We recently shared the top baby names U.S. parents loved the most in 2018, but aren’t you curious as to what the most popular ones in the Philippines are? The Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) released an infographic of the most common baby names in 2017.
Most popular baby names
The most popular baby name for girls in 2017 was Althea, with 2,215 registered with the name. It also topped the list in 2016. For boys, Nathaniel remains to be the most popular name for the third consecutive year, with 2,453 boys registered with the name. (In 2016, 3,414 boys were named Nathaniel. In 2015, there were 6,507!)
The popularity of Nathaniel may be largely credited to a local TV show where the central character was an angel with the name. But it may also be because religious figures are a constant source of inspiration for Filipino parents. The top 10 names for boys are all related to Christianity (in the Bible, Bartholomew Nathaniel is one of Jesus’ 12 apostles).What other parents are reading
Here’s the complete list of the most popular baby names of 2017, as well as their meanings:
Boys
Nathaniel
Origin: Hebrew
Meaning: Gift of God
James
Origin: Hebrew
Meaning: One who follows
Jacob
Origin: Hebrew
Meaning: Supplanter
Angelo
Origin: Italian
Meaning: Messenger
Joshua
Origin: Hebrew
Meaning: The Lord is my salvationWhat other parents are reading
Gabriel
Origin: Hebrew
Meaning: God is my strength
Christian
Origin: Greek
Meaning: Follower of Christ
John Mark
Origin: Hebrew (John) and Latin (Mark)
Meaning: God is gracious (John) and warlike (Mark)
Nathan
Origin: Hebrew
Meaning: Given
Daniel
Origin: Hebrew
Meaning: God is my judgeWhat other parents are reading
Girls
Althea
Origin: Greek
Meaning: With healing power
Angel
Origin: Greek
Meaning: Angelic
Princess
Origin: English
Meaning: Word name
Samantha
Origin: Hebrew
Meaning: Told by God
Angela
Origin: Latin
Meaning: AngelADVERTISEMENT - CONTINUE READING BELOWWhat other parents are reading
Sophia
Origin: Greek
Meaning: Wisdom
Sofia
A variant of Sophia.
Andrea
Origin: Greek; Meaning: Strong
Ashley
Origin: English; Meaning: dweller near the ash tree
Janella
Origin: English, a variant of Jane
Meaning: God is graciousWhat other parents are reading
The PSA also listed the most popular names per region. Nathaniel is most popular in CAR (Cordillera Administrative Region) and Regions I and II. In NCR and Region III, the most popular name for boys is Jacob. For CALABARZON, it’s Gabriel.
James is popular in 9 regions and mostly in Visayas and Mindanao. Angelo is the most popular name in Region XII. Mohammad (also spelled Muhammad), who is the founder of Islamic religion and whose name means praiseworthy or glorified, is the most popular name for boys in the ARMM region.
For girls, Althea is the most popular baby name in 7 regions. Ashley is the top pick for CAR, while Princess is most common in Region II. Samantha is popular in NCR and Region III.What other parents are reading
The name Angel is popular in 4 regions — Region I, V, VI, and IX. Its variant, Angela, is popular in Region XII.
Morjannah, possibly a variant of Marjanah and which means coral or precious stone is the most popular baby name in ARMM.
Are you expecting this December? They say babies born on this month are extra special. What do you plan to name your babies, moms? Share it with us in the comments!CONTINUE READING BELOWwatch now
