Germany's most popular baby names revealed

Hanna/Hannah is now the most popular name for girls, pushing last year’s first place of Emma into second. 

Noah has shot up the charts from fourth place into first, pushing 2018’s first-place getter Ben into second position. 

The list is compiled by the Society for the German Language (GfdS), with the 2019 figures released on Monday. 

READ: Germany's most popular baby names of 2018

In recent years, baby name charts have stayed relatively similar across Germany. 

But in 2019 some of the fixtures of previous lists have fallen from favour, including names like Marie, Sophie, Maximilian and Alexander which don’t feature in the new top ten at all. 

Germany's most popular baby names, broken down by region. Graph: DPA

‘Boys names are more colourful, more feminine’ 

Prof. Damaris Nübling told DPA that names for boys had become increasingly creative - and increasingly feminine - over the past few years. 

“The boy names are somewhat more colourful," said Nübling. “Their spectrum of vowels and consonants is significantly richer.”

Boys names have become more feminine since the 1990s, rather than the harder-sounding names which were common in the 1960s like Peter, Werner or Klaus. 

Instead, names finishing in an ‘a’ sound like Noah and Luka have become common place. 

‘Soft names still dominant for girls’

While the boys’ names may have trended in a more feminine direction in recent years, girls’ names have not headed in the opposite direction. 

Nübling says softer names still dominate for girls. In addition to Hanna, Mia (3), Emilia (4), Lina (6) and Mila (9) all feature on the list. 

‘Pets now get human names’

Another trend noticed by the Society has been the tendency for pet owners to christen their best friends with human names. 

"In the playground, you often don't know whether someone is calling the child or the dog,” Nübling told DPA.

Female dogs and cats are increasingly being called names like Maja, Emma or Lily, while male cats and dogs get names like Paul, Felix or Oskar.

“It used to be different,” Nübling said. 

"Dogs were often called Bello or Fiffi, Lumpi or Rex regardless of gender."

Top ten girls (position in previous year)

1. Hannah / Hanna (2)

2. Emma (1)

3. Mia (3)

4. Emilia (5)

5. Sophia / Sofia (4)

1. Noah (4)

2. Ben (1)

3. Paul (2)

4. Leon (3)

5. Louis / Luis (5)

6. Henry / Henri (8)

7. Felix (9)

8. Elias (7)

9. Jonas (6)

10. Finn (11)