Top baby boy names in NZ for 2019
Naming your son is possibly the single most important thing you’ll do that will affect his entire life. Do you name him after your beloved grandfather? Do you follow the royal family trends? Or, do you choose something unique, different, but still recognisable?
Every year, these ‘top ten baby name’ lists appear, but they don’t give you much information. There are so many factors that can influence the list. Here, we’ve given you figures on how many babies have been given that name, and some background on how NZ collates this information.
Things to know about New Zealand favourite baby boy names
The Department of Internal Affairs manages NZ’s baby name data. It collects all the information and makes it public for all Kiwis, so you can use it to help you make decisions when choosing your child’s name. There are a few things you need to know about this list though.
- It doesn’t include names where less than ten people have opted for it. So, it’s not a complete list of every name that year.
- The department doesn’t include registrations where the sex was from not recorded or was indeterminate
- When the birth date is not recorded, the data is not published.
While the vast majority of names and information is there, it’s not everything. This can go some way to explaining why the numbers on this list don’t match up exactly with all the birth numbers in NZ.
Top-ranking boys names in 2019
In 2019 (as 2020 data is not published yet) there were 469 boy names that made the list which was down from 478 the previous year. So, here are the top-ranking boy’s names in NZ in 2019 according to the Department of Internal Affairs and how many babies were given that name. For instance, in 2019, there were 335 boys called Oliver.
Name Number of instances
|
Oliver |
335 |
|
Noah |
297 |
|
Leo |
257 |
|
Jack |
251 |
|
Lucas |
247 |
|
George |
232 |
|
William |
210 |
|
James |
210 |
|
Thomas |
202 |
|
Charlie |
192 |
|
Arlo |
180 |
|
Hunter |
178 |
|
Liam |
175 |
|
Mason |
175 |
|
Theodore |
169 |
|
Oscar |
164 |
|
Ethan |
162 |
|
Elijah |
157 |
|
Lachlan |
154 |
|
Henry |
149 |
|
Max |
145 |
|
Hudson |
144 |
|
Cooper |
143 |
|
Alexander |
140 |
|
Luca |
136 |
|
Jackson |
134 |
|
Jacob |
131 |
|
Carter |
129 |
|
Benjamin |
127 |
|
Levi |
125 |
|
Archie |
123 |
|
Finn |
121 |
|
Harrison |
121 |
|
Joshua |
119 |
|
Arthur |
118 |
|
Isaac |
117 |
|
Samuel |
116 |
|
Harry |
115 |
|
Beau |
110 |
|
Hugo |
110 |
|
Lincoln |
104 |
|
Ryan |
104 |
|
Caleb |
101 |
|
Theo |
101 |
|
Eli |
100 |
|
Asher |
99 |
|
Felix |
99 |
|
Daniel |
96 |
|
Luke |
96 |
|
Logan |
95 |
|
Archer |
93 |
|
Ezra |
92 |
|
Riley |
