Over the past 40 years, naming trends have come and gone, so we decided to look back to the year Madonna and Phil Collins were topping the charts for name inspiration.
If you were born in 1985, you’ll certainly recognise these girl and boy baby names as the names of your friends and family and possibly parents to the kids of today who are more likely to be called Sophie, Olivia, or Noah, than Michelle, Jennife,r or Patrick.
In Ireland, 1985 was the year Gaisce was founded (hands up who have Gaisce awards still proudly displayed on their mother’s mantle place?), the first heart transplant was performed, and two women in Ballinspittle, Co Cork claimed to see a statue of the Virgin Mary move, making it a pilgrimage site that summer.
In popular culture, classic flicks "Back to the Future," "The Goonies," and "The Breakfast Club" were all released. Whitney Houston released "Saving All My Love," Prince came out with "Raspberry Beret" and ‘U.S.A for Africa’ gave the world "We Are The World."
But pop culture didn’t seem to have too much influence on the girl and boy baby names given in Ireland in 1985. Here’s what made the top ten in Ireland that year!
The most popular baby girl names in Ireland in 1985
- Sarah
- Laura
- Michelle
- Mary
- Emma
- Jennifer
- Lisa
- Ciara
- Aoife
- Claire
Aoife was making its way into the hearts of the nation by 1985, but the only other Irish name on the list was Ciara, which hasn’t enjoyed the same long-standing popularity as Aoife.
The most popular baby boy names in Ireland in 1985
- David
- John
- Micheal
- Stephen
- James
- Patrick
- Paul
- Mark
- Brian
- Thomas
The boy baby names are very much traditional – a trend that still remains. Everyone knows at least one David to this day!
In comparison, here are the most popular names in Ireland from the Central Statistic Office’s most recent record.
The most popular baby boy names in Ireland in 2023
- Jack
- Noah
- James
- Rían
- Oisín
- Fionn
- Tadhg
- Liam
- Cillian
- Daniel
The most popular baby girl names in Ireland in 2023
- Grace
- Fiadh
- Emily
- Sophie
- Lily
- Ellie
- Mia
- Amelia
- Éabha
- Ella
*This article was originally published on RollerCoaster.ie.