Estonia reveals most popular baby names of 2013

Rasmus, Martin and Robin are the most popular boys baby names in 2013 whilst and Maria, Sofia and Laura was for girls.

Rasmus, Grigor and Mia were major gainers while Kevin, Kristjan and Kristina declined significantly in popularity compared with 2012, reports Estonian public broadcasting.

In Russian-speaking communities, Artyom and Nikita were the leading boys' names.

Maria, the top girls' name nationwide, was a crossover favorite, popular among both ethnic Russians and quite a few Estonians. The same holds true for Anna, also somewhat unusual on the ethnic Estonian side but with ample historical precedent and now gaining in popularity.

Postimees daily reports that Estonian names have been getting more international in the past 20 years, as more parents are opting for names that are easy to pronounce across national borders.

At the same time, researcher Annika Hussar told the newspaper that the number of unique names has remained the same and that Estonians have had a penchant for foreign-sounding names since the 19th century.