Swiss stick to tradition over baby names
Luca, Lea, Emma, Nicolas, Giulia, Matteo, Fadri and Anna are the most popular names for newborns in Switzerland’s four language regions.
Figures for 2004 also showed a significant increase in the number of births in the country for the first time in 15 years.
Lea and Luca remained the most favoured names for girls and boys in the majority German-speaking part of Switzerland last year, said the Federal Statistics Office on Tuesday.
Lea was chosen 301 times, putting it ahead of Anna and Laura, while Luca was top of the table for the eighth time since 1997. Noah and David came second and third.
Parents in the Italian-speaking region of Ticino also stayed with tried and tested names. They once again preferred Giulia and Matteo over Sara and Alessandro.
In the Romansh-speaking region Fadri was the most popular name for a boy and Anna for a girl.
Emma
However, for the first time in six years Léa has been pushed off the top of list in the French-speaking part of the country. It was replaced by Emma.
Nicolas was number one among the newborn boys, ahead of Thomas.
Overall, the Statistics Office said there were 73,082 births registered in Switzerland last year, an increase of 1,234 on 2003.
The office added that once again newborn boys outnumbered girls by 1,598, continuing a trend that started a few years ago.
It is also the first time in 15 years that the increase in births passed the 1,000-mark.
The office has been publishing a list of the most popular names in Switzerland since 1987.
swissinfo with agencies
The Federal Statistics Office has been publishing a list of the most popular names in Switzerland since 1987.
The figures are based on data provided by the official registry offices in the 26 cantons.
Luca and Lea are the most popular names in the German-speaking part of Switzerland.
Emma and Nicolas are top of the list in the French-speaking region.
Giulia and Matteo, Fadri and Anna were chosen most frequently in the Italian- and Romansh-speaking regions.
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