Interested in what baby girl names are most popular in other countries? Here's an international list of names to compare.

International baby names are fascinating because of their similarities and differences. It's surprising to see what girls' names are popular in a wide variety of cultures and countries-- like Emma, Anna, Chloe, Olivia, and Sarah. The name Emma has skyrocketed in many different places, along with similar names such as Ema and Emily. Variations of Gabriela and Gabrielle also have become very popular in many countries. In the Spanish speaking world, the name Maria is very common, along with combined names like Maria Guadalupe and Maria Carmen.

It's also interesting to see the differences between cultures. For example, the United Kingdom and the United States have similar top names, but Ruby is very common in the U.K. and very uncommon in the U.S. Sophia has hit the Top 10 list in the U.S., but in the U.K. it's all about Sophie. The name Madison is topping the charts in the U.S. and Canada, but hasn't caught on nearly as much elsewhere. Leonie is a popular name in Germany and the German speaking word, but is rarely used in English speaking countries. The name Jennifer, which was the "Emma" of the 1970s, is falling from favor in places like the U.S., but it's become a very popular name in the Phillipines.

Here is a sampling of the top baby names for girls in countries throughout the world. Unless otherwise noted, the names listed are from 2006 data. Most, but not all, reflect the top five most popular names.

Australia-- Ella, Emily, Olivia, Chloe, Sophie

Belarus-- Darja, Anastasija, Maria, Polina, Anna

Belgium-- Lotte, Julie, Emma, Amber, Fleur

Brazil (2005)-- Julia, Givanna, Maria Eduarda, Isabela, Gabriela

Canada-- Emma, Emily, Sarah, Madison, Hannah

Chile (2005)-- Constanza, Catalina, Valentina, Javiera, Martina

Croatia-- Lana, Lucija, Petra, Ana, Emma

Czech Republic- Tereza, Eliška, Adéla, Natálie, Anna

Estonia-- Laura, Maria, Anna, Sandra, Lisette

Finland-- Maria, Emilia, Sofia, Aino, Olivia

France-- Emma, Lea, Manon, Clara, Chloe

Germany-- Marie, Sophie, Maria, Anna, Leonie

Hungary (2005)-- Anna, Viktoria, Reka, Vivien, Zsofia

Ireland (2005)-- Emma, Sarah, Katie, Amy, Aoife

Israel-- Noa, Roni, Yael, Adi, Sarah

Japan (2005)-- Hina, Yui, Miu, Haruka, Sakura

Lithuania-- Gabriele, Gabija, Viktorija, Karolina, Greta

Mexico-- Gabriela, Maria Carmen, Adriana, Alejandra, Maria Guadalupe

Netherlands (2005)-- Sanne, Emma, Anna, Iris, Anouk

Norway-- Thea, Emma, Julie, Ida, Nora

Phillipines (2005)-- Maricel, Michelle, Jennifer, Janice, Mary Grace

Romania-- Maria, Ioana, Ana-Maria, Cristina, Andreea

Russia-- Alexandra, Alina, Anastasia, Ekaterina, Anna

Scotland-- Sophie, Emma, Erin, Katie, Lucy

Slovakia-- Katarina, Zuzana, Janka, Lucia, Hana

Spain (2005)-- Lucia, Maria, Paula, Laura, Marta

Sweden-- Emma, Maja, Agnes, Julia, Alva

Turkey-- Elif, Zeynep, Irem, Busra, Merve

Ukraine-- Valeriya, Sofiya, Victoriya, Anastasiya, Anna

United Kingdom-- Olivia, Grace, Jessica, Ruby, Emily

United States-- Emily, Emma, Madison, Abigail, Olivia

If your country isn't on the list, email me with the Top 5 baby girl names in your country and I will be happy to include them!

Related articles:

• Choosing a baby girl name
• International names for boys
• Baby names: Unusual or popular?
• Baby shower gift ideas
• Jewish baby naming traditions