YEREVAN. – Nare, Mane and Ani are the most popular names given to newborn girls in Armenia in 2013, National Statistical Service official Karine Kuyumjyan stated during a press conference on Monday.

The statistics of the names in Armenia have not changed much over the course of the past ten years, and well-known Armenian names are most popular.

A total of 945, 914, and 610 newborn girls were named Nare, Mane, and Ani, respectively, so far this year. The top ten names for newborn girls in Armenia also include Anna, Mariam, Mary, Milena, Lusine, Elen, and Hasmik.  

The most popular names that are given to newborn boys in Armenia this year are Davit and Narek, with 1,283 and 1,129, correspondingly. The top ten names for newborn boys in Armenia also include Arman, Artur, Samvel, Gor, Eric, and Tigran.

In his turn, ethnographer Nikol Margaryan confirmed that although putting unusual names to newborns is not common practice in Armenia, there is trend that parents name their newborns under the influence of television soap operas and contemporary books.    

“In the post-Soviet period, they were naming the children after [their] grandmothers and grandfathers, but today, solely the parents choose the children’s names, and they sometimes fall under the influence of soap operas and give them the names of the main characters,” Margaryan stated.     

Photo by Arsen Sargsyan/NEWS.am