Most popular Irish baby names 2020: The newcomers

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Last week, the Central Statistics Office revealed the most popular baby names chosen in 2020 – and no, they weren’t Corona and Pandemia. The list has actually been fairly static the last few years and was in need of a good shake up, which we definitely got in 2020!

The top boys’ names have stayed mostly the same, with Jack remaining at the top of the list as it has since 2007, along with Noah, Conor, Daniel and James all retaining their high up spots. But for the first time since 2011, the most popular girls name has changed! Grace has beaten Emily as the most popular name for the first time in nine years and Emily has been pushed to the number 3 spot, behind Grace and Fiadh.

Baby in White Onesie

But what is most interesting are the names that managed to get onto the top 100 list this year for the first time! Some of these names have been slowly creeping their way up to that coveted top 100 spot while others had a meteoric rise to fame, with likes of Croía shooting up a massive 67 places from 2019!

The new names that have managed to get onto the top 100 list are:

Boys

Eoghan, now in 79th place from 108th.

Sonny, now in 81st from 103rd.

Rian (which is one of my favorites) now in 86th from 119th.

Shane now 87th from 111th.

Sean is 88th up from 108th.

Sebastian at 97th from 113th.

person holding baby's hand

Girls

Lara is now in 80th place up from 103rd.

Nina is in joint 83rd from 119th.

Penny is also 83rd alongside Nina and is up from 114th.

Mollie is at 85th up from 104th.

Luna (so adorable) is now 86th up from 105th.

Cora is now at 90th from 127th.

Fíadh is at 93rd from 111th.

Croía had a major jump up to 95th from 162nd.

Elsie (so cute) is at joint 95th from 130th.

Pippa is joint against Elsie and Croía for 95th from 114th.

Maeve is joint at 99th from 105th.

Paige is joint with Maeve for 99th place up from 123rd.

Shallow Focus Photo of Baby Wearing Hat

The girl’s list is revealing, with names like Croía and Fíadh showing the new trend towards Irish names. The CSO said that the fada has been slowly making an appearance on the top 100 lists for the last few years. Irish names fell out of fashion there for a while but with staples like Maeve, Eoghan and Sean returning. Alongside a few newer ones like Fíadh and Rian, Irish names are becoming favourites among new parents.

The girl’s names have more variety, with short, feminine names dominating the chart. Luna’s popularity may be due to Chrissy Teigen’s child Luna. That, and the fact that it’s just a gorgeous name.

Each county, however, had a few outliers that didn’t make the top five. What’s interesting to see is that in some regions there are clusters of names that have become popular that don’t get a look in, in other parts of Ireland. Amelia, Lily, Charlie, and Isla are all specific to certain regions, and are less popular elsewhere.

Man and Girl Running on Asphalt Road

What you’re most likely to be called by county are as follows:

Carlow: Jack, James, Saoirse, Sophie

Cavan: Jack, Emily, Grace

Clare: Noah, Sophie

Cork: Jack, James, Fiadh

Donegal: Charlie, Hannah, Isla

Dublin: Jack, James, Sophia, Chloe, Sophie, Mia, Olivia Grace

Galway: Cillian, Jack, Michael, Fiadh, Chloe, Grace

Kerry: Daragh, Jack, Ella

Kildare: Jack, Noah, Grace

Kilkenny: Jack, Fiadh, Grace

Laois: James, Tadgh, Grace

Leitrim: James, Luke, Fiadh

Limerick: Alex, James, Amelia, Sophie, Grace

Longford: Fionn, Jack, Oisín, Maisie, Sophie

Louth: Jack, Noah, Ella, Emily

Mayo: Cillian James, Grace

Meath: James, Ava

Monaghan: Jack, Ellie

Offaly: Jack, Grace

Roscommon: Charlie, Noah, Michael, Saoirse

Sligo: James, Grace, Lily

Tipperary: Jack, Grace

Waterford: Alex, Jack, Liam, Amelia, Freya, Emily

Westmeath: Jack, Lucy

Wexford: Jack, Grace

Wicklow: Jack, Lily

P-IBN2020Map Girls image

P-IBN2020Map Boys image

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