Ava tops girls' name list but Jack's still the lad
Tuesday September 01 2009
IT'S all in a name, or so they say.
Jack has a rugged down-to-earth aura, while Ava evokes the notion of the 1950s glamour of actress Ava Gardner.
Emily immediately calls forth the famous poet, while James has a dependable ring to it.
The Central Statistics Office (CSO) top 100 Irish Babies' Names list for 2008 provides food for thought for this year's parents-to-be.
Once again Jack topped last year's list, while Ava climbed up the girls' ranks from sixth into the top slot.
The naming process can be a charged arena for new parents, with offence often taken easily, and doting grandparents often wondering if the little tot will be named in their honour.
But the top five boys' names remain unchanged from 2007 with Jack, followed by Sean, Conor, Daniel and James.
There must surely be a lot of young boys responding to Jack, Sean, Conor and James in schoolyards around the country as the names have been in the top five since 1998.
However, there have been some alterations in the most popular girls' names. Both Ava and Emily are in the top five for the first time.
Culture
Ireland's more diverse culture was also evident with five first time entries to the top 100 for boys: Jakub, Kacper, Filip, Billy and Patryk.
Among the four first time entries for girls were: Maja, Natalia, Zuzanna and Meabh.
There may also be a celebrity element to some of the names, and maybe the new 'Late Late Show' presenter Ryan Tubridy should take a bow as Ryan was the most popular name in Carlow and Cork city last year.
Parents seem to be more adventurous when it comes to girls' names, with short dependable names often chosen for the boys.
In the Dublin region, both Sean and Ava proved the most popular, while Oisin was among the top names in Donegal and Monaghan.
For girls, Grace was ranked first in Dun Laoghaire Rathdown, Laois, Offaly and North Tipperary, while Ella, Leah, Laura and Caoimhe were among the most popular names in Wicklow, Clare, Galway city and Leitrim respectively.
It appears the days of every little girl being named Mary have not made a comeback . . . just yet.
- Louise Hogan
