The most common names registered for children in Rwanda are Ineza for girls and Ishimwe for boys, according to the National Institute of Statistics of Rwanda (NISR) in its 2025 Vital Statistics Report. ALSO READ: Child naming: Is the trend changing for Rwandan names? Some of the names are common for both boys and girls, such as Ishimwe, Ineza, Irakoze, Igiraneza, Iganze, and Iradukunda. Among girls, Ineza leads with 8,216 registrations, followed by Ishimwe (5,875), Uwase (5,449), Irakoze (3,079), Igiraneza (2,859), Iganze (2,763), Inezayimana (2,160), Uwineza (2,153), Iradukunda (1,964), and Kundwa (1,855). For boys, Ishimwe ranks first with 8,407 registrations, followed by Iganze (5,070), Mugisha (3,780), Hirwa (3,380), Irakoze (2,637), Igiraneza (2,386), Ineza (2,184), Izibyose (2,168), Iradukunda (1,928), and Irasubiza (1,889). Some of these names carry meanings such as gratitude, kindness, generosity, reigning or victory, God’s love and so forth. In 2025, Rwanda recorded about 357,000 births.
