Top 100 baby names in Ireland 1978
CSO figures for babies registered in 1978. See the latest list for 2025.
Number 1 girls
Mary
1,005 babies
Number 1 boys
John
2,280 babies
New to the top 100
Donna, Annette, Christine, Evelyn, Jean, Georgina
Girls
| # | Name | Babies | vs 1977 | Save |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mary | 1,005 | · | |
| 2 | Michelle | 650 | ▲2 | |
| 3 | Sinead | 629 | ▼1 | |
| 4 | Catherine | 628 | ▼1 | |
| 5 | Caroline | 578 | ▲1 | |
| 6 | Jennifer | 535 | ▲4 | |
| 7 | Fiona | 507 | ▲2 | |
| 8 | Deirdre | 499 | ▼1 | |
| 9 | Karen | 482 | ▼4 | |
| 10 | Lisa | 466 | ▲5 | |
| 11 | Sarah | 463 | ▲1 | |
| 12 | Margaret | 449 | ▼4 | |
| 13 | Louise | 434 | ▲10 | |
| 14 | Niamh | 431 | · | |
| 15 | Elaine | 426 | ▼4 | |
| 16 | Lorraine | 418 | ▲5 | |
| 17 | Elizabeth | 410 | ▼1 | |
| 18 | Claire | 404 | ▲5 | |
| 19 | Sharon | 394 | ▼6 | |
| 20 | Ann | 386 | ▼2 | |
| 21 | Linda | 371 | ▼4 | |
| 22 | Anne | 364 | ▼2 | |
| 23 | Nicola | 362 | ▲2 | |
| 24 | Emma | 348 | ▲6 | |
| 25 | Susan | 343 | ▼6 | |
| 26 | Patricia | 323 | ▼4 | |
| 27 | Laura | 311 | ▲8 | |
| 28 | Gillian | 306 | ▼1 | |
| 29 | Orla | 305 | ▲4 | |
| 30 | Siobhan | 304 | · | |
| 31 | Aoife | 290 | ▲5 | |
| 32 | Yvonne | 278 | ▼6 | |
| 33 | Sandra | 277 | ▼4 | |
| 34 | Marie | 269 | ▲3 | |
| 35 | Denise | 263 | ▲7 | |
| 36 | Amanda | 259 | ▲7 | |
| 37 | Martina | 251 | ▼9 | |
| 38 | Ciara | 249 | ▲2 | |
| 39 | Joanne | 242 | ▼7 | |
| 40 | Paula | 240 | ▲15 | |
| 41 | Helen | 227 | ▼7 | |
| 41 | Maria | 227 | ▼3 | |
| 43 | Suzanne | 224 | ▲3 | |
| 44 | Aisling | 222 | ▲3 | |
| 45 | Carol | 210 | ▲4 | |
| 46 | Bridget | 197 | ▼1 | |
| 47 | Sabrina | 194 | ▼8 | |
| 48 | Geraldine | 188 | ▼7 | |
| 49 | Deborah | 187 | ▼1 | |
| 49 | Edel | 187 | ▲7 | |
| 51 | Jacqueline | 185 | ▲2 | |
| 52 | Julie | 182 | ▼1 | |
| 53 | Rachel | 181 | ▲1 | |
| 54 | Ruth | 172 | ▼10 | |
| 55 | Angela | 167 | ▲5 | |
| 55 | Grainne | 167 | ▲1 | |
| 57 | Aine | 161 | ▲3 | |
| 58 | Kathleen | 160 | ▲7 | |
| 59 | Emer | 159 | ▲3 | |
| 60 | Olivia | 154 | ▼8 | |
| 61 | Mairead | 150 | ▼3 | |
| 62 | Eileen | 148 | ▲1 | |
| 63 | Bernadette | 144 | ▼13 | |
| 64 | Clare | 143 | ▼5 | |
| 65 | Alison | 140 | ▲1 | |
| 66 | Valerie | 131 | ▲2 | |
| 67 | Anna | 129 | ▲5 | |
| 68 | Audrey | 128 | ▼4 | |
| 69 | Jane | 127 | ▲5 | |
| 70 | Tracey | 126 | ▼2 | |
| 71 | Roisin | 125 | ▲19 | |
| 72 | Tracy | 124 | ▼4 | |
| 73 | Pauline | 123 | ▲17 | |
| 74 | Barbara | 122 | ▼3 | |
| 75 | Teresa | 119 | ▼3 | |
| 76 | Tara | 117 | ▼9 | |
| 77 | Donna | 114 | New | |
| 78 | Christina | 112 | ▲3 | |
| 79 | Brenda | 107 | ▲16 | |
| 80 | Sheila | 104 | ▼2 | |
| 81 | Caitriona | 102 | ▲16 | |
| 82 | Annette | 97 | New | |
| 83 | Christine | 96 | New | |
| 84 | Carmel | 95 | ▼8 | |
| 85 | Evelyn | 92 | New | |
| 86 | Gemma | 91 | ▼5 | |
| 86 | Jean | 91 | New | |
| 88 | Helena | 89 | ▼9 | |
| 89 | Georgina | 88 | New | |
| 90 | Colette | 87 | ▼15 | |
| 90 | Rebecca | 87 | ▲3 | |
| 92 | Ashling | 85 | ▼5 | |
| 93 | Andrea | 84 | · | |
| 93 | Ellen | 84 | ▼6 | |
| 93 | Lynn | 84 | New | |
| 93 | Nora | 84 | New | |
