Jack and Sophie still top Irish baby names
Jack and Sophie were the most popular names for new-born babies in Ireland last year.
Latest figures show Jack retains the boys’ top spot for the fourth year in a row while Sophie has soared again to the number one position it first hit in 2009.
But it was a close call for the most popular girls’ name with just one less Emily born last year than there were Sophies.
The top boys’ names after Jack were Sean, Daniel, James and Conor – which have all made up the top five since 2007. Bar Daniel, they have been the most popular names for new-born babies for the past 12 years.
The Central Statistics Office annual report on registered babies’ names showed there was more variation overall in girls’ names.
While Emma and Sarah have been among the most popular names since 1998, last year was the first time Lucy broke into the top five.
There were four first time entries to the top 100 names for boys: Tyler, Sebastian, Daithi and Alfie.
Tyler was the highest new entry at 83rd, up from 130th place in 2009, while Sebastian was also one of the highest climbers.
Lilly, Sofia and Lena entered the top 100 for girls for the first time, with Lilly the fastest rising new entry from 110th to 76th most popular.
Alicia and Sofia both soared through the ranks.
There were some regional variations with Conor being the most popular boys’ name in the West, Daniel in Dublin and Sean in the Mid-East of the country.
Sarah was in the number one spot for girls in the Midlands and West, Emma in the Border counties and Mid-West, with Emily topping the popularity stakes in the South-West and Mid-East.
Trends were different within specific cities and counties too, with Alex most popular for new-born boys in both south Dublin and Limerick city, Ryan in Louth and Adam in Sligo.
For girls, Zuzanna – ranked 71st overall – took the number one spot in Galway city.
Grace was the most popular in Mayo, Saoirse shared the top spot with Emma in Sligo and Ellie was the most popular girls name in Limerick city.
