The top Northern Irish name for boys and girls in 2009

Northern Irish baby names. Top 10 babies names in Northern Ireland.


The most popular Northern Irish name for boys is Jack. No doubt about it. It has held that position since 2003, according to official statistics of registered births.

Almost as static is the top name for girls - Katie. She's been the most common name for infant girls since 2004.

In choosing baby girl and baby boy names, parents in Northern Ireland seem to make their selection from a very similar pot of names as parents in the Republic.

Jack, for example, is the top name for boys on both sides of the border, and four more of Northern Ireland's top 10 baby names for boys appear in the most popular 10 in the Republic: Daniel, James, Ryan, Conor and Adam.

However, there are some surprising differences in popularity. Ethan, ranking outside the top 50 in the Republic is the 7th most popular name in Northern Ireland. Similarly, Charlie climbed hard to reach 29th place in the Republic but is in 8th position in the North.

A similar patter can be seen with girls names. Six of the top 10 names in the North – Katie, Sophie, Grace, Emily, Emma and Chloe – also appear in the top 10 in the south, but Erin and Eva (in 5th and 8th position in the north) only just scrape into the top 40 further south.

Northern Irish name changes over the last 150 years

When compared with Irish first names in 1864, modern boys names have not shifted enormously. Four of 2009's most popular boy names in Northern Ireland were among the top 20 of 150 years ago. If you count Jack as John, that figures jumps to five.

Northern Irish names for girls have altered rather more dramatically. Not one of the top ten names in 2009 held such a status back in the mid 19th century.

Statistics clearly show that baby names change dramatically and regularly. Even as recently as 1975, only one name – James – survives from the top 20 names from that era.


Boys names in 1975 Girls names in 1975
David Joanne
Paul Karen12.9
John Catherine
Mark Julie
Stephen Sharon
Michael Mary
William Claire
James Lisa
Jonathan Michelle
Robert Nicola


Find out more about names


Northern Irish names in 2009*

Boys

  1. Jack
  2. Matthew
  3. Daniel
  4. James
  5. Ryan
  6. Adam
  7. Ethan
  8. Charlie
  9. Thomas
  10. Conor
  11. Dylan
  12. Jamie
  13. Harry
  14. Aaron
  15. Callum
  16. Joshua
  17. Oliver
  18. Sean
  19. Ben
  20. Jake

Girls

  1. Katie
  2. Sophie
  3. Grace
  4. Lucy
  5. Erin
  6. Emily
  7. Emma
  8. Eva
  9. Chloe
  10. Anna
  11. Jessica
  12. Hannah
  13. Aoife
  14. Ellie
  15. Amy
  16. Sarah
  17. Olivia
  18. Niamh
  19. Ella
  20. Aimee

*While 2009's top 20 baby names for Northern Ireland have been released, the top 100 list will not be published until summer 2010.

See below left for links to 2008 records for baby names in the Republic.

Northern Irish name facts

In 2009, some 84% of new-borns were given an additional forename (a middle name).

Dylan and Brooke are increasingly popular among younger mothers.

Older mothers favour more traditional names such as Oliver and Sarah.

Harry, in 13th place nationally, was the top name in the Limavady area.

Oliver, in 17th place nationally, was the top name in the Coleraine area.

Mia, which doesn't figure in the top 20 nationally, was the top name in the Fermanagh area.



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