I have to admit that I love looking at the "most popular names" lists from around the world. I find it fascinating to see what is considered popular or de rigueur in other countries. Take Fabian, for example. He may seem rarefied to many Brits, but in Austria he is positively common at #15, and isn't doing too badly at #39 in Chile.
So many times I come across names on these lists that are similar in sound or style to popular British names but are almost unknown here. What a wonderful mine of untapped names!
So, with that in mind, here are some popular names from 2010 popularity ranks from the Netherlands that provide interesting posibilities. The country's main language is Dutch, with Frisian as another official language.
We use them; they love them:
Fleur — 12 / 499
Indy — 71 / 695 (Indie ranks #695, Indy ranks #1587)
Isis — 76 / 758
Jill — 85 / 4012
Luna — 31 / 526
Lynn — 13 / 3156
Maud — 18 / 2589
Noa — 9 / 910
Robin — 79 / 1389
Romy — 55 / 801
Rosalie — 53 / 664
Tess — 14 / 499
Vera — 45 / 1180
Casper — 83 / 364
Damian — 64 / 314
Finn — 15 / 131
Jasper — 32 / 152
Jesse — 10 / 189
Julian — 17 / 311
Levi — 7 / 144
Robin — 42 / 361
Tim — 6 / 2199
Wesley — 85 / 531
* Green represents the 2010 ranks in the Netherlands, orange represents the 2010 ranks in England and Wales.
Short forms and diminutives:
Anouk — While we may use Annie, the Dutch use Anouk as their pet form of Anne, and like Annie, it is also used popularly as a stand-alone name. Annika and Aniek / Anniek (ann-eek) are found as variant forms.
Cato (kah-to)— As a form of Catherine, the Dutch Cato gives Katie an edgy -o makeover. Nienke (neen-kə), the Frisian short form, is even more popularly used (also in the spelling Nynke).
Fenne (fen-nə) — Fenne, also spelt Fenna, is a short form of Frederika. Both were in the Top 60 in 2010.
Fiene (fee-nə) — A diminutive of Jozefien, equivalent to Josie or Posy.
Isa (ee-sah) — The short-form of Isabella that makes an intriguing alternative to Izzy and Bella.
Sanne (san-nə) — Equivalent to Suzy. One of the popular Dutch forms of Susanna, alongside Suus and Suze. Sanna is also found as a varient spelling.
Fedde (fed-də) — A Frisian diminutive of names that begin with the Germanic Frid- . It therefore makes an interesting parallel to Freddie.
Rens — This name evolved as a short form of Laurens and Emerens.
Sander — A popular Dutch diminutive of Alexander that puts a twist on Xander.
Sepp — While Brits take the first sound from Joseph, creating Joe, the Dutch use the second syllable.
Thijs (tiyse) — The short form of Mattijs, the Dutch form of Matthias.
Similar sound or style:
Bo — Interestingly, Bo ranks at #50 for girls in the Netherlands and Beau at #368. It can be considered unisex, as Bo for boys ranks at #269 and Beau ranks #148, but there were certainly more girls called Bo registered in 2010. Bo would fit with the many popular "o-sound" names in the UK Top 100 such as Chloe, Sophie, Lola, Zoe and Rose, but if it feels too short as a full name, it could be used as a nickname for Bonnie, Ebony, Deborah, Bronwen, Isabeau, Roberta etc.
Britt — Britt is a variant of Birgitta, ranking highly at #29 in the Netherlands, that would make a swift and sleek inheritor to Britney. It would also work well as a nickname for Bridget.
Feline (fay-lee-nə) — This feminine form of Felix contains both the popular el (Ella, Bella, Felicity) and een (Georgina, Josephine, Selina) sound, making it a different but relatable choice. If the spelling is too reminiscent of the vocabulary word, the Late Latin spelling Felina is an option.
Lieve (lee-və) — This originated as a short form of Godelieve, the Dutch form of Godeliva (God's love). With a sound that falls somewhere between the UK Top 50 favourites Eva, Leah and Olivia, this one feels like it could make an interesting variation.
The similar sounding Lieke (lee-kə) is a very popular short form of Angelique that currently ranks at #7 in the Netherlands.
Lisanne (lee-san-ə)— This combination of Lisa and Anne is perhaps the one that would make the easiest transition to British shores.
Madelief — A popular Dutch name meaning "daisy". This not only fits in nicely with the hugely popular British trend of flower names, it also sounds remarkably like Madeleine, and would render the highly popular nickname Maddie.
Meike (miy-kə) — A Dutch pet-form of Maria that feels like a feminine form of Michael, and a sound-alike friend of Maya/Maja/Miya. Another variation is Mieke (mee-kə).
Merel — Means "blackbird" in Dutch. Its easy sound falls between Laurel and Meryl and its avian meaning makes a great sister-name for Lark, Wren, Jonah and Corbin.
Myrthe (meer-tə) — A Dutch name meaning "myrtle" which sounds close to the popular Martha. Mirthe is a popular alternate spelling.
Sterre — A Dutch name meaning "star" and therefore, equivalent to popular choices Stella and Seren.
Dex — Currently #136 in the Netherlands. With Max and Dexter in the UK Top 100, Dex seems only a small step away.
Dylano — Dylan ranked at #50 in the Netherlands in 2010 with the coinage Dylano at #96. It seems like the Dutch have given popular Dylan a revamp.
Gerrit — This is a Dutch form of Gerard or Gerald that also sounds much like Garrett.
Hendrik — Dutch cognate of the popular classic Henry, with the added reminiscent feel of Jimi Hendrix.
Niels — This popular short form of Cornelius makes an easy jump from Neil or Niall.
Olivier — Tired of the super-popular Oliver? Try this Dutch variant.
Roan — This feels like it is a variation of Rowan and Rohan, but it is in fact a variant of Ronne, a Frisian name formed from the Germanic raban "raven".
Sem — #1 in the Netherlands currently. A biblical name that fits in with Sam and Seb.
Tygo — A Dutch form of the Latin Tycho: the name of a Greek saint and Danish astronomer. It ultimately derives from the Greek τυχή (tykhe) "fortune" or "fate". Sound-wise it lies somewhere between Top 200 favourites Tyler and Hugo.
Willem — William is a classic, but if you were looking for something a little bit different this Dutch cognate is just waiting to be snapped up. The quirky Pim is used as a nickname in Holland.
Something a bit different:
Femke (fem-kə) — A popular Top 10 name in Holland that is thought to be a pet form of Frederika. The alternate form Famke also coincides with the Frisian for "little girl".
Quinty — At #92, this seems a strangely quirky addition to the most popular names in the Netherlands. But considering the boys' rank contains Quinten at #67 and Quinn at #110, this perhaps could be seen as a feminine variant.
Renske (ren-skə) — A feminine form of Rens (see above).
Silke (sil-kə) — A Dutch diminutive of Cecilia.
Veerle (veer-lə)— Dutch form of the Old Germanic name Farahild, composed of the elements faran "to travel" and hild "battle".
Joris (yoh-ris) — The Dutch and Frisian form of the classic George.
Koen (koon) — Koen, and Coen are short forms of Koenrad, the Dutch Conrad.
Lars — At #14, Lars is a popular Dutch diminutive of Laurence that is mostly untouched in the UK.
Milan — Not only an Italian city but also a name derived from the Slavic mil "gracious". It ranks at #3 in the Netherlands.
Stijn (steen) — A pet form of any name ending with the element e.g. Augustijn and Constantijn.
There will be more Name Nabbing posts to come in the future.
