Ireland at a glance: Murphy most common surname, fraud on the rise, and half the country covered in grass

Murphy was the most common surname for babies in 2022.

The Murphy name is getting even stronger in Ireland, fraud is on the rise, and more than half of the country is covered in grass.

Those are just some of the findings from the Central Statistics Office (CSO) as it released its year in review for society and the environment.

Almost 62,500 Ukrainians had been welcomed into Ireland by November, while the country's population grew to 5.1m following the census, the largest increase since the dark days of The Famine.

Murphy was the most common surname for babies coming into 2022, while all counties across the country saw a rise in their overall populations.

Some 50 years ago, the names John and Mary were the go-tos for new parents, but they have lost their allure in the decades since. Only James remains a constant fixture in the top five of boys’ names since 1971, while Mary has dropped from the top spot and out of the top 100 since.

Job satisfaction

A record number of people in work was recorded in the second quarter of last year, standing at 73.5% — the highest rate since the current series began in 1998, the CSO said. The number of people in employment rose by 3.4% to more than 2.5m in the year to the third quarter, it added.

Most are happy with their lot in work, the data show. According to a survey published in April, the majority of employees were satisfied with their job with more than one quarter saying they were very satisfied, while nearly two-thirds said they were satisfied. However, one in nine employees were dissatisfied or very dissatisfied with their job.

Working from home is helping the collective mood, the data shows. Almost three-quarters of remote workers surveyed said they felt they had more time on their hands while working remotely.

Cost of living

There are worrying signs for significant people when it comes to day-to-day living, as the energy and cost of living crisis continue to bite.

The number of people unable to afford to keep their homes adequately warm increased from 3.2% in 2021 to 7.4% in 2022, and households with at least some difficulty in making ends meet increased from 42% in 2021 to more than 49% in 2022, the CSO said.

Renters are feeling the strain. More than three-quarters (76%) of respondents who lived in shared rented accommodation with non-family members said they felt like they would never be able to own their own place.

Renters also featured in the child deprivation indicators publication, with almost 10% of households that rent unable to afford new clothes for their children, compared with 1% of owner-occupied households, the CSO said.

Almost all people across the country have felt the pinch when it comes to living costs. Some 94% said in a November survey that they had made cutbacks, with 62% cutting back on utilities (electricity, heating, etc.), 51% buying less fuel, and 49% not buying as much food.

When it comes to crime, fraud rose by the highest level, up 43% to more than 16,000 incidents in the 12 months to June last year. Theft also rose significantly, up 23% or by more than 10,500 incidents.

Transport

Electric vehicles are becoming a fixture for motorists in Ireland, the data show. The number of new electric cars licensed has increased by 82% from 8,414 in the first 11 months of 2021 to 15,291 in the same period in 2022. At the same time, the number of new diesel cars has decreased to 26,889 new diesel cars in the first 11 months of 2022 compared with 34,174 in the same period in 2021, the CSO said.