Marc, Maria, Peeters and Janssens: Belgium’s Top Names
If you meet a Marc in Belgium, you are far from alone — there are nearly 60,000 of them. New data released by StatBel, Belgium’s official statistical office, confirms that Marc and Maria remain the most common first names in the country, while Peeters and Janssens continue to dominate the list of family names. The annual report, based on the National Register as of January 1, 2026, also reveals a fascinating snapshot of a changing nation — one where 265 people are named Shakira and baby names like Noah and Olivia are pushing aside the classics.
The Classics That Endure
Maria tops the female list with 96,744 bearers, followed by Marie (81,989), Nathalie (39,501), Martine (38,829), and Anne (35,251). For men, Marc leads with 59,491, ahead of Jean (55,413) and Patrick (48,596). As StatBel notes, these names “represent a generation born mainly between 1950 and 1970.” Among those aged 65 and over, the most popular names remain deeply traditional: Jean, Marc, and Michel for men; Maria, Marie, and Monique for women.
This generational clustering is no accident. The baby boom generation — those born in the post-war decades of prosperity and rising birth rates — was the last to embrace a relatively narrow set of widely shared names. The sheer size of this demographic cohort means that names like Marc and Maria will likely remain at the top of the overall rankings for years, even as fewer and fewer newborns receive them.
Baby Names: A New Generation Speaks
The picture changes dramatically when looking at newborns. In Flanders, Olivia (325 births) and Noah (381 births) held the top spots in 2025, continuing a multi-year reign. Wallonia saw Olivia (197) lead for girls, while Gabriël (292) topped the boys’ list. In Brussels, the most popular baby names reflected the capital’s diversity: Nour (60 births) for girls and Adam (121 births) for boys, as VRT NWS reported.
The divergence between regions is striking. While Olivia enjoys cross-community appeal — topping the charts in both Flanders and Wallonia — the boys’ names reveal distinct linguistic and cultural preferences. Noah, a biblical name with international resonance, dominates in Flanders. Gabriël, the French-language variant of Gabriel, takes the crown in Wallonia. And in Brussels, the top choices — Nour and Adam — reflect the capital’s significant Muslim population and its position as a meeting point of cultures.
Family Names: Stability Across Regions
When it comes to family names, continuity is the theme. Peeters (30,169), Janssens (27,391), and Maes (23,873) form the national top three, a ranking that has remained unchanged year after year. The top ten is rounded out by Jacobs, Mertens, Willems, Claes, Goossens, Wouters, and De Smet, according to StatBel’s family name data.
Regional differences tell their own stories. In Wallonia, the most common family names are Dubois (8,940), Lambert (8,152), and Martin (6,423) — classic French-language surnames. Brussels, by contrast, is a different world entirely. Diallo (5,607), Bah (3,048), and Barry (2,090) top the capital’s list, reflecting its large West African diaspora. As StatBel puts it, Brussels “shows a more diverse picture and is a reflection of its cosmopolitan population.”
From Shakira to Zendaya: Celebrity Influence
Perhaps the most eye-catching figures in the report are the celebrity-inspired names scattered across the population. Belgium is home to 265 people named Shakira, 299 named Denzel, 22 named Zendaya, and 41 simply named Love. As HLN noted, these choices show that some parents are clearly inspired by global pop culture when naming their children.
What the Numbers Tell Us About Belgium
The data paints a picture of a country in transition. The generational divide is stark: older Belgians carry names that were popular in the mid-20th century, while younger generations embrace international trends. The regional variation is equally telling — Flanders maintains strong continuity in its Flemish naming traditions, Wallonia reflects French-language heritage, and Brussels stands apart as a truly global city where West African, Vietnamese, and Arabic names dominate the family name rankings.
This three-way split mirrors Belgium’s broader linguistic and cultural landscape. The country’s Dutch-speaking north, French-speaking south, and bilingual capital have always had distinct identities, but the naming data makes these differences more visible than ever. In Brussels, names like Diallo, Bah, and Barry — common in Guinea, Senegal, and Mali — now outnumber traditional Belgian surnames like Dubois and Janssens, a testament to decades of immigration that have reshaped the capital.
Looking Ahead
While traditional names like Marc and Maria will likely hold their overall numerical lead for years to come — simply because there are so many older Belgians bearing them — the trends among newborns suggest a very different future. Names like Noah, Olivia, Adam, and Nour are the vanguard of a more globalized, diverse Belgium.
For now, though, if you walk down a Belgian street, you are still most likely to encounter a Marc, a Maria, or a Peeters. But that is changing, one baby name at a time. StatBel’s annual report will continue to track these shifts, offering a unique lens through which to watch the country evolve — from the classic to the cosmopolitan.