One of the headlines that always appears at the start of the new year is about first births. The lucky parents, with their newborn in their arms, usually answer the same question: what name? And it's true that a name is a linguistic element, a simple word, that seems to become ingrained in our DNA. Some people believe that names can be linked to a person's personality: "Marias are calm, Juans are energetic." Due to a lack of evidence, however, we will limit ourselves to discussing names from a (socio)linguistic point of view.

Names that for decades had defined the identity of the Balearic Islands—such as Tomeu, Sebastià, Joana, and Francisca—have practically disappeared in recent years. Statistics published by the Balearic Islands Statistics Institute (Ibestat) confirm a profound shift in family preferences, with families increasingly opting for names commonly used in the rest of Spain, such as Sofía, Martina, and Hugo, among others. This change reflects not only the impact of trends and globalization but also a gradual distancing from the traditional repertoire that had once defined the islands. the onomastic landscape of the Islands

The Institute of Ibizan Studies has launched the campaign "And you, what's your name?" to help citizens easily standardize first and last names, house names, and nicknames. This initiative, supported by the University of the Balearic Islands, the Institute of Balearic Studies, and the Government of the Balearic Islands, offers guidance on adapting the spelling of first and last names to Catalan language norms and on officially registering nicknames (Toni, Fina, Pep, etc.). Since 2011, when the Civil Registry Law was amended, diminutives, shortened names, and popular forms of names can be legally registered.

Marc has been the most popular name for children born in the Balearic Islands year after year for the last two decades, and 2024 was no exception. Last year, 111 babies were registered with this name. According to data published this Wednesday by the National Institute of Statistics (INE), the second most popular name last year was Pau, with 75 children registered with it, confirming that Catalan names remain among the most popular, even though they have lost some ground. As for dolls, the most common name in 2024 was Sofía, chosen 79 times, just one more than Martina, which was registered for 78 of the babies born in the Balearic Islands.