Popular boys' Irish names

Find out the most popular boys' Irish names, with comments on trends and rankings over the past year.

There's a selection of interesting Irish names from the boy's top 100, as well as first-timers to this elite group.

To help you, I've listed the name including a little pronunciation help.

Let's kick off with the top ten boys' Irish names - and our top five remain in the same positions:

1. Jack
   Two years at number two, a year at number one, down to two, then one again - and now Jack is king once more!! His name is another version of the name John (who is down in 22nd place.)

2. Seán shawn
   It's Seán's second year at number two. Still ever popular, his name is a variant of John, which means "God is gracious."

3. Conor
   Third place is home to Conor, who stays just where he was last time. Conor is a "dog lover."

4. Daniel
   Daniel spent five years at number six, and now is in his second year at number four. His name means "God is my judge."

5. James
   His fourth year in a row ranked fifth, James comes from the name Jacob, meaning "supplanter."

6. Ryan
   A new entry last year to the top ten boys' Irish names, Ryan rises one place this time. Meaning "little king" Ryan could have his eye on an even better ranking next year!

7. Adam
   His name means "man" in Hebrew, and he drops one place.

8. Dylan
   A new entry to the top ten, Dylan's name probably comes from a Welsh poetic name meaning "sea."

9. Luke
   Luke drops another slot this year. His name could refer to someone who "brings light" or to the town of Luciana in Italy. Saint Luke is the patron saint of physicians and surgeons.

10. Alex
    Alex has done really well this year, going up ten places to hit the top ten rankings. From the longer name Alexandros, a "defender of men."

Pearls from the top 100 boys' Irish names

Darragh dahr-ra
In 16th position, Darragh is a variant of Dara (who is at number 82.) His name refers to an "oak tree".

Cathal ka-hal
Cathal is "mighty in battle". A strong name, with tons of character. He's at number 36.

Callum
This name ranks 37th, and is related to the name Columba, which means "a dove".

Eoghan owen
Yes - like the name Owen, meaning "from a yew tree", Eoghan finds himself in 47th place.

Killian or Cillian
There seem to be two possible meanings for Killian - "war" or "church"! Ranking 67th, Killian is beaten by Cillian at 23rd spot.

Tadhg tie - rhymes with "sky" - or sometimes just pronounced Tad in the US
Tadhg is "a poet" - and he's racing up the charts from number 80 in 2002, to 47th place last year, and now ranking at 41.

Fionn, Finn and Oisín are also three little treasures in the top 100 - and you'll find them on my page of favorite Irish boys' names!

New top 100 entries

• Jakob
• Kacper
• Filip
• Billy
• Patryk

Hugh, Odhran and Lorcan return to the top 100.

More about boys' Irish names
More rankings detail can be found from my source for the top ten names in Ireland: the Central Statistics Office Ireland.