Alberta
Alberta’s baby name superstar steals the show again
Olivia and Noah continue to reign as top baby names in 2023.
Olivia and Noah are once again topping the lists in Alberta, highlighting the enduring appeal of the names. Olivia maintains a record setting streak as the most popular girls name in Alberta for the 11th year in a row, while Noah remains top pick for boys’ names for a fifth consecutive year.
“Congratulations to those who welcomed a new addition to their family in 2023. Bringing a child into the world is a truly momentous occasion. Whether the name you chose was in the top 10 or one of a kind, these names are only the beginning of the endless possibilities that lie ahead for each child. I look forward to supporting this generation by ensuring Alberta remains a place where they can thrive.”
In choosing names for their new arrivals, parents appear to have found inspiration in a variety of places. Some parents may have been inspired by plants like Ivy, Rose, Juniper, Poppy, Azalea or in nature like Wren, River, Meadow and Flora.
Others may have taken a literary approach with names like Bennett, Sawyer, Juliet and Atticus or been inspired by notable names from religious texts like Eve, Noah, Mohammed and Gabriel.
As always, popular culture may have had an influence through famous musicians (Aretha, Lennon, Presley, Hendrix), athletes (Beckham, Crosby, Evander), and even fairytale princesses (Tiana, Jasmine, Aurora, Ariel, Belle).
Quick facts
- A total of 47,263 births were registered in Alberta in 2023
- Notable changes to the early 2020s lists:
- Evelyn rose to seventh place on the girls’ names list after tying for 19th place in 2022.
- Emily returned to the top 10 list for girls after taking a short break in 2021 and 2022 after a 10-year stretch in the top 10 that started in 2010.
- Violet has cracked the top 10 list for the first time in at least four decades, tying with Ava and Emily in ninth place.
- The top 10 boys’ names remain the same as last year but with a slight change in order.
- Historically, girls’ names that held the No. 1 spot for the longest consecutive time period include:
- Olivia: 11 years (2013-2023)
- Jessica: six years (1990-1995)
- Emily: five years (1998-2002)
- Historically, boys’ names that held the No. 1 spot for the longest consecutive time period include:
- Ethan: nine years (2001-2009)
- Liam: seven years (2010-2016)
- Matthew: five years (1995-1999)
- Noah: five years (2019-2023)
- Parents have up to one year to register their child’s birth. As a result, the list of 2023 baby names and birth statistics may change slightly.
Boys’ names and frequency – top 10 names 2018-23
(In brackets is the number of babies with each name)
Place | Boy Names (2023) | Boy Names
(2022) |
Boy Names (2021) | Boy Names (2020) | Boy Names (2019) | Boy Names (2018) |
1 | Noah (276) | Noah (229) | Noah (274) | Noah (239) | Noah (275) | Liam (225) |
2 | Liam (181) | Liam (176) | Jack (220) | Oliver (229) | Liam (234) | Oliver (212) |
3 | Oliver (178) | Theodore (173) | Oliver (208) | Liam (206) | Oliver (225) | Noah (199) |
4 | Theodore (173) | Oliver (172) | Liam (198) | Benjamin (182) | Ethan (213) | Ethan (188) |
5 | Jack (153) | Jack (159) | Theodore (191) | William (178) | Jack (198) | Logan (182)
Lucas (182) |
6 | Henry (146) | William (146) | William (174) | Jack (169) | William (185) | Jacob (181) |
7 | Lucas (140) | Benjamin (138) | Ethan (162) | Lucas (163) | Lucas (174) | William (178) |
Girls’ names and frequency – top 10 names 2018-2023
(In brackets is the number of babies with each name)
Place | Girl Names (2023) | Girl Names
(2022) |
Girl Names (2021) | Girl Names (2020) | Girl Names (2019) | Girl Names (2018) |
1 | Olivia (210) | Olivia (192) | Olivia (210) | Olivia (236) | Olivia (229) | Olivia (235) |
2 | Amelia (145) | Sophia (152) | Charlotte (166) | Emma (184) | Charlotte (188) | Emma (230) |
3 | Sophia
(138) |
Emma (149) | Ava (165) | Charlotte (161) | Sophia (181) | Charlotte (175) |
4 | Charlotte
(135) |
Amelia (133) | Emma (164) | Ava (159) | Emma (178) | Emily (164) |
