I was looking through a baby name book the other day, The Complete Book of Baby Names, and came across a section showing the most popular names from countries around the world.  I thought it was very interesting to see which names were common among the lists and which were unique for that country.  It was very interesting to see that the top boy names were often different, however, the top name for girls was common among many countries.

Here are a few examples of the top names for boys in girls in the various countries listed.  These lists were compiled based on the top name lists for 2005.

In Finland the top name for boys was Juhani and for girls it was Maria.  

In Germany the top name for boys was Alexander and for girls it was Marie.

In Ireland the top name for boys was Sean and for girls it was Emma.

In New Zealand the top name for boys was Joshua and for girls it was Emma.

In Spain the top name for boys was Alejandro and for girls it was Lucia.

In Sweden the top name for boys was William and for girls it was Emma.

In Canada the top name for boys was Ethan and for girls it was Emma.

In Denmark the top name for boys was Mikkel and for girls it was Emma. 

In Chile the top name for boys was Benjamin and for girls it was Catalina.

In Poland the top name for boys was Jan and for girls it was Anna.

In the US the top name for boys was Jacob and for girls it was Emily. 

It sure does appear that Emma is a popular name around the world!  You can find a full list for each country in The Complete Book of Baby Names.