Top 100 baby names in Ireland 1971
CSO figures for babies registered in 1971. See the latest list for 2025.
Number 1 girls
Mary
1,907 babies
Number 1 boys
John
2,654 babies
New to the top 100
Andrea, Maeve, Katherine, Nuala, Fintan, Diarmuid
Girls
| # | Name | Babies | vs 1970 | Save |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mary | 1,907 | · | |
| 2 | Catherine | 914 | · | |
| 3 | Margaret | 837 | · | |
| 4 | Fiona | 616 | ▲4 | |
| 5 | Sinead | 598 | ▲19 | |
| 6 | Ann | 582 | ▼2 | |
| 7 | Elizabeth | 579 | ▼1 | |
| 8 | Sharon | 570 | ▼3 | |
| 9 | Anne | 538 | ▼2 | |
| 10 | Deirdre | 535 | ▼1 | |
| 11 | Caroline | 484 | ▼1 | |
| 12 | Patricia | 467 | ▼1 | |
| 13 | Michelle | 434 | ▲5 | |
| 14 | Sandra | 422 | ▲1 | |
| 15 | Siobhan | 401 | ▲6 | |
| 16 | Elaine | 354 | ▲6 | |
| 16 | Karen | 354 | · | |
| 16 | Linda | 354 | ▲1 | |
| 19 | Geraldine | 349 | ▲1 | |
| 20 | Bridget | 348 | ▼7 | |
| 21 | Martina | 344 | ▼9 | |
| 22 | Helen | 339 | ▼8 | |
| 23 | Susan | 335 | ▼4 | |
| 24 | Bernadette | 302 | ▼1 | |
| 25 | Maria | 289 | ▲5 | |
| 26 | Marie | 271 | ▲2 | |
| 27 | Lorraine | 260 | ▼2 | |
| 28 | Lisa | 254 | ▲26 | |
| 29 | Jennifer | 251 | ▲8 | |
| 30 | Yvonne | 247 | ▲1 | |
| 31 | Eileen | 240 | ▼4 | |
| 32 | Niamh | 238 | ▲1 | |
| 33 | Denise | 233 | ▼1 | |
| 34 | Sarah | 229 | ▲10 | |
| 35 | Carol | 225 | ▲2 | |
| 36 | Gillian | 221 | ▲29 | |
| 37 | Carmel | 215 | ▼4 | |
| 38 | Louise | 214 | ▲4 | |
| 39 | Angela | 209 | ▼4 | |
| 39 | Jacqueline | 209 | ▼3 | |
| 39 | Orla | 209 | · | |
| 42 | Teresa | 207 | ▼14 | |
| 43 | Rachel | 200 | ▼2 | |
| 44 | Suzanne | 198 | ▲2 | |
| 45 | Kathleen | 196 | ▼19 | |
| 46 | Deborah | 190 | ▼6 | |
| 47 | Nora | 183 | ▲2 | |
| 48 | Audrey | 174 | · | |
| 49 | Barbara | 172 | ▲10 | |
| 50 | Valerie | 170 | ▼4 | |
| 51 | Paula | 169 | ▼9 | |
| 52 | Anna | 164 | ▲6 | |
| 53 | Josephine | 161 | ▼2 | |
| 54 | Tracy | 160 | ▲9 | |
| 55 | Brigid | 157 | ▼5 | |
| 56 | Amanda | 156 | ▲1 | |
| 57 | Claire | 155 | ▲11 | |
| 58 | Aisling | 153 | ▲13 | |
| 59 | Joan | 147 | ▼15 | |
| 59 | Nicola | 147 | ▲7 | |
| 61 | Christina | 144 | ▼5 | |
| 62 | Sheila | 143 | ▼10 | |
| 63 | Ciara | 139 | ▲16 | |
| 64 | Shirley | 135 | ▲31 | |
| 65 | Joanne | 134 | ▲4 | |
| 65 | Pauline | 134 | ▼10 | |
| 67 | Tara | 133 | ▼14 | |
| 68 | Ruth | 132 | ▼7 | |
| 69 | Colette | 131 | ▼5 | |
| 70 | Ellen | 128 | ▼10 | |
| 71 | Annette | 127 | ▲17 | |
| 71 | Tracey | 127 | ▲2 | |
| 73 | Edel | 126 | ▲2 | |
| 74 | Grainne | 121 | ▼8 | |
| 75 | Anita | 120 | ▲19 | |
| 76 | Alison | 114 | ▼7 | |
| 77 | Brenda | 113 | ▲2 | |
| 78 | Jane | 111 | ▲3 | |
| 79 | Frances | 107 | ▼7 | |
| 79 | Helena | 107 | ▼3 | |
| 79 | Noreen | 107 | ▲3 | |
| 82 | Emer | 100 | ▲3 | |
| 83 | Jean | 99 | ▲1 | |
| 83 | Samantha | 99 | ▼1 | |
| 85 | Clodagh | 98 | ▲10 | |
| 86 | Clare | 97 | ▲1 | |
| 86 | Laura | 97 | ▲4 | |
| 88 | Julia | 96 | ▼12 | |
| 89 | Veronica | 94 | ▼4 | |
| 90 | Andrea | 93 | New | |
| 90 | Antoinette | 93 | ▲10 | |
| 90 | Maeve | 93 | New | |
| 90 | Michele | 93 | ▼29 | |
| 94 | Majella | 91 | ▲1 | |
| 94 | Pamela | 91 | ▼3 | |
| 94 | Una | 91 | ▼6 | |
