Jack has once again emerged as the most popular name for boys born in Ireland, while Sophie’s the choice for more girls than any other, according to official data for 2024 published this morning.
For the eighth year in a row, Jack finishes top of the heap for boys, according to the Central Statistics Office (CSO), with Noah, Rían, Cillian and James rounding out the top five.
It means Jack has held the number one position every year since 2007, with the exception of 2016, when James was the most popular choice of name.
For the first time since 2010, Sophie took the top spot in the girls' names league from Grace, which dropped to third while Éabha was in second with Emily and Fiadh in fourth and fifth respectively.
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With Jack ever present at the top of the list for baby boys, there is more variety when it comes to the top spot for girls, with Sophie and Grace preceded by Emily in 2022.
Grace, Emily and Sophie have been permanent fixtures in the top five names for baby girls every year since 2016, with Éabha entering the top five for the first time in 2021 and ranking in second place in 2024.
The biggest climb in names for boys saw Rowan, Caleb and Iarlaith entering the top 100 most popular boys’ names for 2024. Caleb rose fastest up the rankings, going from 142nd place in 2023 to 91st in 2024.
Looking at new entrants for girls, four new entrants appeared – Hallie, Rhea, Caragh and Aurora – with Rhea being the fastest rising girls' name in 2024 moving up 37 places to 93rd in the table.
There were 9,582 distinct newborn names registered in 2024, while Murphy was the most common surname for babies born in 2024.
Jack was the top or joint top boys’ name in 11 locations around the country including Kildare, Kilkenny and Clare. While Páidí was ranked 22nd nationally in 2024 with a total of 201 births registered, it was the most favoured name for boys born in Sligo and Monaghan.
Sophie was the top or joint top girls’ name in seven areas such as Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown, Wexford and Limerick City.
Fiadh was also the top or joint top choice in seven other areas including Longford, Kerry and Donegal, while Clara, ranked 65th nationally, was most popular in Galway City.
The most popular names for boys and girls born to parents from the EU27 were David and Sofia, while Jack and Éabha were the most popular names for baby boys and girls whose parents' nationalities were both Irish.
Muhammad was the most popular boys' name for parents of nationalities outside the EU, excluding the UK and Ireland, while it was Hazel for girls.
While John was the most popular boys' name in 1974, it occupied the 29th position in 2024.
For girls, Mary was the most popular name 50 years ago, whereas in 2024 it ranked joint 105th spot alongside Laura and Zoey.
This was only the third time in 50 years that the name Mary did not feature in the top 100 most popular names in Ireland with 46 babies given the name of Mary in 2024.
James is the only name that appears in the top 10 boys’ names in both 1974 and 2024, ranking sixth place in 1974, and fifth place in 2024.
