Most recorded names in New Zealand
The names New Zealand has registered the most births with, added up across the 70 years it has published counts, 1954–2023. This is a different question from which names ranked highest, and often a different answer: a name given steadily for decades can out-total one that reached number one for three years.
Every figure comes from New Zealand alone and is never set against another registrar — birth counts only mean the same thing inside the list that produced them. A name is counted only in the years this list recorded it, and every published list has a cut-off, so a total is the births this registrar published, not every baby ever given the name. A name that has only appeared recently cannot lead a cumulative list.
See New Zealand's most recent published ranking →
Girls — top 50 by births registered
New Zealand's published girls list, 1954–2023.
| # | Name | Births registered | Years recorded | Biggest year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sarah | 19,984 | 62 (1958–2019) | 791 (1986) |
| 2 | Emma | 13,764 | 55 (1969–2023) | 495 (1988) |
| 3 | Karen | 13,524 | 33 (1954–1986) | 826 (1957) |
| 4 | Jessica | 13,079 | 43 (1977–2019) | 602 (1990) |
| 5 | Michelle | 12,961 | 43 (1957–1999) | 674 (1969) |
| 6 | Susan | 12,686 | 30 (1954–1984) | 915 (1958) |
| 7 | Elizabeth | 12,204 | 70 (1954–2023) | 419 (1954) |
| 8 | Lisa | 11,891 | 36 (1962–1997) | 934 (1969) |
| 9 | Rebecca | 11,608 | 46 (1966–2011) | 513 (1978) |
| 10 | Christine | 10,604 | 37 (1954–1998) | 779 (1954) |
| 11 | Nicola | 10,395 | 40 (1957–1996) | 492 (1975) |
| 12 | Jennifer | 9,991 | 49 (1954–2003) | 460 (1954) |
| 13 | Olivia | 9,975 | 47 (1977–2023) | 377 (2000) |
| 14 | Rachel | 9,769 | 42 (1965–2006) | 584 (1971) |
| 15 | Angela | 9,634 | 40 (1954–1998) | 474 (1975) |
| 16 | Anna | 9,508 | 63 (1956–2021) | 390 (1980) |
| 17 | Hannah | 9,447 | 46 (1978–2023) | 397 (1992) |
| 18 | Joanne | 9,329 | 33 (1954–1986) | 567 (1971) |
| 19 | Charlotte | 9,106 | 50 (1974–2023) | 330 (2004) |
| 20 | Sophie | 8,852 | 40 (1984–2023) | 386 (2009) |
| 21 | Deborah | 8,819 | 31 (1954–1985) | 543 (1961) |
| 22 | Emily | 8,635 | 49 (1975–2023) | 292 (2003) |
| 23 | Julie | 8,289 | 33 (1954–1986) | 499 (1960) |
| 24 | Helen | 7,775 | 37 (1954–1990) | 388 (1961) |
| 25 | Catherine | 7,765 | 45 (1954–2001) | 303 (1962) |
| 26 | Amanda | 7,667 | 37 (1961–1997) | 353 (1986) |
| 27 | Samantha | 7,549 | 37 (1978–2015) | 489 (1990) |
| 28 | Sandra | 7,429 | 24 (1954–1980) | 573 (1963) |
| 29 | Sharon | 7,243 | 28 (1954–1981) | 445 (1963) |
| 30 | Amy | 7,061 | 38 (1975–2012) | 324 (1980) |
| 31 | Donna | 7,054 | 31 (1954–1984) | 440 (1961) |
| 32 | Grace | 6,920 | 37 (1987–2023) | 297 (2000) |
| 33 | Tracey | 6,914 | 32 (1960–1991) | 457 (1971) |
| 34 | Melissa | 6,898 | 36 (1967–2002) | 308 (1983) |
| 35 | Tania | 6,879 | 29 (1962–1991) | 456 (1968) |
| 36 | Wendy | 6,832 | 28 (1954–1981) | 411 (1961) |
| 37 | Ella | 6,300 | 30 (1993–2023) | 418 (2007) |
| 38 | Linda | 6,288 | 25 (1954–1979) | 423 (1959) |
| 39 | Georgia | 6,274 | 34 (1990–2023) | 365 (1997) |
| 40 | Kelly | 6,137 | 29 (1970–1998) | 466 (1978) |
| 41 | Fiona | 6,039 | 32 (1955–1987) | 317 (1962) |
| 42 | Nicole | 6,011 | 39 (1969–2007) | 360 (1991) |
| 43 | Mary | 5,891 | 37 (1954–1991) | 423 (1954) |
| 44 | Megan | 5,869 | 44 (1962–2005) | 234 (1973) |
| 45 | Stephanie | 5,794 | 47 (1954–2005) | 263 (1991) |
| 46 | Kate | 5,782 | 42 (1973–2014) | 199 (1987) |
| 47 | Lucy | 5,773 | 43 (1979–2023) | 205 (2010) |
| 48 | Kim | 5,667 | 28 (1958–1985) | 435 (1968) |
| 49 | Robyn | 5,598 | 22 (1954–1975) | 407 (1957) |
| 50 | Jacqueline | 5,559 | 33 (1954–1986) | 364 (1964) |
Boys — top 50 by births registered
New Zealand's published boys list, 1954–2023.
