St Patrick’s Day: 15 popular Irish baby names in England and Wales revealed, including Rory and Rowan

From Rory to Aidan, these are the most popular Irish baby names in England and Wales, according to a new study.
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It is St Patrick’s Day and if you’re an expectant parent, why not take inspiration from the Irish celebration and name your newborn. A new study has revealed the top 15 baby names that have ties to Ireland or are of Irish origin which remain popular among parents.

According to the new research by online casino site, Spin Genie who received their data based on the latest available data by the Office for National Statistics, (ONS), names such as Rory, Rowan, and Erin are among the most popular Irish baby names in England and Wales.

The study said based on the names that made the top 200 in both boys and girls categories, the monikers of Irish origin were more likely to be given to boys as 10 names made the list compared with just five for girls.

Rory ranked the highest with a total of 1,483 baby boys being given the name. It was followed by Rowan and Finn in the boys list. Meanwhile, Liam and Ryan round out the top five while the likes of Patrick, Connor and Callum appear further down the rankings.

Out of all names given to baby girls, Erin ranked first in the popularity stakes with 884 babies sharing the same name, closely followed by Orla and Maeve in third. Below is the full list of the most popular Irish-inspired baby names, according to data.

Top 15 Irish-inspired baby names

  1. Rory (1,483)
  2. Rowan (938)
  3. Erin (884)
  4. Orla (794)
  5. Finn (788)
  6. Liam (690)
  7. Maeve (654)
  8. Ryan (569)
  9. Patrick (456)
  10. Niamh (362)
  11. Connor (293) 
  12. Finlay (293)
  13. Callum (292)
  14. Aidan (289)
  15. Aoife (269)