90 |
|
Joseph |
90 |
|
Blake |
87 |
|
Harvey |
86 |
|
Jaxon |
85 |
|
Grayson |
85 |
|
Xavier |
81 |
|
John |
78 |
|
Louie |
78 |
|
Jayden |
78 |
|
Jasper |
77 |
|
Austin |
75 |
|
Braxton |
74 |
|
Toby |
73 |
|
Connor |
73 |
|
Ryder |
73 |
|
Matthew |
73 |
|
Nathan |
72 |
|
Roman |
72 |
|
Sebastian |
72 |
|
Angus |
70 |
|
Jordan |
70 |
|
Louis |
69 |
|
Edward |
65 |
|
Tyler |
64 |
|
Adam |
63 |
|
Ashton |
63 |
|
Luka |
62 |
|
Zion |
61 |
|
Wyatt |
61 |
|
Charles |
60 |
|
Bodhi |
59 |
|
Isaiah |
59 |
|
Ezekiel |
59 |
|
Dylan |
59 |
|
Aiden |
57 |
|
Michael |
56 |
|
Zachary |
53 |
|
Micah |
51 |
|
Harley |
51 |
|
Flynn |
51 |
|
Phoenix |
50 |
|
Reuben |
50 |
|
Gabriel |
49 |
|
Elliot |
49 |
|
Nikau |
48 |
|
Leon |
48 |
|
David |
48 |
|
Frederick |
48 |
|
Alex |
47 |
|
Quinn |
47 |
|
Fergus |
47 |
|
Nico |
47 |
|
Parker |
46 |
|
Beauden |
46 |
|
Tobias |
46 |
|
Mikaere |
46 |
|
Aaron |
46 |
|
Otis |
45 |
|
Ari |
45 |
|
Lewis |
45 |
|
Spencer |
44 |
|
Maxwell |
44 |
|
Patrick |
44 |
|
Kingston |
44 |
|
River |
44 |
|
Sione |
43 |
|
Brodie |
43 |
|
Alfie |
43 |
|
Jesse |
43 |
|
Kayden |
42 |
|
Muhammad |
41 |
|
Jake |
41 |
|
Ollie |
40 |
|
Marcus |
40 |
|
Jett |
40 |
|
Boston |
39 |
|
Andrew |
39 |
|
Nixon |
38 |
|
Elias |
38 |
|
Vincent |
38 |
|
Kobe |
37 |
|
Miles |
37 |
|
Oakley |
37 |
|
Israel |
37 |
|
Malachi |
36 |
|
Owen |
36 |
|
Frank |
36 |
|
Billy |
36 |
|
Jeremiah |
35 |
|
Nathaniel |
35 |
|
Freddie |
35 |
|
Fletcher |
35 |
|
Kiaan |
35 |
|
Robert |
35 |
|
Manaia |
34 |
|
Cohen |
34 |
|
Jax |
34 |
|
Ayaan |
34 |
|
Reign |
34 |
|
Niko |
34 |
|
Sonny |
33 |
|
Keanu |
33 |
|
Tommy |
33 |
|
Aarav |
33 |
|
Mateo |
32 |
|
Finley |
32 |
|
Axel |
32 |
|
Cole |
31 |
|
Rory |
31 |
|
Maverick |
31 |
|
Evan |
31 |
|
Tyson |
31 |
|
Alfred |
31 |
|
Christopher |
30 |
|
Peter |
30 |
|
Jude |
30 |
|
Lennox |
30 |
|
Jamie |
30 |
|
Remy |
30 |
|
Josiah |
30 |
|
Abel |
29 |
|
Walter |
29 |
|
Odin |
29 |
|
Declan |
29 |
|
Malakai |
29 |
|
Dominic |
28 |
|
Brody |
28 |
|
Mohammed |
28 |
|
Jonathan |
28 |
|
Julian |
28 |
|
Leonardo |
27 |
|
Ian |
27 |
|
Kyrie |
27 |
|
Hugh |
27 |
|
Cyrus |
27 |
|
Zane |
27 |
|
Rowan |
27 |
|
Cairo |
26 |
|
Elliott |
26 |
|
Aidan |
26 |
|
Chase |
26 |
|
Brooklyn |
26 |
|
Taylor |
26 |
|
Anthony |
26 |
|
Enzo |
25 |
|
Rico |
25 |
|
Rocco |
25 |
|
Cameron |
25 |
|
Lukas |
25 |
|
Tom |
25 |
|
Ted |
25 |
|
Ali |
25 |
|
Richard |
24 |
|
Jai |
24 |
|
Silas |
24 |
|
Reid |
24 |
|
Casey |
24 |
|
Albie |
24 |
|
Kyle |
24 |
|
Reef |
24 |
|
Te Ariki |
24 |
|
Rylan |
24 |
|
Lochlan |
23 |
|
Jaxson |
23 |
|
Tevita |
23 |
|
Hendrix |
23 |
|
Monty |
23 |
|
Victor |
23 |
|
Van |
23 |
|
Ryker |
22 |
|
Taika |