| 97 | Rose | 89 | ▼24 | |
| 98 | Miriam | 88 | ▼3 | |
| 99 | Katherine | 87 | New | |
| 100 | Nuala | 86 | New |
Boys
| # | Name | Babies | vs 1970 | Save |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | John | 2,654 | · | |
| 2 | Michael | 1,745 | · | |
| 3 | Patrick | 1,705 | · | |
| 4 | David | 1,269 | · | |
| 5 | James | 1,190 | · | |
| 6 | Thomas | 1,054 | · | |
| 7 | Paul | 1,030 | · | |
| 8 | Mark | 748 | ▲1 | |
| 9 | Brian | 736 | ▲1 | |
| 10 | William | 698 | ▼2 | |
| 11 | Martin | 599 | ▲1 | |
| 12 | Declan | 574 | ▲3 | |
| 13 | Alan | 569 | · | |
| 14 | Stephen | 568 | ▲3 | |
| 15 | Anthony | 556 | ▼1 | |
| 16 | Gerard | 524 | ▼5 | |
| 17 | Peter | 521 | ▲3 | |
| 18 | Kevin | 519 | · | |
| 19 | Joseph | 508 | ▼3 | |
| 20 | Robert | 481 | ▼1 | |
| 21 | Brendan | 368 | · | |
| 22 | Noel | 360 | · | |
| 23 | Edward | 339 | · | |
| 24 | Derek | 335 | · | |
| 25 | Richard | 328 | · | |
| 26 | Andrew | 294 | ▲10 | |
| 27 | Sean | 291 | ▲4 | |
| 28 | Daniel | 288 | ▼2 | |
| 28 | Francis | 288 | ▼1 | |
| 30 | Denis | 284 | ▼2 | |
| 31 | Kenneth | 277 | ▲2 | |
| 32 | Kieran | 273 | ▼2 | |
| 33 | Philip | 272 | ▲8 | |
| 34 | Christopher | 268 | ▲5 | |
| 35 | Darren | 265 | ▲5 | |
| 35 | Niall | 265 | ▼7 | |
| 37 | Jason | 252 | ▲16 | |
| 38 | Timothy | 233 | ▼1 | |
| 39 | Raymond | 232 | ▼5 | |
| 40 | Keith | 227 | ▲21 | |
| 41 | Dermot | 220 | ▼3 | |
| 42 | Conor | 219 | ▲3 | |
| 43 | Colm | 217 | ▼11 | |
| 44 | Aidan | 213 | ▼9 | |
| 45 | Barry | 211 | ▲3 | |
| 46 | Damien | 206 | ▲3 | |
| 47 | Colin | 204 | ▲21 | |
| 48 | Shane | 200 | ▼6 | |
| 49 | Ronan | 188 | ▲5 | |
| 50 | Ciaran | 173 | ▼7 | |
| 51 | Bernard | 171 | ▼4 | |
| 52 | Adrian | 169 | · | |
| 53 | Ian | 162 | ▼3 | |
| 54 | Donal | 160 | ▼10 | |
| 54 | Gary | 160 | ▲4 | |
| 56 | Seamus | 146 | ▲8 | |
| 57 | Cornelius | 142 | ▲3 | |
| 58 | Vincent | 140 | ▼2 | |
| 59 | Fergal | 139 | ▼13 | |
| 60 | Damian | 130 | ▼3 | |
| 61 | Liam | 127 | ▼11 | |
| 62 | Trevor | 126 | ▲12 | |
| 63 | Desmond | 120 | ▼8 | |
| 64 | Laurence | 118 | ▲6 | |
| 65 | Eoin | 113 | ▲16 | |
| 66 | Enda | 109 | ▼1 | |
| 67 | Jonathan | 107 | ▲11 | |
| 68 | Karl | 104 | ▲1 | |
| 69 | Eamonn | 103 | ▲2 | |
| 70 | Eugene | 102 | ▼4 | |
| 70 | Jeremiah | 102 | ▼11 | |
| 72 | Terence | 100 | ▼1 | |
| 73 | Graham | 99 | ▲21 | |
| 74 | George | 98 | ▲3 | |
| 75 | Nigel | 97 | ▲13 | |
| 76 | Maurice | 96 | ▼13 | |
| 77 | Charles | 94 | ▼15 | |
| 78 | Hugh | 92 | ▼3 | |
| 78 | Matthew | 92 | ▼2 | |
| 80 | Cathal | 90 | ▲10 | |
| 81 | Rory | 88 | ▲9 | |
| 82 | Eamon | 87 | ▲5 | |
| 83 | Fergus | 86 | ▲3 | |
| 84 | Garrett | 85 | ▼13 | |
| 85 | Nicholas | 84 | ▼4 | |
| 86 | Gavin | 83 | ▲13 | |
| 87 | Cormac | 82 | ▼3 | |
| 88 | Padraig | 81 | ▼22 | |
| 89 | Simon | 80 | ▼11 | |
| 90 | Owen | 77 | ▼9 | |
| 91 | Garry | 76 | ▲6 | |
| 92 | Gregory | 74 | ▼7 | |
| 93 | Gerald | 73 | ▼13 | |
| 94 | Finbarr | 69 | ▲3 | |
| 94 | Fintan | 69 | New | |
| 96 | Diarmuid | 68 | New | |
| 97 | Justin | 67 | ▼9 | |
| 98 | Neil | 65 | New | |
| 99 | Oliver | 61 | ▼7 | |
| 100 | Wayne | 57 | New |
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.