James has returned to the top spot of most popular baby boy name in the North last year, while Grace was once again the most popular name for girls.
The NIRSA statistics for 2022 confirm last year’s number one Jack was a close second to James – which has returned to the top spot after a six year stretch at the top between 2015 and 2020 – with Noah in third place. Oisin entered the boys’ top 10 in 2022 for the first time since the recording of first names began in 1997.
Grace has been the most popular girls’ name since 2018 and has appeared in the top three for the past 17 years. Emily remained the second most popular girls’ name in 2022, holding this spot for the last five consecutive years, and Fiadh was in third place after entering the top 10 for the first time in 2020.
Below are the top tens for both boys and girls. For the full top 100, visit www.nisra.gov.uk.
Boys:
James – 175 Babies
Jack – 169 Babies
Noah – 146 Babies
Theo – 132 Babies
Charlie – 131 Babies
Oliver – 123 Babies
Oisin – 119 Babies
Harry – 118 Babies
Cillian – 111 Babies
Thomas – 107 Babies
Girls:
Grace – 168 Babies
Emily – 152 Babies
Fiadh – 148 Babies
Olivia – 141 Babies
Isla – 118 Babies
Aoife – 113 Babies
Lily – 110 Babies
Annie – 97 Babies
Evie/Freya – 94 Babies
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