The latest round in a “battle” that has been going on since 1837 has seen Noah overtake Oliver as the most popular baby name in B.C.
Noah was the top name for British Columbia babies in 2022 and 2023, before being overtaken by Oliver in 2024. However, “Noah” staged a comeback in 2025, with 198 more choices than Oliver.
According to B.C.’s Vital Statistics Agency, the top 10 baby names in the province in 2025 were Noah, Oliver, Theodore, Liam, Olivia, Charlotte, Jack, Henry, Sophia, and James. The last four names were new to the top 10 list compared with 2024, replacing Lucas, Isla, Amelia, and Leo.
The rivalry between “Noah” and “Oliver” was immortalized by British novelist Charles Dickens in 1837, when his second novel, Oliver Twist, began publication. When Oliver is sold to the undertaker Mr. Sowerberry at the beginning of the novel (after famously asking for more during meal time at the workhouse), he encounters a young man named Noah Claypole, who is Sowerberry’s apprentice.
Noah becomes jealous of Oliver, whom he fears will take his place. He mocks and bullies Oliver incessantly, until the much younger and smaller boy finally turns on him. In Chapter 6 of the novel, published in April 1837, Oliver beats Noah soundly, then escapes to London, where he joins the criminal gang led by Fagin.
The scene has been depicted by various artists over the decades, starting with George Cruikshank, the novel’s original illustrator, whose imagining of the scene was titled “Oliver plucks up a Spirit.”
In most filmed versions of the story — including the 1969 Best Picture Oscar-winner Oliver! — that is the last we see of Noah.
In the novel, however, Noah eventually leaves Sowerberry’s after stealing from his employer and winds up travelling to London himself, where he joins Fagin’s gang under an assumed name. He is indirectly responsible for the death of the main female character, Nancy, when he tells Fagin that she is betraying him and the gang by planning to return Oliver to his rightful home.
When Fagin and the gang are arrested, Noah turns informer on Fagin in order to save his own skin.
As of Monday, Dec. 15, a total of 41,557 babies had been registered as born in B.C., up from 38,103 babies registered to that point in 2024. To see how popular names have changed over time — or perhaps find the perfect name for your own baby — go to https://bit.ly/3rKHT36, where you can chart the popularity of different names over the last five, 10, 20, 50, or 100 years.