Irish names among the most popular for Northern Ireland's babies last year

Northern Ireland's most popular baby names of 2023 were published on Tuesday morning, April 16, by the Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency (NISRA).

NISRA says that its Baby Name figures are derived from names recorded when a birth is registered in Northern Ireland. Statistics are published annually and include counts and ranks for all names registered in Northern Ireland.

In 2023, names with Irish roots - such as Cillian, Oisin, Fiadh, and Aoife - were among the most popular names in Northern Ireland.

The Irish boy's name Donnacha was highlighted as one of the 'top climbers' for the year as well.

Also on Tuesday, NISRA said that its interactive search tool for popular baby names has been updated with the 2023 baby names data and with a set of historical data by decade, dating back to 1922. The historical data shows that the most popular names registered at births since 1992 were John and Mary.

Popular Baby Names in Northern Ireland 2023 was published at 9.30 this morning.https://t.co/KsDceRAhId pic.twitter.com/VHDgfQv3wN

— NISRA (@NISRA) April 16, 2024

Top ten boys' names in Northern Ireland in 2023

1. Noah (152)
2. Jack (146)
3. James (131)
4. Cillian (128)
5. Charlie (123)
6. Leo (119)
7. Oisin (116)
8. Oliver (114)
9. Luca (108) and Theo (108)

Top ten girls' names in Northern Ireland in 2023

1. Isla (147)
2. Fiadh (138) 
3. Grace (137)
4. Emily (136)
5. Olivia (126)
6. Lily (108) 
7. Ella (97)
8. Aoife (94)
9. Amelia (92)
10. Freya (90)

Boys' names that joined the top 10 baby names in Northern Ireland in 2023

• Leo
• Luca

Girls' names that joined the top 10 baby names in Northern Ireland in 2023

• Amelia
• Ella

Boys' names that were among the ‘top climbers’ in Northern Ireland in 2023

• Albie (35)
• Seth (28) 
• Donnacha (27)
• Leon (26)

Girls' names that were among the ‘top climbers’ in Northern Ireland in 2023

• Rhea (45)
• Aurora (23)
• Rebecca (23)
• Raya (22)

NISRA's interactive tool lets users explore the most popular names in Northern Ireland since 1997, as well as their origins. It also provides historical data dating back to the 1920s.

Top ten boys' names in Northern Ireland overall since 1997

1. Jack (7,713)
2. James (6,983)
3. Matthew (6,193)
4. Daniel (5,184)
5. Ryan (5,154)
6. Adam (4,696)
7. Conor (4,252)
8. Thomas (4,183)
9. Joshua (3,802)
10. Ethan (3,774)

Top ten girls' names in Northern Ireland overall since 1997

1. Sophie (4,662)
2. Chloe (4,491)
3. Katie (4,413)
4. Emily (4,357)
5. Grace (4,353)
6. Emma (4,261)
7. Anna (3,703)
8. Hannah (3,701)
9. Lucy (3,637)
10. Aoife (3,549)

Top ten boys' names with Irish origins in Northern Ireland since 1997

1. Ryan (5,154)
2. Conor (4,252)
3. Sean (2,833)
4. Oisin (2,673)
5. Patrick (2,575)
6. Ronan (2,086)
7. Eoin (2,045)
8. Shea (1,950)
9. Darragh (1,725)
10. Rory (1,587)

Top ten girls' names with Irish origins in Northern Ireland since 1997

1. Aoife (3,549)
2. Niamh (3,458)
3. Erin (3,152)
4. Caitlin (2,877)
5. Caoimhe (1,776)
6. Shannon (1,651)
7. Eimear (1,406)
8. Ciara (1,333)
9. Clodagh (1,111)
10. Fiadh (1,017)