This Map Shows the Most Popular Baby Lullabies Worldwide

Kids are creatures of routine and for many parents, having a bedtime routine to lull their little ones to sleep is vital. This often means tucking our kids in and then reading them a story or reciting (or badly singing) one of their favorite lullabies. And a new map shows that most kids do have a favorite lullaby, and the most popular ones vary by country.

Mornings.co.uk wanted to find out which lullabies were the most popular based on countries. So, they collected the data, crunched the numbers, and put those results on an easy-to-read map.

To find the information, Mornings.co.uk collected data in June 2021 from websites such as Lullaby ABC, BBC, and mamalisa.com to find the most popular lullabies. Further information was sourced from compilation CD and, in total, over 420 lullabies were included in the initial research.

To help rank the songs, each lullaby was “then looked up on YouTube, and the one with the largest number of views was deemed the most popular lullaby from that country.” So while it might not be the most scientific data in the world, it is at least a pretty good look into the lullabies parents are listening to, and looking up, the most.

That same data also shows that there’s one lullaby that also takes home the most popular one in the world, and that is “Twinkle, Twinkle,” little star. (Check out the playlist of the most popular lullabies below.)

“Twinkle, Twinkle has 1.6 billion views on YouTube, dwarfing the most popular lullabies from other countries,” Mornings.co.uk writes. “Number two is Chanda Mama Door Ke (Moon Uncle), with 661 million views. It became popular after pulling heartstrings in the Bollywood movie, Vachan (Word). The top ten is dominated by songs from Europe and Asia.”

While “Twinkle, Twinkle” takes home the top prize in the world, there is a most popular lullaby in each country. Some are surprising (like Canada’s) while others just seem to make total sense (like the United States’ favorite). And in between all that are some other songs we’ve never heard of but would be fun to play for the kids, too.

According to the data map, the most popular lullaby in the United States is “Hush Little Baby (Mama’s Gonna Buy You a Mockingbird).”

The same song landed in the top 10 in the world, marking the only non-Asian or non-European song to hit the top list.

The most popular lullaby in Canada is “Ho, Ho, Watanay,” “A la Rorro Niño” is top in Mexico, and Cuba loves “Señora Santana.”

In Europe, England shared the favorite lullaby with the world, naming “Twinkle, Twinkle” that country’s favorite.

“A-a-a, Kotki Dwa,” a song about cats, is the favorite of Poland, while France loves its “Fais Dodo, Colas Mon P’tit Frère,” tune the best.

If any of these songs are new to you and the kids, and we’re guessing they are, try a twist on your nightly routine and pick a few favorites from across the world.