It is kind of cultural compromise between German and Muslim cultures, the name is meaningful to both of them. Charlotte may be boosted by the fact that one of the districts of Berlin is named Charlottenburg.
Adam is interesting in its own right: It is kind of cultural compromise between German and Muslim cultures, the name is meaningful to both of them. Charlotte may be boosted by the fact that one of the districts of Berlin is named Charlottenburg.
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