In La Réunion in 2021, Lyam was the most popular boy's name (87 births), ahead of Gabriel; among girls, Jade (60) edged out Marie (59). Nearly one baby in four there receives a rare name. Marie, given 437 times in 2000, was given 59 times in 2021.
Here is the ranking of names given on the island, what has changed since 2000, the place of rare names, the Réunionese taste for spellings with a y, and the many origins that can be read in the names.
The most popular names in La Réunion
La Région Réunion publishes, together with Insee (the French national statistics institute), the names of all babies born on the island since 2000. In 2021, the last year in the file, 10,288 children were born there. Here are the top names:
| Rank | Boys | Births | Girls | Births |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lyam | 87 | Jade | 60 |
| 2 | Gabriel | 85 | Marie | 59 |
| 3 | Raphaël | 73 | Inès | 58 |
| 4 | Liam | 67 | Mia | 55 |
| 5 | Théo | 65 | Louna | 50 |
| 6 | Aaron | 61 | Inaya | 49 |
| 7 | Kaïs | 60 | Mya | 45 |
| 8 | Ayden | 57 | Léna | 43 |
| 9 | Ethan, Maël, Owen | 55 | Maëlys | 40 |
| 10 | Noah | 54 | Luna, Mila | 33 |
The comparison with France as a whole is telling. The same year, Jade also leads nationally, ahead of Louise and Emma, and Léo, Gabriel and Raphaël make up the top three for boys. In La Réunion, Gabriel and Raphaël are there too, but Lyam comes out on top, Marie stays in second place, and Kaïs, Ayden and Inaya make it into the upper part of the ranking.
The gaps are slim: often just a few births separate two ranks. A single year's ranking therefore shifts a lot, and the Réunion top 10 turns over quickly.
What has changed since 2000
The contrast over twenty years is striking. In 2000, Marie was far ahead among girls, followed by Chloé, Océane and Maeva; among boys, Lucas, Quentin, Thomas and Jean led. A few trajectories speak for themselves:
| Name | 2000 | 2010 | 2021 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Marie | 437 | 166 | 59 |
| Jean | 154 | 54 | 19 |
| Liam | 3 | 16 | 67 |
| Lyam | fewer than 3 | 6 | 87 |
| Inaya | fewer than 3 | 22 | 49 |
Kaïs follows the same trajectory: 5 births in 2012, 60 in 2021. Marie is still second among girls, a sign that the island's great name has not disappeared; it is simply surrounded by many more competitors.
One baby in four has a rare name
This is the most surprising figure in the file. In 2021, 2,401 babies born in La Réunion received a name given fewer than three times that year on the island: 1,096 boys and 1,305 girls, or nearly a quarter of births.
To protect families' privacy, Insee groups all names given fewer than three times a year in a département under a single "rare names" line. In La Réunion, this line far exceeds the top name in the ranking: it counts 1,305 girls, while Jade counts 60.
Choosing a rare name is therefore almost a tradition on the island. Want a name that stands out? In La Réunion, it will be in good company.
The Réunionese y: Lyam, Mya, Kayden
The ranking shows a clear taste for spellings with a y, often more common than the original spelling:
- Lyam (87) comes ahead of Liam (67);
- Mya (45) holds its own against Mia (55);
- Lya (32) makes it into the top fifteen girls;
- Ayden (57) and Kayden (48) are among the most popular boys' names.
Our favorite in this family remains Lyam: it keeps the sound of Liam, and the island gives it more often than the original spelling.
Names from all over the Indian Ocean
La Réunion was settled by families from France, Madagascar, the Comoros, East Africa, India and China, and this history can be read in the names. The great Catholic classics, Marie, Jean and Joseph, long dominated the registers, alongside names of Tamil, Arabic or Chinese origin carried in families.
To trace back to one of these shores, our Malagasy names and our Comorian names present the names given in these neighboring countries, with their meanings.
Choosing a Réunionese name
Keep two options in mind: a name from the ranking if you like it to sound current, or a rare name if you want it to be the only one in the class. Either way, say it out loud with your last name, and check the spelling you will register with the état civil (the civil registry).
Sources
- Région Réunion and Insee, "Prénoms attribués à La Réunion depuis 2000" (names given in La Réunion since 2000), data through 2021
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