Le Soir on Sunday revealed the most common names of people living in Belgium, with the findings showing differing trends when it comes to first name choices in Brussels and the rest of the country.
Maria, Marie, and Martine topped the list for female names, while Jean, Marc, and Patrick came out on top for males.
However, the popularity of these names has diminished among those under the age of 18, indicative of the diverging generational trend for first names.
Maria's top three ranking is due to the name's popularity among those over the age of 65, with Nathalie being top among those aged between 18 and 64. Emma is the most common name among minors.
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On the male side, Jean, Marc and Patrick are the most common names despite none of them being in the top 10 among the under-18s, where Noah proved to be the most common name.
Marc did, however, come in first among those aged between 18 and 64, with Jean being the most common name among those over the age of 65.
What of Brusseleirs?
Marie and Maria finished in the top three for women in the capital, closely followed by Fatima.
Lina was the most common name among minors, followed by Aya and Sarah, while Nathalie was the most popular among those over the age of 65.
Mohamed was the most popular name among males in Brussels, coming in first under the age of 18 and those aged 18 to 64. The name also finished third among the over-65s, behind only Jean and Michel.
