Irish Babies’ Names 2025: What the CSO Says About Rían, Lily, the Síneadh Fada and the Most Popular Names by County (Republic of Ireland)

Irish baby names mix long-established favourites with Irish-language choices that are climbing the rankings. The Central Statistics Office (CSO) published Irish Babies’ Names 2025 on 27 February 2026, based on the first names registered with the General Registration Office for births registered between 1 January and 31 December 2025. This guide summarises that release. It covers the Republic of Ireland only. For other parts of the UK see the guides to baby names in England and Wales, Scotland et Northern Ireland.

The 2025 top five

The CSO reports that Rían was the most popular boys’ name in 2025, the first time it has reached number one since the series began in 1964. It has been in the top five since 2021. The top five boys’ names were Rían, Jack, Noah, James and Oisín. Jack had held the top spot since 2007, apart from 2016, when James was first. In 2025 it dropped to second. Noah has been in the top ten since 2013 and James has been in the top ten since 1964.

For girls, Lily was the most popular name for the first time since 1964, rising from sixth place in 2024. The top five were Lily, Éabha, Fiadh, Grace and Sadie, the last of which entered the top five for the first time. Sophie, first in 2024, fell to joint sixth with Emily, the first time it placed outside the top five since 2008. Grace has been in the top ten since 2006.

New entries and risers

There were six new entrants to the top 100 for boys: Levi, Dáire, Naoise, Conall, Elijah and Teidí. Naoise climbed fastest, from 162nd place in 2024 to 88th. Six girls’ names also joined the top 100: Ríadh, Gracie, Mabel, Arabella, Nancy and Raya. Raya rose from 213th to 99th, a jump of 114 places, the fastest rise for girls. The CSO also lists some less common names registered in 2025, for example Elio and Séadhna for boys and Éilis and Una for girls.

There is more variety in girls’ names, with 5,488 different girls’ names in 2025 compared with 4,848 for boys. Altogether 10,336 distinct names were registered.

Names by county and by parents’ nationality

In most areas a top-five boys’ name took first place. Rían was the top or joint top name in 12 locations, including Wicklow, Kerry and Clare, and Jack was top or joint top in 10, including Limerick City and County, Kilkenny, Louth and Laois. Some counties preferred other names. Liam, seventh nationally, was most favoured in Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown and Kildare, while Fionn topped the list in Westmeath, and Leo, tenth nationally with 261 births, was the favourite in Fingal.

Lily was the top or joint top girls’ name in six areas, including Meath, Wicklow, Dublin City, South Dublin and Cork City. Éabha led in six areas including Kilkenny, Clare and Cork County, and Grace held the top or joint top place in eight counties. Names outside the top five led in some places: Croía, ninth nationally, was the top girls’ name in Kerry, and Hannah, 21st nationally, led in Laois.

The CSO also breaks names down by parents’ nationality. Rían and Éabha were the most popular where both parents were Irish nationals, while David and Olivia led for parents from EU15 to EU27 countries, Muhammad and Hannah for parents from outside the EU and UK, and Florence for girls where parents were UK nationals.

How spellings and the síneadh fada are counted

The CSO says different spellings are counted as separate names. In 2025, 53 boys were named Eoin and 41 Eoghan, and combining Hanna (15) with Hannah (168) would place the name 16th, replacing Lucy. Jack, Seán, John and Sean together account for 862 boys, ranking 2nd, 23rd, 29th and 141st, and treated as variants of John they would be the most popular boys’ name.

From 2018 registrations, the CSO has recorded the síneadh fada and other accents, which began a new series. Seán with the accent and Sean without it are recorded as two names. Only the first name is analysed, not additional forenames. A parent choosing between spellings can see from these figures how much a single accent changes a name’s rank.

Fifty years on and surnames

Looking back to 1975, John was the most popular boys’ name and ranked 29th in 2025, while Mary was first for girls and ranked 112th in 2025, with 41 babies given the name. It was only the fourth time in 50 years that Mary has been outside the top 100. James was the only name in the top ten for boys in both years. The CSO also reports that Murphy, Kelly, O’Brien, Walsh and Byrne were the most common surnames for babies born in 2025, and that of 54,120 live births, 21,154 had unique surnames.

FAQs

When did the CSO publish the 2025 figures?

The CSO published Irish Babies’ Names 2025 on 27 February 2026.

Are these names for the whole island of Ireland?

No. They cover births registered in the Republic of Ireland. Northern Ireland is covered by NISRA figures, summarised in the site’s guide.

Does the CSO count variant spellings together?

No. Variant spellings, and names with and without a síneadh fada, are counted as separate names.

The bottom line

In the Republic of Ireland, 2025 saw Rían and Lily reach the top of the boys’ and girls’ lists for the first time, with Jack and Sophie moving down. Irish-language names such as Éabha, Fiadh, Oisín, Naoise and Croía feature in the rankings and in county favourites. Because the CSO counts each spelling and fada separately, the rank of a single name can look lower than the combined popularity of its variants. Browsing the CSO tables is an easy way to find ideas.

Sources

• Irish Babies’ Names 2025: Key Findings (cso.ie)
• Irish Babies’ Names 2025: Main Results (cso.ie)
• Irish Babies’ Names 2025: Background Notes (cso.ie)