Top 100 baby names in Ireland 1981

CSO figures for babies registered in 1981. See the latest list for 2025.

Number 1 girls

Mary

882 babies

Number 1 boys

John

2,071 babies

New to the top 100

Maeve, Tanya, Anita, Grace, Sheila, Emmet

Girls

#	Name	Babies	vs 1980
1	Mary	882	·
2	Michelle	702	▲1
3	Sarah	696	▼1
4	Jennifer	635	▲5
5	Lisa	629	▲1
6	Sinead	610	▲2
7	Emma	568	▲4
8	Catherine	535	▼4
9	Karen	530	▲1
10	Louise	528	▼5
11	Niamh	501	▲3
12	Caroline	491	▼5
13	Elaine	489	▼1
14	Laura	488	▲3
15	Aoife	471	▲13
16	Claire	457	·
17	Deirdre	456	▼2
18	Fiona	442	▼5
19	Margaret	399	·
20	Ann	379	▲4
21	Lorraine	376	▼3
22	Ciara	363	▲3
23	Nicola	359	▲2
24	Elizabeth	332	▼3
24	Linda	332	▲3
26	Anne	318	▼3
26	Siobhan	318	▲7
28	Sharon	308	▼8
29	Patricia	306	▲2
30	Susan	304	▼1
31	Denise	303	▲5
32	Aisling	285	▲8
33	Marie	274	▲5
34	Maria	265	▲8
35	Joanne	263	▼3
36	Orla	261	▼14
37	Pamela	256	▼7
38	Deborah	248	▲10
39	Rachel	229	▲10
40	Gillian	227	▲1
40	Helen	227	▲3
42	Sandra	225	▼7
43	Donna	224	▲8
44	Yvonne	219	▼5
45	Amanda	207	▼8
46	Martina	203	▼2
47	Paula	199	▼13
47	Ruth	199	▲7
49	Edel	195	▼3
50	Bridget	192	▲1
51	Aine	184	▼4
52	Carol	183	▼7
53	Mairead	180	▲7
54	Grainne	176	▼4
55	Suzanne	168	▲2
56	Julie	166	▲8
57	Jacqueline	165	▲2
58	Clare	159	·
59	Bernadette	158	▼4
60	Kathleen	150	▲2
60	Roisin	150	▲11
62	Emer	147	▲1
63	Alison	144	▲4
64	Anna	138	▲6
65	Eimear	136	▼12
65	Geraldine	136	▼9
67	Tracey	135	▼6
68	Rebecca	133	▲6
69	Jane	125	▲14
70	Catriona	123	▲2
70	Gemma	123	▲14
72	Amy	122	▲3
73	Tracy	118	▼4
74	Teresa	116	▲4
75	Caitriona	115	▲7
76	Christina	112	▲4
76	Eileen	112	▼10
78	Audrey	111	▼11
78	Barbara	111	▲17
80	Angela	110	▼8
81	Tara	108	▼3
82	Maeve	106	New
83	Lorna	103	▼8
84	Tanya	102	New
85	Ellen	101	▼1
86	Valerie	99	▼5
87	Emily	94	·
88	Aileen	93	▲7
88	Anita	93	New
90	Olivia	92	▼1
91	Melissa	89	▲3
92	Christine	87	▼8
92	Stephanie	87	▲5
94	Grace	86	New
95	Andrea	83	▼7
95	Carmel	83	▼6
95	Sheila	83	New
98	Pauline	82	▼33
99	Miriam	81	▼6
100	Helena	79	·

Boys

#	Name	Babies	vs 1980
1	John	2,071	·
2	David	1,633	·
3	Michael	1,320	·
4	Patrick	1,217	▲1
5	Paul	1,110	▼1
6	James	1,098	·
7	Brian	907	·
8	Stephen	826	▲3
9	Thomas	823	▼1
10	Mark	789	·
11	Alan	785	▼2
12	Robert	658	·
13	Kevin	590	·
14	Shane	538	▲1
15	Martin	501	▲1
16	William	487	▼2
17	Anthony	486	▲1
18	Jonathan	476	▲5
19	Peter	467	▼2
20	Sean	445	▲8
21	Daniel	431	▲4
22	Joseph	426	▼2
23	Keith	411	▼4
24	Niall	410	·
25	Gerard	408	▼4
26	Andrew	394	▲4
27	Barry	384	▼5
28	Richard	360	▲1
29	Brendan	343	▼3
29	Declan	343	▲3
31	Derek	332	▲1
32	Ronan	331	▼1
33	Gary	322	▲6
34	Conor	319	▲4
35	Eoin	312	▼1
36	Darren	307	▼10
37	Damien	306	▼2
38	Philip	291	▼2
39	Ciaran	288	▲1
40	Christopher	276	▲8
41	Colm	275	▲8
42	Edward	260	▲2
42	Kieran	260	▲4
44	Kenneth	255	▼3
45	Jason	253	▼8
46	Aidan	240	▲4
47	Ian	239	▼2
48	Noel	235	▼6
49	Gavin	205	▲3
50	Francis	204	▲5
51	Liam	197	·
52	Padraig	193	▲12
53	Colin	190	▼6
53	Timothy	190	▲6
55	Gareth	179	▼13
56	Denis	174	▲2
57	Raymond	169	▼3
58	Trevor	166	▼5
59	Dermot	164	▲2
60	Donal	161	▼3
61	Graham	156	▲2
62	Adrian	151	▼2
63	Vincent	145	▲5
64	Neil	144	▲1
64	Simon	144	▼2
66	Seamus	143	▲5
67	Ross	137	▲3
68	Damian	133	▼2
68	Wayne	133	·
70	Karl	132	▼15
71	Eamonn	129	▲2
72	Rory	124	▲2
73	Enda	116	▼1
74	Cathal	115	▼7
75	Matthew	114	▲1
76	Bernard	111	▼1
77	Darragh	108	▲10
78	Owen	102	·
79	Steven	100	▲19
80	Nicholas	89	▲3
81	Maurice	85	▲3
82	Cormac	83	▼5
83	Fergal	82	▼2
83	Hugh	82	▼2
85	Garry	81	▼6
86	Eugene	80	▲11
87	Emmet	75	New
88	Adam	74	New
89	Cian	71	New
90	Bryan	70	▲3
91	Desmond	69	▼5
92	Charles	67	▼12
92	Justin	67	New
94	Eric	66	▼4
95	Eoghan	63	▼6
95	Jeremiah	63	▼5
95	Micheal	63	New
98	Aaron	62	New
99	Diarmuid	61	▼4
99	Oliver	61	▼5

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.