Modern Irish boy names

Irish baby boy names haven't changed much in the last 150 years

Modern Irish boy names are pretty much all chosen from the same limited range available to our ancestors when the civil registration system was introduced in 1864.

Young Seán

While the most popular Irish baby boy names back then were John, Patrick, James, Thomas and Michael, records for 2008 (see right) show that these five names remained in the top 22. In fact, if you count Jack, Seán and John as one name (John), one baby boy in seven received this name – exactly the same proportion as in 1864.

Adding James and Jamie together as one shows that this name is rather less popular proportionally (from one boy in less than eight in 1864 to one in thirty in 2008).

Nonetheless, Irish boy names have gone through an enormous transformation during the last one and a half centuries.

Perhaps the most striking change is the number of Irish or 'anglicised-Irish' baby boy names to have become popular recently.

For the former, I would put forward names such as Cian, Oisín and Fionn, which hit the popularity stakes at numbers 11, 15 and 35 respectively, and were the names given to just over 1,100 little lads born in 2008. These are Old Irish names, drawn from Celtic history or from the Celts' Gaelic language.

Into the second category – the anglicised Irish boy names – come the Irish/Celtic names that were translated by the clergy or English officials at some point between the 16th and 18th centuries. For example, the names Conchobhair and Niall, both huge names in Celtic history and legend, were substitued with Connor/Conor and Neil respectively.

These, in turn, were sometimes changed again on baptism, to something 'Latin' sounding. So Connor and Neil might have become Cornelius. Either way, these 'substituted' or 'translated' names became accepted over time as Irish boy names and were passed down the generations.

They continue to be regarded as Irish names by many, and they show up in the top 100 modern baby names in Ireland. For example, Conor was the third most popular in 2007; Ronan (for Rúadán) 41st, and Rory (for Ruaidri) 51st.

Names like these simply weren't given to children in the mid-19th century, as you'll see if you compare the list in the column to the right with the most popular Irish boy names of 1864. Back then, biblical names were much more prevalent.

Perhaps the second-most striking feature of the 100 top Irish boy names in 2008 is that those drawn from the bible continue to be extremely popular. John (in three guises), Daniel, James (and Jamie), Adam, Luke, Michael, Aaron, Thomas, Matthew, David and Patrick appear in the top 22 and were the names given to more than one in five of all baby boys.

It should be noted, however, that the modern range of biblical names is much wider than that used by our 18th- and 19th-century ancestors.

Conor, Seán and Jack

In the last ten years, the names Seán and Jack have been among the three most popular modern baby names in the Republic of Ireland. In 1999, both were narrowly pipped by the previous year's 'winner' Conor. So narrowly that Seán was pushed into second place by only one extra registration. The figures tallied up like this: 761 babies were named Conor; 760 were named Seán; and 743 were named Jack.

Irish boy names written on pegs

In the following three years, it was Jack who took the crown, then Seán took over for two years before handing it back to Jack who returned after 12 months before regaining it in 2007.

Okay, it's a bit confusing but you get the idea!

In 2008, having held on to its top position for another year, Jack was the most popular Irish boy name in seven of Ireland's eight regional authorities.

Only in Dublin was Seán more popular (and it has been the capital county's top boy name for seven years). This pattern was a repeat of the 2007 line-up. Previously, the regional results had shown more balance.

Figures for the last ten years show that Adam, Michael and David challenged the top trio in any of the regions.

Adam was the top name in the Midlands region in 2002 and in Dublin the year before. Michael was the top baby boy's name in the West in 2004. David was the most popular name for new born boys in the Southwest in 1999. Other than these rare events, the most resoundingly popular Irish boy names of recent years are Conor, Jack and Sean.

2008 trends

Four of the top five Irish boy names in 2008 (Jack, Sean, Conor and James) have been in the top five for over ten years. Only their order has changed from year to year. There is little to suggest that this will alter drastically in the near future although both Alex and Dylan seem poised to make a challenge. Other names that might pose challengers in the next few years are Cillian (up from 60th most popular in 2003 to 23rd place in 2008), Charlie (from 79th to 29th) and Harry (56th to 31st).

There were only five names making their first appearance in the top 100 Irish boy names list in 2008: Jakub, Kacper, Filip, Billy and Patryk. As you can see, three are 'fashionably-spelt' versions of long-time favourites, while Billy is simply a diminutive of William. A sign of Ireland's changing society, Kacper is a Polish name.

Three traditional Irish baby boy names – Hugh, Odhran and Lorcan – returned to the top 100 list after a short absence.