Singh has topped the list of the most common family names for babies born in New Zealand. This is the second consecutive year Singh topped the list.
The Ministry of Internal Affairs, New Zealand, released the list of most common family names for babies born last year.
Smith bagged second place, and the feminine counterpart to Singh in Sikh communities- Kaur- is in third place for the whole of New Zealand.
While some first names are popular throughout the country, the last names tend to be dominated in some regions.
“Unlike the most popular first names for babies which tend to retain popularity across the country, data for family names differs, painting a beautiful picture of the cultural history of each region of Aotearoa,” Registrar General Jeff Montgomery said.
“It’s a joy each year to get a feel for how the communities in each region are growing and thriving through looking at something as simple as the most common baby family names.”
Common Chinese names Wang and Li appeared in fifth and sixth places respectively in the top 10 surnames for Tāmaki Makaurau. But these names could not make to the list of top 10.
Anderson and Thomas were sixth and eighth for the South Island but did not reach the top 10.
