The search for “the one” is one of the most beautiful parts of pregnancy anticipation. But it’s also exciting—and certainly not easy. Grandparents, family, and friends often want to have their say, too. On top of that, you’re flooded with inspiration from books, songs, movies, and everything around you. Can you still see the forest for the trees?

Find beautiful first names with the LILLYDOO app

Fortunately, there is the LILLYDOO app . It makes the search for beautiful boys' names, girls' names, and unisex names child's play. We have more than 13,000 first names up our sleeve, and you can filter by language, starting letter, or name length. So if you're looking for short boys' names, short unisex names, or short girls' names, you definitely shouldn't miss our name finder. You can also use the app together with your partner. Swipe right when you see a name you like on your screen—your mutual favorites are automatically added to a list .

In 2022, you also swiped left and right in the LILLYDOO app. We were very curious about the results, so we regularly dove into the statistics. Of course, we didn’t keep them to ourselves. We’re happy to share the unisex names, boys' names, and girls' names that were popular in 2022. Who knows—your favorite name might be among them!

Top 10 popular boys' names in 2022

Are you expecting a baby boy? Take a look at the list below of our popular boys' names from 2022, based on your favorites in the LILLYDOO app.

1. Find

Finn was the most popular boys' name of 2022. The name is of Scandinavian origin and means honest . Finn can also refer to a person from Finland. Many people know the name from the world-famous books by Mark Twain, in which the vagrant Huckleberry Finn first plays a minor role and later takes the lead.

2. Leo

The name Leo comes from Greece (leoon) or is derived from the Latin leo . The name refers to the lion and also means merciful , famous . It is the short version of Leonhard or Leopold.

3. Louis

The name Louis comes from France and means famous warrior . Variants of this name appear in almost every language. In Dutch, we know the name as Louis.

4. Lias

Lias is a shortened form of the Swedish Elias and stands for Jahweh is God . We also see a touch of Hebrew in the origin of this name. Lias also stands for rock (in the sense of steadfastness) and reliability .

5. Siem

Siem is a name of native origin, and it means listen , to question , with a flat nose . Hey, big nose? Exactly—the name can be traced back to the Greek simos , which means the same. The name Siem is a short form of Simon.

6. Levi

Your little one will probably become your best friend. That makes the name Levi a fitting choice, as it means the same. It also literally stands for dependence and connect immediately . The origin of the name Levi is Hebrew. Nowadays, the name is also strongly associated with the well-known denim brand, so tiny jeans are secretly a must.

7. Lio

Lio is actually a unisex name, but it is mainly given to boys in Switzerland and Germany. The name means little lion , but since little lions grow up, you could also consider the name Leo as an alternative.

8. Milan

Milan is Slavic and is known for lief (mil) and roem (slav). That slav comes again from the official version of the name: Miloslaw. Fashionistas in the making wear this name with pride, in honor of the fashion capital Milan.

9. Hugo

Understanding , thinking spirit , reminder —that’s what the name Hugo stands for. The origin of the name is Germanic. This boys' name has also been used in the Netherlands since the Middle Ages.

10. Luca

Another Italian city (well, almost: Lucca) with a beautiful meaning, namely light and maan . The name Luca is a unisex name, but still, 4 out of 5 babies with this name are boys. The name is a short form of Lucas.

Top 10 most popular girls' names in 2022

Are you looking for cute girl names? We took a behind-the-scenes look at our app, and below we present the most popular girl names of 2022.

1. Emilia

Emilia was the most popular girls' name of 2022 in our app. It’s a short, classic name, yet quite melodic, with no less than four syllables. The meaning of Emilia is competitive and inclusive , ambitious or degretige (from Latin aemulus). It also stands for soft , friendly , successor .

2. Lia

Lia is a short, trendy girls' name originating from Italy. It is an abbreviation of many names and therefore has various meanings: lioness (from Leah), God is my oath (from Elizabeth), cheerful (from Amelia, see also Emilia) and donated to Jupiter (from Julia).

