Five most popular babies' names
| Name | Count | Name | Count |
| Jack | 1,073 | Sarah | 656 |
| Sean | 965 | Emma | 632 |
| Conor | 821 | Ella | 601 |
| Daniel | 725 | Katie | 566 |
| James | 713 | Sophie | 556 |
Jack and Sarah most popular names
Jack and Sarah were the most popular babies' names registered last year. Jack returns to the top position it last held in 2005 and Sarah retains the top position it held in 2006. There were 1,073 boys named Jack in 2007, 108 more than the number of boys named Sean. There were 656 girls named Sarah, 24 more than the number of girls named Emma, the
second most popular girls' name. See Tables 1 and 2.
Four of the top five boys' names (Jack, Sean, Conor and James) have been in the top five since 1998, with only their order changing from year to year. Daniel is a new entry to the top five at number four but has been ranked sixth from 2002 to 2006. There has been more change in girls' names. While Emma and Sarah have been in the top five since 1998, Katie has only been in the top five since 2003, Sophie has been in it since 2006 and Ella is in the top five for the first time. See Table 1.
There were six first time entries to the top 100 for boys: Rhys, Oliver, Jayden, Louis, Lucas and Jacob. Also, Edward returned to the top 100 after a 2-year absence and Reece returned after a 3-year absence. The highest new entries at number 76 were Rhys and Oliver, Rhys rose from 109th place in 2002 and 104th in 2006, and Oliver rose from 155th place in 2002 and 101st in 2006. The names rising the most places were Jayden (up 220 places to 85), Louis (up 37 places to 86) and Edward (up 33 places to 82). See Table 6.
There were also six first time entries to the top 100 for girls: Brooke, Millie, Taylor, Muireann, Freya and Maya. Also, Sara returned to the top 100 after a 2-year absence and Lara returned after a 4-year absence. The highest new entry was Brooke, which climbed from 289th place in 2002 and 133rd in 2006 to reach 73rd place. The names rising the most places were Brooke (up 60 places to 73), Millie (up 39 places to 84) and Muireann (up 39 places to 91). See Table 6.
In general, the tables show that girls are given awider variety of names than boys are, with 42.3% of girls given a name not in the top 100, compared with 32.8% of boys.
Jack was the most popular boys' name in seven of the eight Regional Authority areas. The exception was the Dublin region where Sean was the most popular. Sarah was the most popular girls' name in the Border and South-West regions. Emma was the most popular in the West and Mid-West regions. Ella was the most popular in the Mid-East and South-East
regions. Katie was the most popular name in the Midland region and Sophie in the Dublin region.
These results are based on an analysis of the first names recorded on birth returns for registration and vital statistics, begun by CSO in 1998. All birth notifications in 2007 included baby's first name when the statistical return was sent to the CSO.
Most popular babies' names registered in each regional authority
|
Year 2007 |
Regional Authority | Boys Name | % | Count | % |
| Border | Jack | 2.65 | Sarah | 2.08 | |
| Midland | Jack | 2.73 | Katie | 2.26 | |
| West | Jack | 2.94 | Emma | 2.58 | |
| Dublin | Sean | 2.77 | Sophie | 1.84 | |
| Mid-East | Jack | 3.35 | Ella | 1.89 | |
| Mid-West | Jack | 4.06 | Emma | 2.24 | |
| South-East | Jack | 3.51 | Ella | 2.20 | |
| South-West | Jack | 3.15 | Sarah | 2.02 | |
| Ireland | Jack | 2.98 | Sarah | 1.90 |
More detailed tables, including the top 100 names for boys and girls, are available on the CSO website (www.cso.ie).
For more information contact Joseph Keating (LoCall 1890 313 414 Ext 5121) or Paula Scully (Ext 5792) or Louise O 'Loughlin (Ext 5518)
29 August 2008
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