St. Patrick’s Day is around the corner and we’re celebrating with Irish baby names! Irish names have a number of origins which are greatly influenced by the historical events that took place. Ireland was converted to Christianity by Saint Patrick and this explains why there has been a persistent preference for Christian, Hebrew and Aramaic names. The names of the 12 Apostles of Christ have always been very popular.
Examples: Patrick, Patricia, Paul, Andrew, Adam, Aaron
The Norse invasion in the Twelfth century and the Cromwellian colonisation in the seventeenth centuries brought still further variety to the first names that were chosen by parents of Irish children. May of the Anglo names that were introduced were originally of Germanic Saxon origin.
Examples: Robert, William, Richard, Gerard
The Gaelic revival that took place in the late 1800′s and early 1900′s saw a return to fashion of many of the native Gaelic names that are drawn from the myths, legends and folklore of the Gaelic culture.
Examples: Shane, Seamus, Ryan, Áine, Brian, Niall
In the latter half of the twentieth century and now, at the start of the twenty-first, the influence of media resources such as television and the internet has meant that names that were never used in Ireland a hundred years ago have now become very popular.
Examples: Kyle, Ethan, Dillon, Cameron, Reece
The top Irish baby names for boys and girls are:
| Girls Top 10 Names | Boys Top 10 Names |
| Chloe | Conor |
| Aoife | Sean |
| Sarah | Jack |
| Ciara | James |
| Niamh | Adam |
| Emma | Michael |
| Rachel | David |
| Rebecca | Aaron |
| Lauren | Daniel |
| Megan | Dylan |
Read more of the top baby names around the world!
Tags: 12 Apostles of Christ, baby names, baby names around world, ireland baby names, Irish baby names, kiss me I'm irish, Saint Patrick, St. Patrick's Day baby, St. Patricks baby, St. Patty's Day, top 10 Irish names, top irish baby names
