Aysel, Avigea, Aeneas, and Liam: Which Rare Names Were Given to Newborns in 2026
Based on the results of the first half of 2026, the Ministry of Justice of Ukraine published a list of the most popular names parents chose for their newborns.
Among girls, the most popular names were Sofia, Zlata, Milana, Emilia, Anna, Anastasia, Polina, Maria, Solomiya, and Eva.
Boys were most often named Artem, Oleksandr, Matviy, Maksym, Tymofiy, Bohdan, David, Yaroslav, Roman, and Dmytro.
The Ministry of Justice notes that these names are in demand almost throughout the country. In particular, Sofia is among the most common names in most regions of Ukraine — from Vinnytsia and Volyn to Odesa and Kharkiv regions. Artem and Oleksandr consistently remain favorites in central, western, and eastern regions. At the same time, Zlata and Milana are especially often chosen in the center and west of the country, while Matviy and Tymofiy are most popular in the western regions.
At the same time, Ukrainians are increasingly moving away from classic options, choosing rare, double, foreign, biblical, or Old Ukrainian names for their children. This trend reflects parents' desire to combine traditions with modern preferences and emphasize the individuality of the child.
The list of the rarest names given to newborns in the first half of 2026 includes:
Double names and name combinations
Female: Adelaide-Loredana, Maryam-Nicolette, Dominika-Aniel, Margarita-Kilina, Abavederia-Alisa.
Male: Daniel-Artur Teofim, Roman-Nur Islam, Andriy-Andrian, Eliot-Theo, Mark-Gabriel.
Foreign and atypical names for Ukrainian tradition
Female: Aysel, Imeralina, Delli, Kaylee, Kasia, Patricia, Rose, Sanita, Uma, Esther.
Male: Amir, Leon, Sebastian, Dayan, Liam, Kilian, Ethan, Martin, David, Richard, Evan.
Names of religious and cultural tradition
Female: Avigea, Virsavia, Sulamita, Evangelina, Sarah, Theona, Melania, Magdalena, Athena, Juno.
Male: Samiylo, Jesse, Nathaniel, Solomon, Emmanuel, Elisha, Jeremiah, Adam, Seraphim, Benjamin.
Historical and archaic names
Female: Boguslava, Vladomira, Dzvinka, Kvitoslava, Lukeria, Olympiada, Roksolana, Kvitka, Yaryna, Oryslava.
Male: Dobromir, Sviatohor, Svitozar, Zoreslav, Askold, Tamerlane, Aeneas, Panteleimon, Myrolyub, Yariy.
Subscribe to our Telegram channel t.me/sudua, Google News SUD.UA, as well as our VIBER and WhatsApp channels, and follow us on Facebook and Instagram to stay updated on the most important events.
