Maria and Manuel remained the most popular baby names in Andalucia in 2025, according to newly released figures from the Andalucian Institute of Statistics and Cartography (IECA).
Maria was given to 816 baby girls (2.8% of all girls born) and has held the top spot every year since 2009, while Manuel was chosen for 1,062 baby boys (3.4%) and has been the region’s favourite boys’ name since 2016.
However, this year’s data revealed an unexpected trend in Almeria, where Oussaid overtook Manuel to become the province’s most popular boys’ name.
The Arabic name, meaning ‘little fortunate one’ or ‘bearer of happiness’, is widely used in Morocco and Algeria and reflects the growing influence of North African communities in western Almeria.
Across Andalucia, the four most popular names for girls were Maria, Sofia, Lucia and Carmen, together accounting for 9.2% of all female births.
For boys, the leading names were Manuel, Alejandro, Hugo and Pablo, representing 9.6% of newborn boys.
Among the fastest-rising names, Amara made the biggest jump for girls, climbing from 112th to 60th place, while Joel rose from 96th to 63rd among boys.
Meanwhile, Natalia suffered the biggest fall in popularity for girls, dropping from 71st to 93rd, while Joaquin fell from 70th to 94th among boys.
Province-by-province differences
Maria was the most common girls’ name in every Andalusian province except Malaga and Sevilla.
In Malaga, parents most frequently chose Sofia, while Carmen topped the list in Sevilla.
For boys, Manuel remained number one everywhere except:
- Almeria – Oussaid
- Granada – Alejandro
- Jaen – Hugo
Fewer children are being named after their parents
The study also found that 9.4% of babies born in Andalucia in 2025 inherited the first name of one of their parents, although the tradition continues to decline.
Among boys, 13.4% were named after their father, compared with 5.1% of girls who received their mother’s name.
Cordoba recorded the highest rate of inherited names, while Malaga had the lowest, with just 6.5% of newborns sharing a parent’s first name.
Among the most common names, Cristina was the girls’ name most likely to be inherited, with 43.1% sharing their mother’s name, while Francisco Javier topped the boys’ list, with 71.2% named after their father.
Looking at individual municipalities, Lucia accounted for almost 18% of baby girls born in Hinojosa del Duque (Cordoba), while Manuel was chosen for almost 23% of baby boys born in Benacazon (Sevilla), making them the strongest local naming trends in Andalucia.
Read more Andalucia news at the Spanish Eye.
