Between 1996 and 1998, the Montsolís family, owners of wineries in Penedès, entered many Catalan homes through television. Nissaga de poder, the afternoon daily series on TV3, popularized a woman's name that until then was anecdotal in Catalonia: Abril. Actress Mónica López played the character of Abril Montsolís, much loved by the audience, daughter of Raimon Montsolís, the younger brother of the winery owners.

For years, the names Juan and José were given to many babies born in Catalonia, hence the popular saying "There are Juans, Josés, and donkeys in every house." But in recent decades, this trend has reversed. In the case of Josep, after a boom in the 1950s and 60s, when more than 15,000 babies were given this name, its popularity plummeted from the 2000s onward: from 2010 to 2019, only 602 babies were named Josep, and between 2010 and 2019, only 109.

If there's one girl's name that has consistently topped the popularity charts in recent years, it's Martina. The last time it reached the number one spot was in 2023, but between 2010 and 2016 it held the top position five times. In fact, the last decade saw a Martina boom: 7,585 girls were given that name, and although it's still popular, it has lost some ground between 2020 and 2023, with 1,663 girls bearing that name. It now occupies third place, behind Sofía and Julia.

The peak in the number of children named Antoni occurred during the 1960s. Since then, its popularity has plummeted, with fewer and fewer families choosing this name. In fact, only 28 children born between 2020 and 2023 bear this name. According to Francesc Calafell, a researcher at the Institute of Evolutionary Biology (CSIC-UPF), this decline can be seen as part of "the natural cycle of names." "This has always happened; names have their cycles, but while the cycle used to last for centuries, now we're talking about decades," says Calafell. He adds that if a name becomes "associated with grandparents—with the exception of people who specifically choose it—it doesn't usually become trendy." However, the average age of those named Antonis is 50.7 years, according to data from the National Institute of Statistics (INE).

If there's a name that evokes Christmas, it's Noel: it's of French origin and comes from the word Christmas, what does it mean ChristmasHowever, it's not a popular name. There are only 6,745 men with this name in Spain, according to data from the National Institute of Statistics (INE), with an average age of 21.9 years. The highest concentration of men with this name is found in Galicia, Asturias, León, and Cáceres. In Catalonia, there are 1,202 men named Noel; a quarter of them were born between 2010 and 2019, and more than half were born after 2000. The most common regions are Garraf, the Lleida regions (Pallars Jussà, Pla d'Urgell, Urgell, and Segrià), and Segrià. "This points to the influence of Galician immigration, even though it's a name associated with relatively young people," says Francesc Calafell, a researcher at the Institute of Evolutionary Biology (CSIC-UPF). "In some sparsely populated areas, such as Pallars Jussà or Pla d'Urgell, with just two or three, the frequency skyrockets," he adds.

Rosalía is a name of Latin origin that the singer from Sant Esteve Sesrovires has popularized, but it's practically nonexistent in the census. It's not a name that families today choose when naming their daughters. We've gone from around 600 women with the name Rosalía (with and without the accent) in the 1950s to fewer than ten today. The average age of Rosalías in Spain is 61.5 years, according to data from the National Institute of Statistics (INE). Zamora, Salamanca, Almería, and Ourense are the provinces where we find the most. Because it's such an uncommon name, "any fluctuation attracts attention, such as the concentration of several Rosalías in the municipality of Capçanes, in the Priorat region. Could they be from the same family?" wonders Francesc Calafell, a researcher at the Institute of Evolutionary Biology CSIC-UPF, who adds that it's also a name that is sometimes spelled Italia (Italy).

On November 16, 2003, Leo Messi made his Barça first-team debut at just 16 years old, and in 2009, he won his first Ballon d'Or. Immediately after, between 2010 and 2019, the name Leo skyrocketed among babies born in Catalonia. Last year, it was the seventh most popular name, although by 2022 it had risen to second. Until 2000, there were only 38 children named Leo in Catalonia, but now there are 5,849, 64% of whom were born between 2010 and 2019. The average age of boys named Leo across the country is 6.7 years, according to data from the INE (National Institute of Statistics and Census). "It's a name clearly linked to the Leo Messi phenomenon; the children's ages indicate this," says Francesc Calafell, a researcher at the CSIC-UPF Institute of Evolutionary Biology. "It's still early, but perhaps we'll also see a surge in Alexias and Aitanas," he adds.

There is names clearly associated with the territory, such as Tura in Olot, Gil in Osona, Vinyet in Sitges, and Mercè in Barcelona. But is Mercè really a popular name in the city—with Eulalia's permission—that is the patron saint? If we look at the statistics, we could say that the Mercè festivities are more popular than the name itself.

106,942 different streets, squares, alleys, avenues, and boulevards are spread across the different municipalities of Catalonia. The origin of their names is "natural and spontaneous," explains Miquel Parella, head of the Toponymy Unit of the Cartographic and Geological Institute of Catalonia (ICGC) at the ACN (National Geographic Association of Catalonia), and is found in the descriptions that, centuries ago, the citizens of each place made out of the "need to identify themselves." Although there is a tendency to think that most streets are named after people, the reality is that most names respond to descriptions of the surrounding environment. "It wasn't until major urban developments that the need to name streets arose, since names no longer emerged spontaneously from the people. That's when city councils began to name them," explains the expert.

The reign of Martina and Jan has ended and that of Sofía/Sofía and Martí has begun as the most chosen names among the 53,793 babies born in Catalonia in 2024, a year in which the fertility rate fell to historic levels and in which the The birth rate also fell again, specifically by 0.8%., according to data from the Statistical Institute of Catalonia (Idescat).