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Top 10 names for babies in Alberta in 2017

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From The Province of Alberta

Noah and Olivia top baby names in 2017

Noah has unseated Liam to claim the top name among baby boys in Alberta, while Olivia claims the top spot on the girls’ list for the fourth year in a row.

In 2017, Alberta welcomed 53,539 babies into the world – 27,599 boys, and 25,835 girls. Emma, Charlotte, Ava and Sophia remain popular choices for girls’ names, while Liam, Benjamin, Logan and Lucas round out the top five names for boys.

“Congratulations to all the parents who welcomed children in 2017. What I hear from Albertans is that as these children grow up, it’s so important that they have our constant support. From affordable child care and enhanced child and family benefits to school nutrition programs and lower school fees, we are making practical changes to help families and children thrive.”

Brian Malkinson, Minister of Service Alberta

In 2017, Service Alberta recorded 13,899 different baby names, with many reflecting names of characters found in popular movies and television shows, such as Tyrion, Daenerys, Kylo, Leia, Thor, Katniss and Eleven.

Some names appeared to reference mythology and literature, including Zeus, Persephone, Tolkien, Odyssey and Beowulf, while others seemed to be inspired by traits or feelings such as Charisma, Fancy, Liberty and Happiness.

Albertans can look up more than 95,000 names dating back to 1980 through the Alberta Baby Names App, available to download for free on iPhone, iPad and Android devices.

Baby names statistics are recorded by the Vital Statistics branch of Service Alberta, and are based on the registration and notice of birth information. A complete list of names is available on the Open Government Portal.

  • Some notable changes in 2017 include:
    • With its top placement, Noah ends the four-year streak of Olivia as the top overall baby name in the province.
      It also ends the seven-year streak of Liam as the top boys’ name.
    • There are 12 names on the girls’ Top 10 list, as there were two sets of ties noted. Ava and Sophia tied for fourth place, while Aria and Chloe tied for ninth place.
    • 2017 topped 2016 for number of original names registered (13,899 compared to 13,782 last year).
  • 2015 continues to be the record-holding year in Alberta for number of babies born (56,744) and number of original baby names registered (13,965).

Alberta’s top baby boy names

(In brackets is the number of children with each name)

Place Boy Names (2017) Boy Names (2016 Boy Names (2015)
1 Noah (250) Liam (277) Liam (301)
2 Liam (244) Benjamin (252) Noah (256)
3 Benjamin (229) Lucas (247) Ethan (233)
4 Logan (226) Oliver (230) Benjamin (221)
5 Lucas (216) Noah (228) Lucas (218)
6 William (213) William (213) William (217)
7 Ethan (192) Ethan (205) Oliver (209)
8 Oliver (190) Jack (197) Mason (203)
9 Jack (189) Lincoln (192) Logan (196)
10 Jacob (178) Owen (189) Alexander (193)

Alberta’s top baby girl names

(In brackets is the number of children with each name)

Place Girl Names (2017) Girl Names (2016) Girl Names (2015)
1 Olivia (236) Olivia (292) Olivia (293)
2 Emma (215) Emma (249) Emma (275)
3 Charlotte (187) Sophia (215) Emily (252)
4 Ava (184)

Sophia (184)

Ava (207) Sophia (205)
5 Emily (159) Emily (187) Ava (201)
6 Abigail (154) Charlotte (180) Chloe (179)
7 Amelia (149) Amelia (172) Ella (167); Abigail (167)
8 Isabella (141) Abigail (171) Avery (155)
9 Aria (129)

Chloe (129)

Chloe (166) Amelia (142)
10 Lily (127) Aria (137) Charlotte (141)Top

After 15 years as a TV reporter with Global and CBC and as news director of RDTV in Red Deer, Duane set out on his own 2008 as a visual storyteller. During this period, he became fascinated with a burgeoning online world and how it could better serve local communities. This fascination led to Todayville, launched in 2016.

