Top 100 baby names in Ireland 1966

CSO figures for babies registered in 1966. See the latest list for 2025.

Number 1 girls

Mary

2,861 babies

Number 1 boys

John

3,160 babies

New to the top 100

Sinead, Laura, Aileen, Pamela, Shirley, Amanda

Girls

#	Name	Babies	vs 1965
1	Mary	2,861	·
2	Catherine	1,279	▲1
3	Margaret	1,216	▼1
4	Ann	837	▲1
5	Anne	786	▼1
6	Elizabeth	672	·
7	Deirdre	613	▲4
8	Bridget	554	▲1
9	Patricia	537	▼1
10	Geraldine	499	▼3
11	Helen	424	▲1
12	Martina	420	▲4
13	Caroline	400	▼3
14	Bernadette	374	▲1
15	Sandra	366	▼1
16	Jacqueline	344	▼3
17	Linda	325	▲6
18	Eileen	313	▼1
19	Kathleen	312	▼1
20	Teresa	308	·
21	Sharon	302	▲11
21	Susan	302	▼3
23	Marie	298	▲6
24	Fiona	287	▲3
25	Carmel	281	·
26	Brigid	278	·
27	Karen	276	▲1
28	Pauline	270	▼4
29	Nora	261	▼7
30	Maria	257	▲6
31	Siobhan	242	▲3
32	Angela	226	▼11
33	Joan	219	·
34	Paula	218	▲4
35	Ellen	203	▼4
36	Anna	202	▼6
37	Josephine	199	▼3
38	Carol	197	▼1
39	Orla	171	·
40	Sarah	166	▲1
41	Yvonne	164	▲1
42	Denise	161	▲9
42	Valerie	161	▲7
44	Lorraine	159	▼4
45	Sheila	153	▼1
46	Louise	150	▲11
47	Christina	148	·
48	Barbara	147	▼3
49	Elaine	142	▲7
50	Rose	141	·
51	Michelle	136	▲45
52	Clare	131	▲1
52	Colette	131	▼4
52	Frances	131	▼9
52	Veronica	131	▲2
56	Niamh	129	▲33
57	Grainne	121	▼5
58	Annette	119	▲7
59	Julia	113	▼14
60	Brenda	111	▼5
60	Michele	111	▲1
60	Noreen	111	▲14
63	Audrey	109	▲10
64	Jennifer	108	▲23
64	Suzanne	108	▼5
66	Theresa	106	▲11
67	Johanna	104	▲13
68	Helena	103	▲1
69	Deborah	102	▲6
70	Claire	101	▼7
70	Jane	101	▼3
72	Jean	100	▼11
73	Alice	98	▼13
74	Una	97	▲15
75	Christine	90	▼17
76	Sinead	89	New
77	Adrienne	84	▲2
78	Katherine	80	▼7
78	Miriam	80	▼15
80	Rita	79	▼4
81	Laura	78	New
82	Aileen	77	New
83	Rosemary	76	▼14
83	Ruth	76	▼17
85	Marian	75	▼5
86	Edel	73	▲6
86	Janet	73	▲1
88	Jacinta	72	▲1
88	Monica	72	▼20
90	Dolores	70	▼4
90	Evelyn	70	▼12
90	Pamela	70	New
93	Imelda	68	▼13
93	Majella	68	▼9
93	Nuala	68	▼22
93	Shirley	68	New
97	Amanda	65	New
98	Alison	64	New
98	Noeleen	64	▼5
100	Aisling	63	New

Boys

#	Name	Babies	vs 1965
1	John	3,160	·
2	Michael	2,012	▲1
3	Patrick	1,963	▼1
4	James	1,446	·
5	Paul	1,303	▲1
6	Thomas	1,265	▼1
7	David	992	·
8	William	820	·
9	Martin	814	·
10	Gerard	749	·
11	Joseph	680	·
12	Anthony	628	·
13	Peter	601	▲1
14	Brian	597	▼1
15	Kevin	449	·
16	Brendan	440	·
17	Edward	423	·
17	Stephen	423	▲3
19	Noel	397	▲2
20	Francis	390	▼1
21	Mark	386	▲5
22	Declan	384	▼4
23	Alan	338	▲4
24	Daniel	337	▲1
25	Robert	317	▼2
26	Denis	303	▼2
27	Richard	298	▼5
28	Christopher	280	·
28	Derek	280	▲2
30	Timothy	251	▼1
31	Andrew	250	▲1
32	Kieran	243	▼1
33	Sean	235	▲8
34	Philip	222	▲3
35	Raymond	220	▲1
36	Bernard	209	▼2
37	Dermot	200	▼2
38	Colm	199	▲10
39	Kenneth	178	▲1
40	Niall	176	▼1
41	Aidan	169	▼8
42	Vincent	165	▲2
43	Cornelius	161	·
44	Donal	157	▼6
45	Jeremiah	148	▼3
46	Desmond	139	▼1
47	Conor	138	▲9
48	Ian	131	▲6
49	Laurence	127	▲3
50	Ciaran	125	▲1
51	Eugene	122	▼4
52	Matthew	120	▼3
53	Charles	118	▼7
54	Maurice	114	▼4
55	George	112	▲1
55	Seamus	112	▲3
57	Liam	110	▲2
58	Terence	109	▼3
59	Eamon	107	▲6
60	Eamonn	103	·
61	Ronan	97	▲2
62	Hugh	95	▼9
63	Nicholas	89	▲2
64	Gerald	82	·
65	Enda	81	▲5
66	Garrett	78	▲7
67	Barry	77	▲10
68	Colin	74	▲18
68	Damian	74	▼7
68	Gary	74	▲15
71	Fergus	73	▼1
71	Shane	73	▼6
73	Gregory	72	▲7
73	Padraig	72	▲9
75	Owen	69	▼3
76	Damien	68	▼3
76	Eoin	68	▲1
78	Simon	67	▼3
79	Oliver	65	▼10
80	Adrian	63	▼18
81	Neil	58	▲7
82	Finbarr	57	▼7
83	Henry	56	▼15
83	Rory	56	▲7
85	Cathal	55	New
85	Fergal	55	▲2
87	Trevor	51	New
88	Edmond	48	▼11
88	Karl	48	·
88	Keith	48	▼5
91	Cyril	46	▲1
91	Diarmuid	46	▲3
93	Pearse	44	New
94	Finbar	42	New
95	Cormac	41	▼3
95	Eric	41	▲3
97	Dominic	38	▼1
97	Leo	38	▲2
99	Aiden	37	New
99	Roger	37	·

Source: CSO, Irish Babies' Names (VSA50, VSA60), CC BY 4.0. Ranks are the CSO's own, which count each spelling separately (for example Fiadh and Fíadh). Tied names share a rank. Figures before 1998 come from the CSO back series, which is not directly comparable with later years.