Olivia, Nour, Shakira: Belgium’s baby name trends in 2025

Olivia and Noah remain the most popular first names in Belgium in 2025, according to data from the Belgian statistical office Statbel, with marked variations between regions.

Olivia has topped the national rankings since 2019. A total of 564 baby girls were given this name in 2025, 33 more than in 2024. Emma remains in second place with 404 cases, compared with 455 in 2024, followed by Louise, with 403 newborns.

Olivia was the number one girl’s name in Wallonia in 2025 (197 births), ahead of Louise (165) and Emma (164), as well as in Flanders, with 325 births, ahead of Nora (223) and Ella (222). In Brussels, Nour takes the top spot for the first time with 60 births, ahead of Lina (56) and Sofia (52).

For boys, Noah tops the rankings for the fifth year running, with 604 children given the name in Belgium in 2025, 22 more than in 2024. Arthur is in second place with 537 registered names, and Jules takes third place with 503 newborns.

At a regional level, Gabriel is number one for Walloon boys for the first time with 292 births, well ahead of Arthur and Louis (178 each). In Flanders, Noah remains firmly in the lead for the second year running with 381 births, ahead of Jules (316) and Arthur (313). In Brussels, Adam (121 births) was the dominant male name and Mohamed comes second (98 births), followed by Gabriel (72).

Across the Belgian population as a whole, taking all ages into account, Maria remains the most common female first name, with 96,744 women having this name, ahead of Marie (81,989), Nathalie (39,501), Martine (38,829) and Anne (35,251).

Among men, Marc dominates with 59,491 men of that name, followed by Jean (55,413) and Patrick (48,596). These first names “embody a generation born mainly between the 1950s and 1970s”, said Statbel.

A study shows that a shift is taking place among younger generations: among those under 18, popular first names differ radically from those of previous generations. 

Some people have unusual first names, sometimes directly inspired by public figures. In Belgium there are 41 people named Love, 265 named Shakira, 22 named Zendaya and 299 named Denzel.

As for surnames, Peeters (30,169 occurrences), Janssens (27,391) and Maes (23,873) remain the top three.