Top 100 baby names in Ireland 1979
CSO figures for babies registered in 1979. See the latest list for 2025.
Number 1 girls
Mary
944 babies
Number 1 boys
John
2,707 babies
New to the top 100
Catriona, Aileen, Anita, Jessica, Maeve, Emily
Girls
| # | Name | Babies | vs 1978 | Save |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mary | 944 | · | |
| 2 | Michelle | 650 | · | |
| 3 | Caroline | 647 | ▲2 | |
| 4 | Catherine | 618 | · | |
| 5 | Sinead | 594 | ▼2 | |
| 6 | Lisa | 536 | ▲4 | |
| 7 | Sarah | 506 | ▲4 | |
| 8 | Deirdre | 498 | · | |
| 9 | Karen | 494 | · | |
| 10 | Jennifer | 486 | ▼4 | |
| 11 | Emma | 480 | ▲13 | |
| 12 | Fiona | 469 | ▼5 | |
| 12 | Niamh | 469 | ▲2 | |
| 14 | Lorraine | 460 | ▲2 | |
| 15 | Paula | 453 | ▲25 | |
| 16 | Louise | 447 | ▼3 | |
| 17 | Elaine | 446 | ▼2 | |
| 18 | Laura | 395 | ▲9 | |
| 19 | Linda | 390 | ▲2 | |
| 20 | Ann | 380 | · | |
| 21 | Aoife | 379 | ▲10 | |
| 22 | Margaret | 374 | ▼10 | |
| 23 | Elizabeth | 370 | ▼6 | |
| 24 | Claire | 369 | ▼6 | |
| 25 | Sharon | 368 | ▼6 | |
| 26 | Anne | 363 | ▼4 | |
| 27 | Nicola | 343 | ▼4 | |
| 28 | Susan | 332 | ▼3 | |
| 29 | Joanne | 319 | ▲10 | |
| 30 | Orla | 313 | ▼1 | |
| 31 | Gillian | 293 | ▼3 | |
| 32 | Ciara | 289 | ▲6 | |
| 33 | Marie | 287 | ▲1 | |
| 34 | Sandra | 282 | ▼1 | |
| 35 | Siobhan | 281 | ▼5 | |
| 36 | Patricia | 273 | ▼10 | |
| 37 | Aisling | 270 | ▲7 | |
| 38 | Carol | 268 | ▲7 | |
| 39 | Denise | 261 | ▼4 | |
| 40 | Yvonne | 244 | ▼8 | |
| 41 | Pamela | 242 | ▲52 | |
| 42 | Helen | 226 | ▼1 | |
| 43 | Amanda | 222 | ▼7 | |
| 44 | Maria | 218 | ▼3 | |
| 45 | Pauline | 216 | ▲28 | |
| 46 | Martina | 207 | ▼9 | |
| 47 | Edel | 198 | ▲2 | |
| 48 | Suzanne | 189 | ▼5 | |
| 49 | Rachel | 187 | ▲4 | |
| 50 | Deborah | 186 | ▼1 | |
| 51 | Jacqueline | 176 | · | |
| 51 | Ruth | 176 | ▲3 | |
| 53 | Aine | 171 | ▲4 | |
| 54 | Bridget | 170 | ▼8 | |
| 55 | Julie | 168 | ▼3 | |
| 56 | Grainne | 163 | ▼1 | |
| 57 | Clare | 162 | ▲7 | |
| 58 | Catriona | 158 | New | |
| 59 | Geraldine | 155 | ▼11 | |
| 60 | Bernadette | 152 | ▲3 | |
| 60 | Kathleen | 152 | ▼2 | |
| 62 | Emer | 149 | ▼3 | |
| 63 | Alison | 147 | ▲2 | |
| 63 | Mairead | 147 | ▼2 | |
| 65 | Teresa | 145 | ▲10 | |
| 66 | Anna | 140 | ▲1 | |
| 67 | Tracey | 139 | ▲3 | |
| 68 | Audrey | 137 | · | |
| 69 | Christina | 132 | ▲9 | |
| 69 | Jane | 132 | · | |
| 71 | Sabrina | 130 | ▼24 | |
| 72 | Tara | 127 | ▲4 | |
| 73 | Olivia | 125 | ▼13 | |
| 74 | Eimear | 124 | ▲24 | |
| 75 | Eileen | 123 | ▼13 | |
| 76 | Angela | 120 | ▼21 | |
| 76 | Donna | 120 | ▲1 | |
| 76 | Tracy | 120 | ▼4 | |
| 79 | Caitriona | 114 | ▲2 | |
| 80 | Jean | 111 | ▲6 | |
| 81 | Roisin | 107 | ▼10 | |
| 82 | Gemma | 106 | ▲4 | |
| 83 | Carmel | 104 | ▲1 | |
| 84 | Barbara | 103 | ▼10 | |
| 85 | Christine | 97 | ▼2 | |
| 86 | Aileen | 95 | New | |
| 86 | Valerie | 95 | ▼20 | |
| 88 | Anita | 94 | New | |
| 88 | Jessica | 94 | New | |
| 90 | Andrea | 93 | ▲3 | |
| 91 | Lorna | 92 | ▲7 | |
| 91 | Maeve | 92 | New | |
| 93 | Emily | 90 | New | |
| 93 | Sheila | 90 | ▼13 | |
| 95 | Annette | 86 | ▼13 | |
| 96 | Ashling | 84 | ▼4 | |
