In 2024, Czech parents once again opt for tried-and-tested names: Jakub for boys and Eliška for girls. Both names have topped the popularity charts for years.
When Czech parents name their newborn children, they have most often chosen Jakub for boys and Eliška for girls for many years. This did not change in 2024. Both names have been at the top of the first name charts for over a decade: Jakub since 2011 and Eliška since 2012.
“Jakub is now at the top of the list of most popular boys’ names for the fourteenth consecutive year,” explains Marek Rojíček, chairman of the Czech Statistical Office (ČSÚ). “Matyáš retained second place this year, followed by Jan in third. Adam and Matěj remained in fourth and fifth place, as they did in 2023.”
Among girls, Eliška remains the benchmark, ranking first for the thirteenth consecutive year. Viktorie follows in second place for the third year running. There was a change in third place: Sofie overtook Anna, who slipped to fourth for the first time since 2013.
Sebastian new in the top 20, Marie drops out
There was one new entry in the top 20 most popular boys’ names: Sebastian moved up to 16th place. Šimon, on the other hand, dropped out of the top group for the first time in a long while. Among girls, Sára and Mia remained in the top 20 for the second year running. Marie and Veronika are no longer among the twenty most common names.
Regional differences: Matyáš in northern Bohemia, David in Prague
Jakub dominated in eleven of fourteen regions. Only in Liberecký and Královéhradecký kraj was Matyáš the most popular name. In the capital, Prague, David was in the lead — but only sixth nationwide. In the Pardubice region, Jakub and Matyáš shared first place.
Eliška was also the most popular girls’ name in ten regions. In Prague and Central Bohemia, it was overtaken by Anna; in the Karlovy Vary district by Sofie; and in Moravian-Silesia by Viktorie.
Tradition lives on: first names are often passed down
In many families, passing on names is strongly linked to tradition. “Some first names were passed on to a large extent from parents to children. More than a quarter of fathers named Antonín passed this name on to their newborn sons. About a quarter of Václavs and over a fifth of Josefs also named their sons this. Passing on names was less common among girls: one in ten mothers named Marie passed her name on to her daughter; the proportion was even lower for Ludmila and Anna,” Rojíček adds in conclusion.