| 93 | Pamela | 84 | New | |
| 98 | Eimear | 83 | ▼2 | |
| 98 | Josephine | 83 | ▼14 | |
| 98 | Lorna | 83 | ▼6 |
Boys
| # | Name | Babies | vs 1977 | Save |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | John | 2,280 | · | |
| 2 | David | 1,637 | · | |
| 3 | Paul | 1,343 | ▲2 | |
| 4 | Michael | 1,327 | ▼1 | |
| 5 | Patrick | 1,166 | ▼1 | |
| 6 | James | 949 | · | |
| 7 | Mark | 919 | ▲1 | |
| 8 | Brian | 857 | ▼1 | |
| 9 | Thomas | 811 | · | |
| 10 | Stephen | 710 | · | |
| 11 | Alan | 674 | · | |
| 12 | Robert | 555 | ▲4 | |
| 13 | Martin | 536 | · | |
| 14 | Kevin | 496 | · | |
| 15 | Anthony | 484 | ▼3 | |
| 16 | William | 458 | ▼1 | |
| 17 | Gerard | 415 | ▲1 | |
| 18 | Shane | 413 | ▼1 | |
| 19 | Peter | 409 | · | |
| 20 | Barry | 407 | ▲5 | |
| 21 | Brendan | 393 | ▲1 | |
| 22 | Keith | 381 | ▼1 | |
| 23 | Joseph | 374 | ▼3 | |
| 24 | Andrew | 366 | ▲5 | |
| 25 | Niall | 362 | ▼2 | |
| 26 | Declan | 349 | ▼2 | |
| 27 | Richard | 342 | ▼2 | |
| 28 | Derek | 324 | ▼1 | |
| 29 | Daniel | 322 | ▲2 | |
| 30 | Philip | 314 | ▲6 | |
| 31 | Darren | 285 | ▲3 | |
| 32 | Edward | 281 | ▲3 | |
| 33 | Jonathan | 277 | ▲15 | |
| 34 | Sean | 275 | ▼7 | |
| 35 | Colm | 268 | ▲14 | |
| 36 | Ian | 264 | ▼4 | |
| 36 | Jason | 264 | ▼6 | |
| 38 | Kenneth | 249 | · | |
| 39 | Ronan | 248 | ▲1 | |
| 40 | Gavin | 246 | ▼7 | |
| 41 | Kieran | 241 | ▼5 | |
| 41 | Noel | 241 | ▼2 | |
| 43 | Adrian | 227 | ▲6 | |
| 44 | Conor | 224 | ▼1 | |
| 45 | Colin | 223 | ▲2 | |
| 46 | Ciaran | 222 | ▲5 | |
| 47 | Aidan | 221 | ▼3 | |
| 48 | Francis | 217 | ▼3 | |
| 49 | Damien | 215 | ▼7 | |
| 50 | Eoin | 211 | ▲9 | |
| 51 | Raymond | 210 | ▼10 | |
| 52 | Christopher | 206 | ▼6 | |
| 53 | Trevor | 205 | ▼1 | |
| 54 | Graham | 185 | ▲4 | |
| 55 | Neil | 180 | ▲4 | |
| 56 | Liam | 177 | · | |
| 57 | Denis | 173 | ▼3 | |
| 58 | Dermot | 171 | ▼1 | |
| 59 | Gary | 168 | ▲5 | |
| 60 | Timothy | 167 | ▼7 | |
| 61 | Donal | 152 | ▼6 | |
| 62 | Seamus | 144 | ▼3 | |
| 63 | Padraig | 142 | ▲6 | |
| 64 | Damian | 136 | ▼1 | |
| 65 | Vincent | 134 | ▲5 | |
| 66 | Karl | 133 | ▲15 | |
| 66 | Simon | 133 | ▲1 | |
| 68 | Owen | 128 | ▲5 | |
| 69 | Rory | 125 | ▼1 | |
| 70 | Enda | 117 | ▼4 | |
| 71 | Cathal | 112 | ▲1 | |
| 72 | Matthew | 111 | ▲7 | |
| 73 | Wayne | 107 | ▲5 | |
| 74 | Gareth | 105 | ▲10 | |
| 75 | Fergal | 104 | ▼5 | |
| 76 | Eamonn | 103 | ▼1 | |
| 77 | Bernard | 96 | ▼12 | |
| 78 | Maurice | 90 | ▲4 | |
| 79 | Desmond | 87 | ▼3 | |
| 79 | Stuart | 87 | ▲19 | |
| 81 | Oliver | 84 | ▼7 | |
| 82 | Cormac | 83 | ▲13 | |
| 83 | Ross | 82 | ▲5 | |
| 84 | Nigel | 81 | · | |
| 85 | Darragh | 80 | ▲6 | |
| 85 | Laurence | 80 | ▼1 | |
| 87 | Garrett | 75 | · | |
| 87 | Gregory | 75 | ▲6 | |
| 87 | Nicholas | 75 | ▼10 | |
| 87 | Terence | 75 | ▲11 | |
| 91 | Charles | 73 | ▼3 | |
| 91 | Hugh | 73 | ▲4 | |
| 93 | Garry | 72 | ▲4 | |
| 94 | Cornelius | 69 | ▼15 | |
| 94 | Jeremiah | 69 | ▼1 | |
| 94 | Wesley | 69 | ▼32 | |
| 97 | Eric | 68 | New | |
| 98 | Emmet | 67 | New | |
| 99 | Bryan | 65 | ▼1 | |
| 100 | George | 64 | 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.