Zeynep remains most popular girl name in Turkey for 16 years

ANTALYA – Anadolu Agency

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The name Zeynep has remained as the most popular name given to baby girls by parents, data compilation made with information obtained from the Turkish Statistical Institute (TÜİK) and the Population Directorate has shown. 

Except for 2006, Zeynep has stood at the top of the list of names given by parents to baby girls since 2000. The figure remained unchanged since 2016. In 2006, Elif passed Zeynep but the latter returned to the top of the list in 2007.

Zeynep means precious gems and jewelry in Arabic and was also the name of the Muslim Prophet Muhammad’s eldest daughter.  

While Elif became the second most popular name for baby girls in Turkey in 2016, it was followed by Hiranur, Defne, Miray, Azra and Zehra. 

Meanwhile for baby boys, Yusuf topped the list and was followed by Eymen, Ömer, Mustafa, Miraç, Berat, Ahmet, Hamza and Mehmet.

Yusuf is the Turkish version of the biblical and Quranic figure Joseph.