Name maps: 3 decades of top baby names in Canada, province by province

Our research shows Canadian moms and dads tend to play it safe when it comes to naming their little ones. Over the past three decades they've tended to stick to common names like Matthew, Christopher and Michael for boys, and Emily, Jennifer, Jessica for girls. In fact, as you can see in the above animated maps, the name Jessica was so popular among Canadian parents that it stayed in the No. 1 spot for nine years in a row!

Read more: Top 100 baby names in Canada>

In more recent years, names like Ethan, Jacob and Liam have dominated the charts for baby boys, while Emma, Ava and Olivia have been at the top for baby girls. All in all, most Canadian parents seem to prefer traditional baby names, which is a trend we predict will continue in years to come.

These name maps are based on data from provincial vital statistics departments across Canada. They show the most popular baby names for boys and girls by province, for babies born between the years 1983 to 2013. We hope you enjoy browsing through them. You might even discover your own name was a top baby name once upon a time!

*Quebec released top names from 2007-2013 only.