5 | Emma (133) | Harper (125) | Amelia (161) | Sophia (151) | Ava (161) | Ava (161) |
6 | Isla (120) | Charlotte (117) | Sophia (137) | Amelia (145) | Amelia (159) | Abigail (153) |
7 | Evelyn (114) | Ava (115) | Isla (135) | Isla (133) | Emily (150) | Harper (150) |
8 | Chloe (101)
Violet (101) |
Isla (101) | Abigail (120)
Chloe (120) |
Emily (127) | Abigail (141) | Sophia (146) |
9 | Ava (99) Emily (99) |
Lily (100) | Evelyn (119) | Lily (123) | Hannah (137) | Amelia (145) |
10 | Hannah (98)
Hazel (98) |
Chloe (92) | Aria (112) | Abigail (114) | Elizabeth (124) | Elizabeth (130) |
Related information
Alberta
Alberta government should eliminate corporate welfare to generate benefits for Albertans
From the Fraser Institute
By Spencer Gudewill and Tegan Hill
Last November, Premier Danielle Smith announced that her government will give up to $1.8 billion in subsidies to Dow Chemicals, which plans to expand a petrochemical project northeast of Edmonton. In other words, $1.8 billion in corporate welfare.
And this is just one example of corporate welfare paid for by Albertans.
According to a recent study published by the Fraser Institute, from 2007 to 2021, the latest year of available data, the Alberta government spent $31.0 billion (inflation-adjusted) on subsidies (a.k.a. corporate welfare) to select firms and businesses, purportedly to help Albertans. And this number excludes other forms of government handouts such as loan guarantees, direct investment and regulatory or tax privileges for particular firms and industries. So the total cost of corporate welfare in Alberta is likely much higher.
Why should Albertans care?
First off, there’s little evidence that corporate welfare generates widespread economic growth or jobs. In fact, evidence suggests the contrary—that subsidies result in a net loss to the economy by shifting resources to less productive sectors or locations (what economists call the “substitution effect”) and/or by keeping businesses alive that are otherwise economically unviable (i.e. “zombie companies”). This misallocation of resources leads to a less efficient, less productive and less prosperous Alberta.
And there are other costs to corporate welfare.
For example, between 2007 and 2019 (the latest year of pre-COVID data), every year on average the Alberta government spent 35 cents (out of every dollar of business income tax revenue it collected) on corporate welfare. Given that workers bear the burden of more than half of any business income tax indirectly through lower wages, if the government reduced business income taxes rather than spend money on corporate welfare, workers could benefit.
Moreover, Premier Smith failed in last month’s provincial budget to provide promised personal income tax relief and create a lower tax bracket for incomes below $60,000 to provide $760 in annual savings for Albertans (on average). But in 2019, after adjusting for inflation, the Alberta government spent $2.4 billion on corporate welfare—equivalent to $1,034 per tax filer. Clearly, instead of subsidizing select businesses, the Smith government could have kept its promise to lower personal income taxes.
Finally, there’s the Heritage Fund, which the Alberta government created almost 50 years ago to save a share of the province’s resource wealth for the future.
In her 2024 budget, Premier Smith earmarked $2.0 billion for the Heritage Fund this fiscal year—almost the exact amount spent on corporate welfare each year (on average) between 2007 and 2019. Put another way, the Alberta government could save twice as much in the Heritage Fund in 2024/25 if it ended corporate welfare, which would help Premier Smith keep her promise to build up the Heritage Fund to between $250 billion and $400 billion by 2050.
By eliminating corporate welfare, the Smith government can create fiscal room to reduce personal and business income taxes, or save more in the Heritage Fund. Any of these options will benefit Albertans far more than wasteful billion-dollar subsidies to favoured firms.
Authors:
Alberta
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