Newborns - illustrative stock photo (source: Sme )
In recent years, girls names Ema, Sofia, Nina and boys names Jakub, Adam and Michal beat other names in popularity.
However, there are also parents who are not satisfied with traditional and classical Slovak names; and their babies then make the impression that their parents’ fantasy has no borders. In other countries, these may be common names but here they sound exotic. You can meet girls in Slovakia called Boglárka, Virág, Chimamanda or Anouk. Boys are no less fanciful and some parents have registered names in birth certificates like Bendegúz, Rock, Bálint and even Rolex.
Sometimes, you can still encounter names inspired by Venezuelan soap operas, but previously popular names like Winnetou or Ribanna have not been used this year.
Contrary to popular belief, parents cannot just invent their child’s name. They have to plausibly prove that this name really exists and has an origin in a different country; only then, the registrar inscribes this name in the register.
Top 10 girls’ names in 2015: Sofia (876), Nina (725), Ema (690), Natália (679), Viktória (673), Kristína (528), Nela (524), Laura (521), Michaela (451), Eliška (440). Top 10 boys’ names in 2015: Adam (1107), Jakub (1062), Michal (929), Tomáš (895), Samuel (882), Martin (868), Filip (798), Lukáš (766), Matej (741), Matúš (707).