22 |
|
Maximus |
22 |
|
Onyx |
22 |
|
Knox |
22 |
|
Lorenzo |
22 |
|
Nate |
22 |
|
Francis |
22 |
|
Kade |
22 |
|
Ariki |
21 |
|
Christian |
21 |
|
Ivan |
21 |
|
Jay |
21 |
|
Albert |
21 |
|
Hayden |
21 |
|
Timothy |
21 |
|
Maddox |
21 |
|
Jonty |
21 |
|
Marley |
21 |
|
Otto |
20 |
|
Nicholas |
20 |
|
Zac |
20 |
|
Hamish |
20 |
|
Benji |
20 |
|
Tate |
20 |
|
Miller |
19 |
|
Vivaan |
19 |
|
Kauri |
19 |
|
Emmett |
19 |
|
Xander |
19 |
|
Rawiri |
19 |
|
Tristan |
19 |
|
Kian |
19 |
|
Myles |
19 |
|
Reyansh |
19 |
|
Seth |
19 |
|
Junior |
19 |
|
Cody |
19 |
|
Kairo |
19 |
|
Huxley |
19 |
|
Judah |
19 |
|
Eric |
18 |
|
Stanley |
18 |
|
Jeremy |
18 |
|
Johnny |
18 |
|
Carson |
18 |
|
Matteo |
18 |
|
Fox |
17 |
|
Atlas |
17 |
|
Franklin |
17 |
|
Sam |
17 |
|
Ronan |
17 |
|
Koa |
17 |
|
Wiremu |
17 |
|
Travis |
17 |
|
Fateh |
17 |
|
Heath |
17 |
|
Ivar |
16 |
|
Jonah |
16 |
|
August |
16 |
|
Rhys |
16 |
|
Darius |
16 |
|
Matthias |
16 |
|
Ace |
16 |
|
Kyro |
16 |
|
Ben |
16 |
|
Kabir |
16 |
|
Colton |
16 |
|
Ihaia |
16 |
|
Kylo |
16 |
|
Emerson |
16 |
|
Mitchell |
16 |
|
Raphael |
16 |
|
Manu |
15 |
|
Koby |
15 |
|
Jameson |
15 |
|
Zayn |
15 |
|
Adrian |
15 |
|
Kai |
15 |
|
Julius |
15 |
|
Kobi |
15 |
|
Wolf |
15 |
|
Vihaan |
15 |
|
Caden |
15 |
|
Conor |
15 |
|
Finlay |
15 |
|
Matai |
15 |
|
Zander |
15 |
|
Jason |
15 |
|
Zavier |
15 |
|
Marco |
15 |
|
Hadley |
15 |
|
Kane |
15 |
|
Kaden |
15 |
|
Romeo |
14 |
|
Yuvaan |
14 |
|
Emmanuel |
14 |
|
Leonidas |
14 |
|
Oskar |
14 |
|
Jairus |
14 |
|
Douglas |
14 |
|
Bowie |
14 |
|
Tamati |
14 |
|
Ruben |
14 |
|
Eden |
14 |
|
Bryn |
14 |
|
Manaaki |
14 |
|
Atticus |
14 |
|
Lucian |
14 |
|
Jimmy |
14 |
|
Anton |
14 |
|
Justin |
14 |
|
Taimana |
14 |
|
Gavin |
14 |
|
Tangaroa |
14 |
|
Bentley |
14 |
|
Mac |
14 |
|
Reeve |
14 |
|
Jed |
14 |
|
Zorawar |
14 |
|
Kendrick |
14 |
|
Viliami |
14 |
|
Rome |
14 |
|
Chance |
14 |
|
Gus |
14 |
|
Kaiser |
14 |
|
Tai |
13 |
|
Samson |
13 |
|
Cruz |
13 |
|
Kyson |
13 |
|
Simon |
13 |
|
Dexter |
13 |
|
Tane |
13 |
|
Andre |
13 |
|
Zachariah |
13 |
|
Gurfateh |
13 |
|
Sean |
13 |
|
Joel |
13 |
|
Coen |
13 |
|
Rio |
13 |
|
Ibrahim |
13 |
|
Cassius |
13 |
|
Kaiden |
13 |
|
Cayden |
13 |
|
Wesley |
13 |
|
Aston |
13 |
|
Callum |
13 |
|
Mack |
13 |
|
Bailey |
13 |
|
Marlo |
12 |
|
Amos |
12 |
|
Dustin |
12 |
|
Lachie |
12 |
|
Kye |
12 |
|
Easton |
12 |
|
Kit |
12 |
|
Zayne |
12 |
|
Nikora |
12 |
|
Zephyr |
12 |
|
Yuvraj |
12 |
|
Bjorn |
12 |
|
Agam |
12 |
|
Lockie |
12 |
|
Kieran |
12 |
|
Harlem |
12 |
|
Kiwa |
12 |
|
Taniela |
12 |
|
Weston |
12 |
|
Baxter |
12 |
|
Wolfgang |
12 |
|
Rupert |
12 |
|
Darcy |
12 |
|
Armaan |
12 |
|
Mark |