| # | Name | Births registered | Years recorded | Biggest year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Michael | 39,649 | 69 (1954–2022) | 1,276 (1962) |
| 2 | David | 36,949 | 67 (1954–2020) | 1,514 (1963) |
| 3 | James | 28,251 | 70 (1954–2023) | 678 (1990) |
| 4 | John | 27,114 | 68 (1954–2021) | 1,389 (1954) |
| 5 | Andrew | 25,593 | 58 (1954–2013) | 995 (1967) |
| 6 | Daniel | 24,034 | 69 (1954–2023) | 782 (1988) |
| 7 | Peter | 23,996 | 51 (1954–2007) | 1,484 (1958) |
| 8 | Christopher | 23,459 | 58 (1954–2012) | 706 (1968) |
| 9 | Matthew | 23,459 | 65 (1958–2023) | 764 (1983) |
| 10 | Mark | 23,154 | 46 (1954–2000) | 1,018 (1961) |
| 11 | Paul | 22,959 | 44 (1954–1998) | 981 (1967) |
| 12 | Robert | 19,791 | 58 (1954–2012) | 735 (1961) |
| 13 | William | 19,408 | 70 (1954–2023) | 442 (1954) |
| 14 | Stephen | 18,603 | 44 (1954–1997) | 994 (1960) |
| 15 | Richard | 17,664 | 46 (1954–1999) | 639 (1968) |
| 16 | Joshua | 17,661 | 50 (1974–2023) | 712 (1996) |
| 17 | Thomas | 16,388 | 70 (1954–2023) | 467 (1990) |
| 18 | Benjamin | 16,177 | 54 (1970–2023) | 541 (1991) |
| 19 | Samuel | 16,125 | 54 (1967–2023) | 654 (1990) |
| 20 | Jason | 14,737 | 39 (1966–2004) | 1,365 (1970) |
| 21 | Nicholas | 13,132 | 58 (1954–2011) | 462 (1986) |
| 22 | Craig | 12,702 | 39 (1954–1992) | 788 (1971) |
| 23 | Anthony | 12,549 | 52 (1954–2005) | 533 (1961) |
| 24 | Steven | 11,007 | 44 (1954–1997) | 418 (1969) |
| 25 | Timothy | 10,924 | 52 (1954–2005) | 400 (1981) |
| 26 | Jack | 10,916 | 36 (1988–2023) | 534 (2006) |
| 27 | Joseph | 10,528 | 70 (1954–2023) | 281 (1988) |
| 28 | Ryan | 10,468 | 52 (1972–2023) | 326 (1993) |
| 29 | Shane | 10,213 | 43 (1955–1998) | 580 (1968) |
| 30 | Aaron | 9,912 | 49 (1966–2016) | 611 (1972) |
| 31 | Simon | 9,846 | 44 (1954–1997) | 396 (1976) |
| 32 | Liam | 9,568 | 38 (1986–2023) | 456 (1999) |
| 33 | Scott | 9,481 | 43 (1960–2002) | 398 (1972) |
| 34 | Kevin | 9,358 | 39 (1954–1999) | 600 (1956) |
| 35 | Nathan | 9,311 | 54 (1969–2023) | 288 (1979) |
| 36 | Jacob | 9,192 | 45 (1977–2023) | 370 (2000) |
| 37 | Luke | 8,846 | 46 (1978–2023) | 303 (1993) |
| 38 | George | 8,566 | 70 (1954–2023) | 234 (2017) |
| 39 | Wayne | 8,542 | 30 (1954–1984) | 456 (1962) |
| 40 | Alexander | 8,460 | 62 (1954–2023) | 248 (1992) |
| 41 | Grant | 8,355 | 34 (1954–1987) | 471 (1962) |
| 42 | Oliver | 8,287 | 40 (1983–2023) | 348 (2015) |
| 43 | Adam | 7,969 | 59 (1965–2023) | 334 (1986) |
| 44 | Jonathan | 7,957 | 51 (1957–2013) | 310 (1982) |
| 45 | Gregory | 7,916 | 35 (1954–1988) | 419 (1960) |
| 46 | Cameron | 7,756 | 46 (1970–2015) | 326 (1993) |
| 47 | Ian | 7,592 | 32 (1954–1985) | 492 (1955) |
| 48 | Ethan | 7,379 | 34 (1990–2023) | 351 (2002) |
| 49 | Philip | 7,036 | 38 (1954–1992) | 347 (1963) |
| 50 | Jordan | 6,928 | 42 (1982–2023) | 449 (1994) |
Largest rises from one year to the next
The biggest increases New Zealandrecorded between two consecutive years, with both figures shown. Measured only between years this list recorded the name in both, so a name crossing the list's cut-off is never counted as a rise. Like every figure here these belong to New Zealand alone.