3. Ella

Ella is derived from the girls' name Elisabeth and means God is the one I swear by , Godismijneed , God has sworn . The name also has a connection to Greece and, in that context, means light and dawn .

4. Emma

Short name, countless meanings: powerful , connected , giants , universal , wedding , kalm , reliable . No wonder this name has been immensely popular for decades. The origin is Germanic, and it is possibly an abbreviation of the boys' name Emmanuel, which means God's blessings .

5. Sofie

Sofie (or Sophie) is derived from the name Sophia. The origin of this girls' name is found in Greece, and it means life wisdom or holiness . The name also appears in philosophy (love of wisdom).

6. Sara

Sara is also written as Sarah and comes from Hebrew. The name means princess , vorstin , joy , woman of high rank , essence . In Syriac, Sara means maan .

7. June

Juna is a beautiful girls' name with Latin roots. The name means the young man and dedicated to Jupiter . Not only the Netherlands is crazy about this name; we also come across Juna frequently in Switzerland, Germany, and Austria.

8. Mara

Mara is derived from the world-famous name Maria and stands for zee or forever . Maria is also inextricably linked to bitter , which in turn implies power . Between 2007 and 2012, this name gradually became less popular, only to steadily regain popularity from 2012 onwards.

9. Lina

The name Lina appears in the Quran and means jongepalmboom there. More generally, many girls' names end with -lina, which makes their meaning very broad. Adding an A or E before Lina softens the name.

10. Julia

"Even your name is beautiful," sang Henk Westbroek in 1998. And in 2022, over a thousand expectant parents agreed with the singer. The name originates from Greece, is a feminine form of Julius, and means the youthful or dedicated to Jupiter (see also Juna).

Top 10 most popular unisex names in 2022

Unisex names are cool and more popular than ever before. Which unisex names did our users find the most beautiful in 2022? You can read about it below.

1. Luca

There it is again: Luc a! Not only a popular boys' name, but also a favorite for girls. That makes it a popular and special unisex name. The name stands for light .

2. Sam

The name Sam is derived from Samuel, and the origin of the name is Hebrew. The meaning of Sam is the name is God or prayers from God .

3. Lou

The name Lou is a variant of Lau and means famous warrior . The name is Engels, and it’s up to you to determine the pronunciation (loe or lau?). In the Netherlands, an equal number of boys and girls have this unisex name, but in France, it is a true girls' name.

4. Robin

The name Robin comes from the English language and means brilliant through fame . That meaning comes from the Germans, who used to often name their children Robrecht. Robin is also English for the energetic robin.

5. Jesse

The name Jesse is common in Friesland, but its roots are in Hebrew, where it means gift from God . You can play around with the pronunciation and, for example, give it an English twist. Then you pronounce it as djessie.

6. Elia

Elia is strongly connected to the Bible through the prophet of the same name. Elijah also comes from Hebrew and means Jahweh is (my) God , height , His Excellency . The name is derived from the shorter Eli.

7. Noa

Noa (or Noah) stands for rust and comfort . It is a Hebrew name, and we find the variant Noah in the Bible. Whether religious or not, we all know the well-known story of the ark and the flood.

8. Charlie

Charlie is derived from the Germanic name Karel and is also common in English-speaking areas. The name Karel is a boys' name and means free man . The more playful Charlie has also been gaining ground as a girls' name for several years.

9. Bobby

The name Bobby (or Bobbi) is English and means brilliant through fame (see also Robin).

10. Jade

Your beautiful child deserves a wonderful name. The name Jade (or, in English: djeed) refers to the green gemstone that provides harmony and balance. The name originally comes from Spain (piedra de la ijada), or flank stone : jade helps with side stitches. There are more names that refer to gemstones. Think of Beryl, Amber, Emerald, Pearl, and Ruby.

Your child is making the name

These were the favorite first names of 2022 based on the LILLYDOO app, and we think they are all wonderful. Hopefully, you’ve been able to find the inspiration you needed.

You must register your baby with the civil registry officer within 3 days of birth at the latest. So start brainstorming today and download . It’s free—so what are you waiting for? Have fun choosing, and remember: your baby makes the name, not the other way around.