Names
03. Sep 2024
Jákup and Maria still most common – but name trends are changing
Jónas surges into top-10 of men’s names
Jákup and Jógvan have consistently held the top 2 positions, with Jákup claiming the top spot since 2002 following Jógvan's dominance in the preceding years. Other popular names over the years include Rúni, Høgni, Ólavur and Kári.
Since 1993, Martin, Magnus and Jónas have replaced Jan, Regin and John on the top-10. Jónas is the newest of these. As the most popular men’s name in the 21st century, Jónas climbed from 367th in 1993 to 8th in 2023, when 170 Faroese residents bore this name.
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Lív joins top-10 of women’s names
The most common names of women residing in the Faroes at year-end last year were Maria, Anna and Annika, followed by popular names such as Katrin, Marjun, Beinta and Rannvá. Maria, Anna and Annika have featured in the top-3 every year since 1995. Marjun was a prominent figure in the top-3 prior to 1995.
As with the men, the top 10 women’s names are mostly the same in 2023 as they were in 1993. The only change is that Anna Maria has been replaced by Lív, now in 10th place.
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Many new names in the past 30 years
While the top names have remained relatively unchanged, a wave of new names has entered the lists. Some popular new men’s names are Mattias, Nóa, Lukas, Liam, Sámuel, Bragi and Mika.
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Many new women’s names have also been added to the list, the most popular of which include Ronja, Ró, Emilia, Ranja, Vón, Brá, Ria and Mira.
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The most common full names
Jógvan Joensen is the most common full name for men, with 12 instances, while Anna Petersen is the most common full name for women, with 11 instances. Both of these full names have topped the list for men and women every year since 1985, when 20 men and 14 bore these names. However, some years, Anna Petersen shared the top spot with Anna Hansen.
Names and residency status
The table below shows the most common names for long-term and short-term residents in 2013 and 2023. Jákup was the most common name for long-term residents in 2013 and 2023. For male short-term residents, Martin was the most common name in 2013, while Daniel, Marcin and Piotr shared the top spot in 2023.
Maria was the most common women’s name for both long-term and short-term residents in 2013 and 2023.
Read more on the names theme page or try our name search function
About names
The above list covers first names of persons residing in the Faroe Islands on 1 January. All names are listed in accordance with the national register. Double first names, e.g. Hans Petur or Anna Maria, are listed as a single name.
As it can take up to six months before a child is officially named, the name list is updated after 1 July.