If you look at the most recent list of the most popular baby boy names in the United States, you can see that Irish baby boy names are having a moment. The name Liam, for example, is currently the most-used baby boy name, and it's been in the top spot since 2017, But will it stay that way?
"Liam is beginning to fall in usage," says Sophie Kihm, the editor-in-chief of baby-naming site Nameberry. "We expect it to slip in the rankings soon. Other Irish boy names now past their peak include Finn, Connor and Declan."
So, which names does Kihm see on the rise? "The most coveted Irish boy names right now are energetic choices that start with 'R.' Rowan and Rory lead the pack, but we’re also seeing once-obscure names like Rafferty and Redmond get the attention they deserve." Names that start with 'C' and end with 'N,' like Cillian, Cian and Callahan, are also getting hot, Kihm says, along with names like Mac/Mack and Sullivan.
Whether you want to honor your Emerald Isle heritage or just like the way these sound, these Irish boy names are certain to be high on your list of potential baby monikers
These are the most popular baby boy names in Ireland.
Ireland's Central Statistics Office (CSO) keeps track of baby names going back to 1964, if you're looking for a deep well of inspiration. While they're not all names of Irish origin, according to the CSO, these are the top baby boy names in Ireland at the moment.
- Jack
- Noah
- James
- Conor
- 搁í补苍
- Liam
- Charlie
- Daniel
- Cillian
- Tadhg
- Michael
- 翱颈蝉í苍
- Finn
- Fionn
- Thomas
- 厂别á苍
- Darragh
- Luke
- Patrick
- Harry
- Alex
- Adam
- Cian
- Theo
- Oliver
- Dylan
- Jamie
- John
- Leo
- Oscar
- Ollie
- Ben
- Tom
- Bobby
- Tommy
As you can see, these run the gamut of popularity this side of the pond: Some, like Liam, Noah and Oliver, are also extremely popular in the United States. Others, like Darragh, 翱颈蝉í苍 (pronounced oh-SHEEN) and Tadhg (pronounced TI-guh, like the first syllable in the word "tiger"), didn't even make the top 1,000 names stateside, according to the Social Security Administration (SSA), which keeps track of baby names in the United States. There are also quite a few names on this list that follow the recent baby name trend of using a nickname over a full name, like Alex (over Alexander), Theo (over Theodore) and Ben (over Benjamin).
These are currently the most popular baby names of Irish origin in the United States.
If you don't want to go too far out of the box, these are some more names that are currently high-rankers on the SSA's list of top baby names. All of Irish origin, they rank somewhere within the top 300 names in the United States.
- Aiden/Ayden
- Nolan
- Ryan
- Connor
- Declan
- Rowan
- Arthur
- Riley
- Finley
- Rory
Interestingly, the "R" names that Kihm mentioned earlier — like Ryan, Rowan, Riley and Rory — are also on the list of most popular baby names for girls in the United States. These are great options if you're looking for a gender-neutral baby name.
These Irish baby names are on the rise.
The SSA doesn't just keep track of the most popular names — they keep tabs on how that popularity is changing over time. These names haven't broken into the top 100 yet, but they increased in popularity over the last year (listed in order from the biggest jump in popularity to least-biggest).
- Mac
- Kylian
- Cillian
- Callahan
- Mccoy
- Bellamy
- Casey
- Quinn
- Finnegan
- Brady
- Arlo
The last-names-as-first-names trend is showing no signs of abating, but if there's one name that looks poised to take on Liam in the future, it looks like it'll be the contender Kihm noted earlier: Cillian/Kylian. Could this be the Peaky Blinders effect, a nod to Oppenheimer star Cillian Murphy?
These Irish name are going to trend.
According to Nameberry, these are other Irish names to consider:
- Amon
- Auley
- Banning
- Brannon
- Callum
- Ciaran
- Cormac
- Eoghan
- Eoin
- Finian
- Gulliver
- Keegan
- Kieran
- Lorcan
- Madden
- Maguire
- Odhran
- Quill
- Niall
- Rafferty
- Ronan
- Rooney
- Shane
- Shay
- Sullivan
BabyCenter's name lists also goes deep into names of Irish origin. Here are some of their most-used names among the site's readers (listed alphabetically).
- Brien
- Caelin
- Derry
- Desmond
- Fallon
- Ferris
- Fitz
- Laoise
- Malone
- Paddy
- Phelim
- Seamus
- Teagan
- Torin
- Troi
These unique Irish names are ripe for the taking.
These out-of-the-box choices are perfect for those looking for something unusual.
- Aibhne
- 顿补颈迟丑í
- Ea
- Eamon
- Kennedy
- Kieve
- Nevan
- Padraic
- 笔á颈诲í
- Pauric
- Raghnall
- Riordan
- 搁耻补颈谤í
- Saeran
- Seoras
- Suibhne
- Tigernach
- Tynan
- Uaine
- Verlin
Looking for more baby boy name inspiration? Check out our list of top Indian/Hindu boy names, Hispanic boy names, long boy names and short boy names, along with baby girl names for good measure.
Marisa (she/her) has covered all things parenting, from the postpartum period through the empty nest, for Good Housekeeping since 2018; she previously wrote about parents and families at Parents and Working Mother. She lives with her husband and daughter in Brooklyn, where she can be found dominating the audio round at her local bar trivia night or tweeting about movies.
