Maria and Antonio, the most used names in the Balearic Islands
Traditional names continue to dominate the Balearic registry, while Marc, Paula, and Martina gain ground among younger generations
PalmAntonio and Maria continue to be, one more year, the most common names among residents in the Balearic Islands, according to data published this Thursday by the National Institute of Statistics (INE) and updated as of January 1, 2025.
In the case of men, there are approximately 19,100 people named Antonio in the Archipelago, representing 30.8 per thousand inhabitants. Among women, Maria also maintains the first position with about 18,500 bearers (29.6 per thousand).
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The men's ranking is completed with names of strong traditional roots such as Juan (14,000), José (11,000), Francisco (10,000), Miguel (9,600), or Manuel (7,600), followed by Pedro, David, Jaime, and Daniel, all with very close figures.
Among women, the weight of classic names is also evident: Catalina (13,200), Margarita and Antonia (both with 11,300), Francisca (10,900), or María del Carmen (8,700) head a list where Laura, Isabel, and Marta also appear.
As for surnames, the Balearic map maintains notable stability. Martínez is the most frequent (15,100 people), followed by Rodríguez and López (13,800), Sánchez and González (13,300), Fernández (13,100), and Pérez (10,600). Completing the top ten are Torres, Pons —one of the surnames of most deeply rooted origin in the Islands—, and Gómez.
Slow changes in a century
The INE's statistics also allow us to observe the evolution of the most common names over the decades. The general pattern is one of continuity: for a large part of the 20th century, names like Antonio, Juan, María, Catalina, or Francisca systematically occupied the top positions.
However, from the 2000s onwards, a progressive change in preferences is detected. In the case of men, Marc establishes itself as the most common name among those born in this period, while among women there is greater diversity, with María, Paula, and Martina vying for first place.
Despite this evolution, the data confirm the persistence of traditional names in the Balearic population as a whole, which coexist with new trends in younger generations.
