Sophie was the most popular girls’ name chosen by parents in Ireland in 2024 – and for good reason too.
A beautiful pick for any little bundle of joy, not only does it have a lovely lyrical quality to it, Sophie comes complete with a strong meaning. Sophie is the diminutive of Sophia. It means ‘wisdom’ (another great reason to love it!)
According to the CSO, Sophie, which topped the charts for girls last year, was given to 294 babies – that’s a lot of love shown for this pretty name.
Replacing Grace as the most popular name in Ireland, Sophie has enjoyed a long bout of popularity on our shores, having sat somewhere in the top ten rankings since 2002.
It first appeared in usage by parents back in 1967 with four baby Sophies born that year before skyrocketing into favor over the course of the next few decades.
Sophie has Greek origins and is said to have first become popular in the Western world among Christians who named their daughters after the saint, Sophia the Martyr.
It became popular among royalty, too – there are many Princess Sophias on the family trees of European royal houses.
Sophie is such an elegant name, it’s no wonder it is the most popular in the country at the moment.
If you want to give your child a name with a similar feel to the most popular name of the moment, but you really have your heart set on choosing an Irish name, then don’t fret, there are so many beautiful and feminine Irish options to choose from.
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Here are some of our favorite Irish names to choose if you love the name Sophie:
Séodín
Pronounced "show-deen," Séodín is a lovely name with a similar sound to Sophie meaning "little jewel."
Quinn
Quinn is a beautiful moniker of Irish origin meaning "wisdom".
Shannon
Not only does it have that ‘s’ sound, Shannon is a pretty Irish pick which means "wise river."
Saoirse
Saoirse is a classic Irish name meaning "freedom".
Sorcha
Pronounced "sork-ah", Sorcha means "life".
Sloane
Pronounced "slow-anne," meaning "descendant of Sluaghadhán".
Aoibhí
Pronounced "ay-vee", if you like the two-syllable aspect of Sophie and how it ends in that "ee" sound, Aoibhí is definitely one to have on your radar.
Peigí
Another one that falls into this category, Peigí is a wonderful traditional Irish name meaning "pearl."
Cassidy
While more popularly used as a last name here in Ireland, Cassidy translates into a fantastic baby girl’s name meaning "curly-haired."
What’s your favorite Irish baby name?
* This article was originally published on RollerCoaster.ie.
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