12 |
|
Tipene |
12 |
|
Zack |
12 |
|
Izaiah |
12 |
|
Orion |
12 |
|
Kevin |
12 |
|
Joe |
12 |
|
Storm |
12 |
|
Ash |
12 |
|
Ziggy |
11 |
|
Karter |
11 |
|
Yusuf |
11 |
|
Mohammad |
11 |
|
Dean |
11 |
|
Troy |
11 |
|
Raymond |
11 |
|
Moses |
11 |
|
Shivansh |
11 |
|
Abraham |
11 |
|
Tiaki |
11 |
|
Edison |
11 |
|
Zephaniah |
11 |
|
Stefan |
11 |
|
Damian |
11 |
|
Kingsley |
11 |
|
Jordie |
11 |
|
Hezekiah |
11 |
|
Aryan |
11 |
|
Bradley |
11 |
|
Carlos |
11 |
|
Alby |
11 |
|
Milan |
11 |
|
Kymani |
11 |
|
Jordy |
11 |
|
Jaden |
11 |
|
Kayson |
11 |
|
Nikolai |
11 |
|
Milo |
11 |
|
Eddie |
11 |
|
Solomon |
11 |
|
Kahurangi |
11 |
|
Everett |
11 |
|
Fred |
10 |
|
Kenneth |
10 |
|
Raiden |
10 |
|
Dallas |
10 |
|
Greyson |
10 |
|
Casper |
10 |
|
Jock |
10 |
|
Loki |
10 |
|
Jace |
10 |
|
Bruno |
10 |
|
Tama |
10 |
|
Ishaan |
10 |
|
Arnav |
10 |
|
Teddy |
10 |
|
Rocky |
10 |
|
Wilson |
10 |
|
Kohen |
10 |
|
Marlow |
10 |
|
Mathew |
10 |
|
Arie |
10 |
|
Omar |
10 |
|
Wolfe |
10 |
|
Arjun |
10 |
|
Bryson |
10 |
|
Haze |
10 |
|
Ansh |
10 |
|
Viaan |
10 |
|
Juan |
10 |
|
Rex |
10 |
|
Corbin |
10 |
|
Jethro |
10 |
|
Bronson |
10 |
See our top 1000 baby boy names or 40,000 names if you need more choices.
Up and coming baby boy names
There’s a lot of data around names that are becoming more popular. In the US, hip boy names like Genesis, Saint, Kairo, Watson, Kenzo, Jaxtyn and Kylo are rocketing up the charts. In general though, boys names are less prone to fashion changes than girls names; William, James, Thomas and Henry were popular 100 years ago too. This is reflected in naming conventions in the USA too, with Noah (first place), Liam (second place), William (fifth place) and James (ninth) all consistently in the top names chosen over the last ten years.
Names based on jobs, like Hunter, Mason, and Ranger hold perennial popularity. In NZ, there’s an increasing ‘Kiwi-ness’ being applied to names, as Te Reo becomes more widely accepted. Names like Matiu and Tamati, both Te Reo Māori translations for English names, are being embraced as part of our culture. Just ensure that if you’re not tangata whenua, you are aware of the cultural ramifications of choosing a Te Reo name.
Choosing a baby boy name is tough. So, take your time, peruse your family tree, do a lot of Googling, and find a name that feels right. Don’t feel like you have to make a choice before baby arrives either; take your time, meet your son, and get to know him and make sure the name fits. While there might be social pressure to name him instantly, you have two months before the Department of Internal Affairs needs his birth details, so don’t feel rushed.