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NAME CHECK
Here's what the most popular baby names were in Ireland in 2024
A familiar name secured the top spot for baby boys, while the number one name for baby girls picked up the top spot for the first time since 2010.
For the eighth year in a row, Jack is the most popular name for boys, while Sophie has regained the crown as the most popular name for girls.
The top five names for boys were Jack, Noah, Rían Cillian and James, with Tadhg, Fionn, Liam, Oisin and Charlie rounding out the top 10.
The top five names for girls were Sohpie, Emma, Grace, Emily and Fiadh, with Lily, Olivia, Amelia, Sadie and Mia making up the rest of the top 10.
Figures released by the Central Statistics Office show that Rowan, Caleb and Iarlaith appeared in the top 100 names for the first time last year, with Hallie, Rhea, Caragh and Aurora making the list for girls.
According to the CSO, Jack has held the top spot for every year since 2007, except for 2016 when James was the most popular boys’ name. Both names have been in the top five for the past 26 years.
Sophie occupied the number one position as most popular girls’ name in Ireland for the first time since 2010.
The most popular names for boys and girls born to parents originally from other EU countries were David and Sophia, while Muhammad was the most popular boys’ name for parents originally from outside the EU (excluding Ireland and the UK), with Hazel the most popular for girls, the figures showed.
There were three new entrants to the top 100 for boys: Rowan, Caleb, and Iarlaith.
Caleb was the name that rose most in popularity, jumping from 142nd place to 91st between 2023 and 2024.
There were four new entrants to the top 100 for girls: Hallie, Rhea, Caragh, and Aurora. Rhea has grown most in popularity, rising from 130th place in 2023 to 93rd in 2024, a jump of 37 places in rank.
Since Irish Babies’ Names 2023, the CSO has expanded its surname analysis to provide a further breakdown of the most common surnames associated with babies born, in 2024.
Murphy, Kelly, Byrne, O’Brien, and Walsh were the most common surnames for 2024 births. Of the 54,060 live births in 2024, 20,812 had unique surnames.
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