Marc replaces Jean as most common male first name in Belgium
A wind of change is blowing across the landscape of male first names in Belgium, with Marc emerging as the new national leader, dethroning Jean. Although Jean retained its status in Wallonia, it gave way to Marc on the national stage. In 2022, there were 63,736 persons named Jean, compared to 62,754 named Marc. However, things have changed in 2023, with 62,023 Marc, surpassing the 61,456 Jean.
The traditional first names that monopolise the top spots in the ranking are in constant decline. Of the seven most common first names, all are experiencing a decrease in frequency, while the last three in the top 10 are experiencing an increase: Mohamed, in 8th place with 36,218 occurrences (+777), David in 9th place with 36,129 occurrences (+230), and Thomas in 10th place with 34,923 occurrences (+18). However, the names in the top 10 are identical to last year's, with the only change being a one-place gain for Marc and Mohamed.
For women, Maria remains first: 108,358 women bear this first name, compared to 112,382 in 2022 and 116,317 in 2021. The top 10 remains unchanged from last year, with the exception of Anna, which is the only first name to increase, taking over the tenth place from Isabelle.
Top 10 of male and female first names:
Men, Belgium, all ages:
| Belgium | # | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Marc | 62,023 |
| 2 | Jean | 61,456 |
| 3 | Patrick | 50,011 |
| 4 | Luc | 47,402 |
| 5 | Michel | 44,434 |
| 6 | Philippe | 40,822 |
| 7 | Jan | 39,341 |
| 8 | Mohamed | 36,218 |
| 9 | David | 36,129 |
| 10 | Thomas | 34,923 |
Women, Belgium, all ages:
| Belgium | # | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Maria | 108,358 |
| 2 | Marie | 88,519 |
| 3 | Martine | 39,897 |
| 4 | Nathalie | 39,888 |
| 5 | Monique | 37,591 |
| 6 | Anne | 36,681 |
| 7 | Rita | 33,703 |
| 8 | Nicole | 31,682 |
| 9 | Christine | 31,220 |
| 10 | Anna | 30,739 |
First names of women in 2023 (top 10)
| Belgium | Flemish Region | Walloon Region | Brussels-Capital Region | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Maria | 108,358 | 1 | Maria | 80,436 | 1 | Marie | 40,226 | 1 | Maria | 10,383 |
| 2 | Marie | 88,519 | 2 | Marie | 41,188 | 2 | Nathalie | 20,512 | 2 | Marie | 7,105 |
| 3 | Martine | 39,897 | 3 | Rita | 29,359 | 3 | Isabelle | 18,685 | 3 | Fatima | 6,150 |
| 4 | Nathalie | 39,888 | 4 | Ann | 24,625 | 4 | Anne | 18,406 | 4 | Anne | 4,057 |
| 5 | Monique | 37,591 | 5 | Martine | 23,437 | 5 | Maria | 17,539 | 5 | Sarah | 3,734 |
| 6 | Anne | 36,681 | 6 | Marleen | 22,309 | 6 | Françoise | 14,925 | 6 | Anna | 3,341 |
| 7 | Rita | 33,703 | 7 | Monique | 21,140 | 7 | Christine | 14,832 | 7 | Nathalie | 2,857 |
| 8 | Nicole | 31,682 | 8 | Anna | 20,864 | 8 | Martine | 14,257 | 8 | Laura | 2,742 |
| 9 | Christine | 31,220 | 9 | Linda | 17,912 | 9 | Véronique | 14,152 | 9 | Sophie | 2,650 |
| 10 | Anna | 30,739 | 10 | Hilde | 17,796 | 10 | Monique | 14,048 | 10 | Sara | 2,611 |
| Source: Statbel (Directorate-general Statistics - Statistics Belgium) | |||||||||||
First names of men in 2023 (top 10)
| Belgium | Flemish Region | Walloon Region | Brussels-Capital Region | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Marc | 62,023 | 1 | Marc | 43,148 | 1 | Jean | 32,990 | 1 | Mohamed | 13,506 |
| 2 | Jean | 61,456 | 2 | Luc | 38,212 | 2 | Michel | 27,090 | 2 | Jean | 5,582 |
| 3 | Patrick | 50,011 | 3 | Jan | 37,551 | 3 | Philippe | 26,189 | 3 | Mohammed | 4,954 |
| 4 | Luc | 47,402 | 4 | Patrick | 33,398 | 4 | Pierre | 19,343 | 4 | Ahmed | 4,157 |
| 5 | Michel | 44,434 | 5 | Dirk | 30,975 | 5 | Nicolas | 19,099 | 5 | David | 3,887 |
| 6 | Philippe | 40,822 | 6 | Peter | 30,899 | 6 | Alain | 18,923 | 6 | Philippe | 3,805 |
| 7 | Jan | 39,341 | 7 | Johan | 29,458 | 7 | Olivier | 16,107 | 7 | Nicolas | 3,782 |
| 8 | Mohamed | 36,218 | 8 | Bart | 28,520 | 8 | Christian | 16,106 | 8 | Michel | 3,749 |
| 9 | David | 36,129 | 9 | Tom | 24,631 | 9 | Marc | 15,697 | 9 | Daniel | 3,730 |
| 10 | Thomas | 34,923 | 10 | Paul | 23,863 | 10 | Christophe | 15,671 | 10 | Adam | 3,639 |
| Source: Statbel (Directorate-general Statistics - Statistics Belgium) | |||||||||||