One classic Irish surname was the most common for babies born in Ireland in 2024.Getty Images
Murphy was the most common surname for babies born in Ireland in 2024, according to Ireland's Central Statistics Office (CSO).
Since 2023, Ireland's CSO has expanded its surname analysis to provide a further breakdown of the most common surnames associated with babies born.
Murphy, Kelly, Byrne, O'Brien, and Walsh were the most common surnames for babies born in Ireland in 2024, the CSO found.
Of the 54,060 live births in Ireland in 2024, 20,812 had unique surnames. The top 10 surnames accounted for 6.5% (or 3,524) of the 54,060 live births in 2024.
The most common surnames for babies born in Ireland in 2024
1. Murphy - The Sea Battlers
2024 is the second year in a row that Murphy was the most common surname for babies born in Ireland.
This surname, which means “sea battler,” translates to Irish as MacMurchadh (son of Murchadh) and O'Murchadh (descendent of Murchadh), a derivation of the first name of Murchadh or Murragh.
O'Murchadh families lived in Wexford, Roscommon, and Cork, in which county it is now most common, with the MacMurchadhs of the Sligo and Tyrone area responsible for most of the Murphys in Ulster.
The name was first anglicized to MacMurphy and then to Murphy in the early 19th century.
2. Kelly - The Bright-Headed Ones
Like Murphy, Kelly retained its spot from 2023, again landing in second behind Kelly for the most common surname for babies born in Ireland in 2024.
The Kellys are all over Ireland. The name originates from around 10 unrelated ancient clans or septs, including O'Kelly septs from Meath, Derry, Antrim, Laois, Sligo, Wicklow, Kilkenny, Tipperary, Galway, and Roscommon.
O'Kelly comes from the Irish O Ceallaigh, meaning "descended from Ceallach," an Irish chieftain. “Ceallach” means war or contention. It is an ancient first name that is no longer used as a first name in Ireland. However, Kelly is a popular first name for women in the US.
3. Byrne - The Ravens
This surname made a pretty big jump, rising from the sixth most common surname for babies born in Ireland in 2023 to the third most common in 2024.
Byrnes can be found flying around all over counties Wicklow and Dublin, where it is one of the most common last names.
Byrne, originally O’Byrne, comes from the Irish O'Broin meaning "descended from Bran,” an 11th-century King of Leinster.
The O'Byrnes were chieftains of what is now County Kildare until the Norman invasion when they were driven from their lands and migrated (ha!) into the mountains of County Wicklow.
There, together with their allies the O'Tooles, they successfully resisted Norman and English domination for centuries.
4. O'Brien - The Noblemen
While not as big as a leap as Byrne, O'Brien moved up in the ranks, going from the fifth most common surname for babies born in Ireland in 2023 to fourth in 2024.
O’Briens are pretty lucky – they are descended from one of the greatest and most famous Irish kings.
The name O’Brien, also spelled O'Bryan or O'Brian, translates to Ó Briain in Irish, which means "of Brian.”
The name indicates the family is descendants of Brian Boru, the celebrated High King of Ireland. This gives O’Briens leave to call themselves “high” and “noble.”
Most O’Briens can be found in counties Clare, Limerick, Tipperary, and Waterford.
5. Walsh - The Welshmen
Walsh slipped slightly in the rankings, going from the fourth most common surname for babies born in Ireland in 2023 to the fifth in 2024.
The name Walsh is one of the most common of the Norman-associated names found in Ireland. It seems to have been the name used by the many different groups of Welsh people who arrived in Ireland with the Normans during the 12th century.
The name comes from Welsh, which simply means Welshman, and its early Norman form was "Le Waleys." But this became gradually anglicized to Walsh.