| 97 | Victoria | 83 | New | |
| 98 | Colette | 82 | ▼8 | |
| 98 | Helena | 82 | ▼10 | |
| 100 | Rebecca | 79 | ▼10 |
Boys
| # | Name | Babies | vs 1978 | Save |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | John | 2,707 | · | |
| 2 | David | 1,695 | · | |
| 3 | Paul | 1,492 | · | |
| 4 | Michael | 1,332 | · | |
| 5 | Patrick | 1,227 | · | |
| 6 | James | 1,023 | · | |
| 7 | Brian | 895 | ▲1 | |
| 8 | Mark | 878 | ▼1 | |
| 9 | Thomas | 794 | · | |
| 10 | Alan | 735 | ▲1 | |
| 11 | Stephen | 720 | ▼1 | |
| 12 | Robert | 579 | · | |
| 13 | Kevin | 529 | ▲1 | |
| 14 | Martin | 502 | ▼1 | |
| 15 | Anthony | 482 | · | |
| 16 | William | 457 | · | |
| 17 | Peter | 447 | ▲2 | |
| 18 | Shane | 438 | · | |
| 19 | Joseph | 421 | ▲4 | |
| 20 | Keith | 418 | ▲2 | |
| 21 | Andrew | 411 | ▲3 | |
| 22 | Gerard | 397 | ▼5 | |
| 23 | Brendan | 389 | ▼2 | |
| 24 | Richard | 385 | ▲3 | |
| 25 | Niall | 373 | · | |
| 26 | Barry | 359 | ▼6 | |
| 27 | Daniel | 350 | ▲2 | |
| 28 | Sean | 346 | ▲6 | |
| 29 | Jason | 315 | ▲7 | |
| 30 | Declan | 310 | ▼4 | |
| 31 | Derek | 301 | ▼3 | |
| 32 | Jonathan | 290 | ▲1 | |
| 33 | Eoin | 289 | ▲17 | |
| 33 | Philip | 289 | ▼3 | |
| 35 | Darren | 283 | ▼4 | |
| 36 | Ronan | 277 | ▲3 | |
| 37 | Ian | 273 | ▼1 | |
| 38 | Kieran | 268 | ▲3 | |
| 39 | Damien | 262 | ▲10 | |
| 40 | Conor | 259 | ▲4 | |
| 41 | Edward | 254 | ▼9 | |
| 42 | Ciaran | 253 | ▲4 | |
| 43 | Noel | 250 | ▼2 | |
| 44 | Christopher | 249 | ▲8 | |
| 45 | Colin | 245 | · | |
| 46 | Kenneth | 236 | ▼8 | |
| 47 | Aidan | 230 | · | |
| 48 | Colm | 227 | ▼13 | |
| 49 | Francis | 214 | ▼1 | |
| 49 | Gary | 214 | ▲10 | |
| 51 | Adrian | 205 | ▼8 | |
| 52 | Gavin | 202 | ▼12 | |
| 53 | Denis | 187 | ▲4 | |
| 53 | Liam | 187 | ▲3 | |
| 55 | Trevor | 180 | ▼2 | |
| 56 | Raymond | 178 | ▼5 | |
| 57 | Gareth | 177 | ▲17 | |
| 58 | Karl | 175 | ▲8 | |
| 59 | Graham | 165 | ▼5 | |
| 60 | Cathal | 156 | ▲11 | |
| 61 | Timothy | 155 | ▼1 | |
| 62 | Neil | 153 | ▼7 | |
| 62 | Simon | 153 | ▲4 | |
| 64 | Padraig | 150 | ▼1 | |
| 65 | Seamus | 148 | ▼3 | |
| 66 | Wayne | 145 | ▲7 | |
| 67 | Donal | 144 | ▼6 | |
| 68 | Dermot | 135 | ▼10 | |
| 69 | Vincent | 133 | ▼4 | |
| 70 | Enda | 123 | · | |
| 71 | Eamonn | 122 | ▲5 | |
| 72 | Damian | 117 | ▼8 | |
| 72 | Rory | 117 | ▼3 | |
| 74 | Cormac | 111 | ▲8 | |
| 75 | Karol | 110 | New | |
| 76 | Owen | 107 | ▼8 | |
| 77 | Bernard | 105 | · | |
| 78 | Nigel | 101 | ▲6 | |
| 79 | Darragh | 98 | ▲6 | |
| 79 | Matthew | 98 | ▼7 | |
| 81 | Nicholas | 95 | ▲6 | |
| 82 | Ross | 94 | ▲1 | |
| 83 | Fergal | 91 | ▼8 | |
| 84 | Hugh | 88 | ▲7 | |
| 85 | Desmond | 84 | ▼6 | |
| 86 | Stuart | 81 | ▼7 | |
| 87 | Eric | 80 | ▲10 | |
| 88 | Laurence | 77 | ▼3 | |
| 89 | Fergus | 76 | New | |
| 90 | Cornelius | 75 | ▲4 | |
| 91 | Steven | 74 | New | |
| 92 | Gregory | 73 | ▼5 | |
| 93 | Bryan | 72 | ▲6 | |
| 94 | Maurice | 71 | ▼16 | |
| 94 | Terence | 71 | ▼7 | |
| 96 | Oliver | 68 | ▼15 | |
| 97 | Justin | 67 | New | |
| 98 | Charles | 64 | ▼7 | |
| 98 | George | 64 | ▲2 | |
| 100 | Jeremiah | 61 | ▼6 |
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.