Those born in 1974 share a birth year with Kate Moss and Christian Bale who are headed for the big 5-0, but what were the most popular baby boy and girl names then, and how do they compare to now? 

In the same year that the Rubik’s cube was invented, John and Mary were once again topping their respective charts as they had been since records began a decade beforehand.

According to the CSO, 2330 baby Johns were born alongside 1375 Marys.

Comprised of traditional, much-loved monikers, the top boys’ name list saw Michael in second place and Patrick in third.

The same year ABBA took home the title of the winner of Eurovision for Sweden, the most popular girl name was Mary followed by Catherine and Margaret.

The top baby names for boys in Ireland in 1974:

  1. John – 2330
  2. Michael – 1536
  3. Patrick – 1443
  4. David – 1263
  5. Paul – 1139
  6. James – 1059
  7. Mark – 979
  8. Thomas – 884
  9. Brian – 688
  10. Alan – 656

The top baby names for girls in Ireland in 1974:

  1. Mary – 1375
  2. Catherine – 751
  3. Margaret – 605
  4. Caroline – 581
  5. Sinead – 569
  6. Michelle – 533
  7. Sharon – 518
  8. Deirdre – 495
  9. Elizabeth – 488
  10. Ann – 465
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* This article was originally published on Rollercoaster.ie.