Mazal tov, it’s a girl! What’s your baby’s name?
If she was born in 2016 in Jerusalem, there’s a good chance her name might be Sara, since this was the most popular name given to Jewish girls (232 of them) that year. In contrast, in the country as a whole, the most popular girls’ name in Israel was Tamar (Sara came in at number 8). Among Muslim girls, the most popular name was Maryam. Among Jewish girls in Tel Aviv, Haifa, Rishon Lezion and Be’er Sheva, Maya was the most popular name (Maya came in at No. 31 in Jerusalem).
After Sarah, the most popular names given in 2016 to Jewish girls in Jerusalem were Esther (223) Tamar and Ayala (204 each), Yael (181), Avigail, Rivka and Miriam (171 each) and Haya (157).
In Israel overall, the most common names given to girls were Tamar, Noa, Avigail, Maya and Yael. In Tel Aviv, the most popular names after Maya were Ella, Lia, Emma and Yuval. In Haifa, the most common names after Maya were Avigail, Ayala, Yael and Romi.
In haredi cities such as Beit Shemesh, Beitar Illit, and Modi’in Illit, the most common name was also Sara. In Modi’in-Maccabim-Reut and Ma’aleh Adumim, the most popular name was Talia, and in Givat Ze’ev, the most popular name was Noa.
Stay tuned next week for a list of the most popular boys’ names.
Translated by Hannah Hochner.