Are we getting less inventive? Check out the most popular New Zealand baby names 2025 as Noah and Isla claim the top spots again. Is your favorite on the list?

Let’s be real for a second, New Zealand—are we even trying anymore? The official stats from the Department of Internal Affairs are out, and it looks like we’ve collectively decided that if a name isn’t broken, we definitely aren’t going to fix it. For the third year in a row, Noah as a baby name has taken the top spot for boys, and Isla is back as the reigning queen for girls.

Don’t get me wrong, they’re great names. But when you look at the list of popular New Zealand baby names 2025, it feels a bit like we’re on repeat. Internal Affairs Minister Brooke van Velden pointed out that even though there were nearly 20,000 unique names registered among the 58,000 births last year, we keep gravitating back to the same Top 10. We’re talking names like Charlotte, Oliver, Luca, and Amelia. These aren’t just names; they’re staples.

It’s interesting to see how certain names just refuse to leave the charts. Olivia has been in the top 10 since 1994. That’s over thirty years! Jack has been there since 1998. We’re basically naming our kids after our own classmates at this point. Even the political names are making a showing—Prime Minister Christopher Luxon saw his name given to 20 babies, while 46 little Davids joined the ranks (sorry, Winston, you only got six).

So, what’s the deal? Are we just a nation that loves a classic, or are we lacking a bit of that creative spark? Whether you’re team “Timeless” or team “Tragedeigh,” one thing is for sure: if you shout “Noah!” at a local park in about five years, half the playground is going to turn around.