Alberta
Noah is back on top and no one can knock Olivia from her perch


From the Province of Alberta
Noah and Olivia most popular baby names in 2019
Noah was the most popular name for baby boys in Alberta in 2019, while Olivia continued to claim the top spot for baby girls.
Alberta families welcomed 51,598 babies in 2019 – 26,328 boys and 25,270 girls. Noah returned as the most popular boy’s name for the second time in three years, previously topping the list in 2017. For the sixth year in a row, Olivia was the most popular girl’s name.
Other popular names for boys were Liam, Oliver, Ethan and Jack, while Charlotte, Sophia, Emma and Ava rounded out the top five names for girls.
“One of the most memorable moments for me as a new father was when my wife and I chose the name for our son last fall. Choosing a name for your child is fun and exciting. I want to congratulate all new parents in Alberta and reassure them, as well as Albertans expecting a child in the near future, that we are working every day to make sure your children have a great future in a strong Alberta.”
Of the 13,718 different names recorded in 2019, some Alberta parents seem to have been inspired by popular culture, such as Game of Thrones (Khaleesi, Sansa, Brienne), Lord of the Rings (Arwen, Eowyn, Theoden), and Marvel comics (Loki, Rogue, Xavier-Charles).
Some Alberta parents also selected names referencing Greek (Artemis, Apollo, Persephone, Zeus) and Roman (Juno, Mars, Venus, Neptune) mythology, while others chose names referring to geographic locations (Arizona, Memphis, Salem, Jerusalem).
Quick facts
- Notable changes to the 2019 lists:
- Hannah reappeared on the Top 10 girls’ names list for the first time since 2014.
- Logan dropped to 12th place on the boys’ names list after appearing in the top five in 2017 and 2018.
- Harper dropped to 16th place on the girls’ names list after placing seventh in 2018.
- The highest annual birth count in Alberta remains 56,744, which was recorded in 2015.
- Parents have up to one year to register their child’s birth. As a result, the 2019 list of baby names and birth statistics may change slightly.
Alberta’s top baby boy names
(In brackets is the number of children with each name)
Place | Boy Names (2019) | Boy Names (2018) | Boy Names (2017) | Boy Names (2016) |
1 | Noah (275) | Liam (225) | Noah (250) | Liam (277) |
2 | Liam (234) | Oliver (212) | Liam (244) | Benjamin (252) |
3 | Oliver (225) | Noah (199) | Benjamin (229) | Lucas (247) |
4 | Ethan (213) | Ethan (188) | Logan (226) | Oliver (230) |
5 | Jack (198) | Logan (182)
Lucas (182) |
Lucas (216) | Noah (228) |
6 | William (185) | Jacob (181) | William (213) | William (213) |
7 | Lucas (174) | William (178) | Ethan (192) | Ethan (205) |
8 | Owen (167) | Benjamin (176) | Oliver (190) | Jack (197) |
9 | Benjamin (163) | Jack (167) | Jack (189) | Lincoln (192) |
10 | Jacob (162) | Alexander (158)
James (158) |
Jacob (178) | Owen (189) |
Alberta’s top baby girl names
(In brackets is the number of children with each name)
Place | Girl Names (2019) | Girl Names (2018) | Girl Names (2017) | Girl Names (2016) |
1 | Olivia (229) | Olivia (235) | Olivia (236) | Olivia (292) |
2 | Charlotte (188) | Emma (230) | Emma (215) | Emma (249) |
3 | Sophia (181) | Charlotte (175) | Charlotte (187) | Sophia (215) |
4 | Emma (178) | Emily (164) | Ava (184)
Sophia (184) |
Ava (207) |
5 | Ava (161) | Ava (161) | Emily (159) | Emily (187) |
6 | Amelia (159) | Abigail (153) | Abigail (154) | Charlotte (180) |
7 | Emily (150) | Harper (150) | Amelia (149) | Amelia (172) |
8 | Abigail (141) | Sophia (146) | Isabella (141) | Abigail (171) |
9 | Hannah (137) | Amelia (145) | Aria (129)
Chloe (129) |
Chloe (166) |
10 | Elizabeth (124) | Elizabeth (130) | Lily (127) | Aria (137) |
Alberta
Regulator gives Imperial weeks to plan fix for months-old oilsands tailings leak