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Alberta

Made in Alberta! Province makes it easier to support local products with Buy Local program

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Show your Alberta side. Buy Local.

When the going gets tough, Albertans stick together. That’s why Alberta’s government is launching a new campaign to benefit hard-working Albertans.

Global uncertainty is threatening the livelihoods of hard-working Alberta farmers, ranchers, processors and their families. The ‘Buy Local’ campaign, recently launched by Alberta’s government, encourages consumers to eat, drink and buy local to show our unified support for the province’s agriculture and food industry.

The government’s ‘Buy Local’ campaign encourages consumers to buy products from Alberta’s hard-working farmers, ranchers and food processors that produce safe, nutritious food for Albertans, Canadians and the world.

“It’s time to let these hard-working Albertans know we have their back. Now, more than ever, we need to shop local and buy made-in-Alberta products. The next time you are grocery shopping or go out for dinner or a drink with your friends or family, support local to demonstrate your Alberta pride. We are pleased tariffs don’t impact the ag industry right now and will keep advocating for our ag industry.”

RJ Sigurdson, Minister of Agriculture and Irrigation

Alberta’s government supports consumer choice. We are providing tools to help folks easily identify Alberta- and Canadian-made foods and products. Choosing local products keeps Albertans’ hard-earned dollars in our province. Whether it is farm-fresh vegetables, potatoes, honey, craft beer, frozen food or our world-renowned beef, Alberta has an abundance of fresh foods produced right on our doorstep.

Quick facts

  • This summer, Albertans can support local at more than 150 farmers’ markets across the province and meet the folks who make, bake and grow our food.
  • In March 2023, the Alberta government launched the ‘Made in Alberta’ voluntary food and beverage labelling program to support local agriculture and food sectors.
  • Through direct connections with processors, the program has created the momentum to continue expanding consumer awareness about the ‘Made in Alberta’ label to help shoppers quickly identify foods and beverages produced in our province.
  • Made in Alberta product catalogue website

 

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Alberta

Province to expand services provided by Alberta Sheriffs: New policing option for municipalities

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Expanding municipal police service options

Proposed amendments would help ensure Alberta’s evolving public safety needs are met while also giving municipalities more options for local policing.

As first announced with the introduction of the Public Safety Statutes Amendment Act, 2024, Alberta’s government is considering creating a new independent agency police service to assume the police-like duties currently performed by Alberta Sheriffs. If passed, Bill 49 would lay additional groundwork for the new police service.

Proposed amendments to the Police Act recognize the unique challenges faced by different communities and seek to empower local governments to adopt strategies that effectively respond to their specific safety concerns, enhancing overall public safety across the province.

If passed, Bill 49 would specify that the new agency would be a Crown corporation with an independent board of directors to oversee its day-to-day operations. The new agency would be operationally independent from the government, consistent with all police services in Alberta. Unlike the Alberta Sheriffs, officers in the new police service would be directly employed by the police service rather than by the government.

“With this bill, we are taking the necessary steps to address the unique public safety concerns in communities across Alberta. As we work towards creating an independent agency police service, we are providing an essential component of Alberta’s police framework for years to come. Our aim is for the new agency is to ensure that Albertans are safe in their communities and receive the best possible service when they need it most.”

Mike Ellis, Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Services

Additional amendments would allow municipalities to select the new agency as their local police service once it becomes fully operational and the necessary standards, capacity and frameworks are in place. Alberta’s government is committed to ensuring the new agency works collaboratively with all police services to meet the province’s evolving public safety needs and improve law enforcement response times, particularly in rural communities. While the RCMP would remain the official provincial police service, municipalities would have a new option for their local policing needs.

Once established, the agency would strengthen Alberta’s existing policing model and complement the province’s current police services, which include the RCMP, Indigenous police services and municipal police. It would help fill gaps and ensure law enforcement resources are deployed efficiently across the province.

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