As with most things in life, the names parents give their children change over time.
Names for girls
According to data from Republic of Slovenia Statistical office Eva is the most common name given to newborn girls in the period 1992–2024. It was especially popular in the 2000s, ranking third, and peaked in the 2010s as the most popular name. In the 2020s, however, it dropped to tenth place. Even more striking are the shifts among names ranked second to fifth over the entire 1992–2024 period. Sara, Nika, Ana, and Lara were all in the top ten during the 2000s and 2010s, but in the 2020s every one of them fell out of this group.
So who are the newcomers of the 2020s?
Ema leads the decade. Its rise has been gradual and consistent, moving from rank 59 in the 1990s to rank 14 in the 2000s and rank 2 in the 2010s. Zala ranks second in the 2020s. In the early 1990s, 4 out of 1,000 newborn girls were named Zala; in the 2020s, this figure is more than five times higher. Mia, the third most popular girls’ name in the 2020s, followed a similar path, climbing from rank 131 in the 1990s to 48 in the 2000s and 10 in the 2010s.
And for those wondering: the name Melanija did not gain popularity. Since 2017, fewer than five newborn girls per year have been named Melanija.
Names for boys
Among boys, the top name has remained unchanged since the 1990s: Luka. That said, its popularity has declined. In 2024, Luka was given to 23.2% per 1,000 newborn boys, or 169 in total. This is a sharp drop from the record year 2001, when almost 50% boys per 1,000 births, around 400 in total, were named Luka. As with girls’ names, the rankings from second to fifth changed dramatically in the 2020s. Jan, Žan, Nejc, and Žiga were all in the top ten from the 1990s through the 2010s, but in the latest decade they fell out of the group. Jan dropped to rank 15, Žan to 17, while Nejc and Žiga fell outside the top 30, to ranks 31 and 33.
Among the newcomers, Filip, ranked second in the 2020s, and Mark, ranked third, were far less common in the 1990s, both ranking outside the top 50.
