According to data from Ireland’s Central Statistics Office (CSO), the most popular baby names in the country in 2020 were Grace and Jack.
Here are Ireland’s top 10 girl names and top 10 boy names of 2020:
Girl Names
- Grace, 410 baby girls
- Fiadh (pronounced fee-ah), 366
- Emily, 329
- Sophie, 328
- Ava, 297
- Amelia, 275
- Ella, 265 (tie)
- Hannah, 265 (tie)
- Lucy, 261
- Mia, 251
Boy Names
- Jack, 597 baby boys
- James, 495
- Noah, 447
- Daniel, 359
- Conor, 345
- Finn, 331
- Liam, 329
- Fionn, 323
- Harry, 311
- Charlie, 305
In the girls’ top 10, Lucy replaced Ellie.
In the boys’ top 10, Finn, Fionn and Harry replaced Adam, Luke and Tadhg.
The fastest-rising names in the top 100 in terms of numbers of babies were:
- Éabha (+56 baby girls), Bonnie (+46), Fiadh (+32), Ada (+31), Croía (+24)
- Finn (+75 baby boys), Benjamin (+33), Fionn (+32), Rían (+23), Tommy (+23)
Notably, Éabha was the fastest-rising name in 2019 as well.
And the fastest-rising in terms of rank were:
- Croía (+67 spots), Cora (+37), Nina (+36), Elsie (+35), Bonnie/Penny (tied at +31)
- Rian (+33 spots), Eoghan (+29), Benjamin (+25), Shane (+24), Sonny (+22)
The modern name Croía is based on the Irish word croí, meaning “heart,” “core,” “sweetheart.” The recent trendiness can be attributed to Irish MMA fighter Conor McGregor, who welcomed a baby girl named Croía in January of 2019.
Sources: Irish Babies’ Names 2020 – Babies’ Names 2020 Tables, Press Statement Irish Babies’ Names 2020, Croía – Behind the Name, Croí – Wiktionary
Image: Adapted from Flag of Ireland (public domain)