Alberta’s energy regulator has given Imperial Oil until the end of the month to figure out a way to fix ongoing seepage at a tailings pond at its Kearl oilsands mine.
The Alberta Energy Regulator says a pond on the site north of Fort McMurray, Alta., has been seeping since May, releasing thousands of cubic metres of wastewater that contains toxins such as arsenic.
The seepage has been recorded both on- and off-site in areas near the tributaries of area rivers.
The regulator says there has also been overflow of tailings water from one of the system’s holding ponds.
It says there have been no wildlife or human impacts from the releases.
Imperial says it is working with the regulator to try and resolve the problem.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 8, 2023.
This is a corrected story; An earlier version said the seepage was considered to have got into tributaries to area rivers.
Alberta
Warren Foegele scores twice, Oilers beat Red Wings 5-2


By Larry Lage in Detroit
DETROIT (AP) — Connor McDavid extended his point streak to 13 games and Warren Foegele scored twice in the second period, helping the Edmonton Oilers beat the Detroit Red Wings 5-2 on Tuesday night.
Foegele, a fourth-round winger, had his first two-goal game of the season one game after he was a healthy scratch.
“It’s one of the best games I’ve seen from him, and he should feel real good about himself,” Oilers coach Jay Woodcroft said. “There’s nobody more happy for him than his teammates and his coaching staff.”
Fourth-line center Ryan McLeod and Foegele had goals 36 seconds apart early in the second and Foegele scored again midway through the period to give the Oilers a 3-1 lead. Third-line center Ryan Nugent-Hopkins restored their two-goal lead late in the third period.
“We got some contributions from our entire lineup, which is great,” said Edmonton’s Evander Kane, who had an empty net goal. “We’re going to need that as we go down the stretch here and obviously in the playoffs. That type of scoring wins or loses you series.”
Edmonton’s Jack Campbell stopped 30 shots, including some key ones in the third to keep a one-goal lead.
“They were big saves, but I would say Jack expects to make those days and we expect those saves,” Woodcroft said. “He’s starting to build a little personal momentum for himself.”
The Oilers maintained the momentum they had going into the All-Star break with their eighth win in nine games.
“The boys have been playing great leading up to the break and definitely wanted to continue where we left off,” Campbell said. “Great way to start the road trip and get all the juices flowing again.”
Ville Husso made 22 saves for the Red Wings, who had won two of their previous three games.
“There are a lot of positives to take out of this game despite the score, but we just didn’t finish,” Detroit coach Derek Lalonde said.
Detroit’s Tyler Bertuzzi broke a scoreless tie midway through the first period and Joe Veleno scored with 9 seconds left in the second to pull the home team within a goal.
Edmonton, the NHL’s highest-scoring team and best on the power play, scored with an extra skater when Nugent-Hopkins had a goal with 4:22 left in the third.
“Their power play is on pace to be the best in the history of the game,” Lalonde said. “We gave them a fourth one and it killed us.”
The game had plenty of after-whistle scrums, leading to a parade into the penalty box with several penalties in the third period.
“It’s today’s NHL. A lot of guys think they can get in there, and the referees bail them out a lot,” Kane said. “It was a bit of a chippy game, and it started in the second period. We got some guys on our team that don’t mind answering the bell.”
Red Wings captain Dylan Larkin said he and his teammates let the emotions get the best of them when a game-tying goal was needed.
“That’s something we need to learn from,” Larkin said.
NOTES: McDavid has nine goals and 12 assists during his 13-game point streak, giving him an NHL-high 41 goals and 93 points. … Bertuzzi, who has been limited to 18 games by injuries, scored his second goal of the season.
UP NEXT
Oilers: Play at Philadelphia on Thursday.
Red Wings: Host the Calgary Flames on Thursday.
___
AP NHL: www.apnews.com/hub/NHL and www.twitter.com/AP_Sports
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