The most popular Irish and Celtic baby names in England and Wales, ranked by official ONS birth data. From classics like Liam and Finn to traditional Irish forms like Aoife and Niamh — see how each name performs in today's UK classrooms, complete with pronunciation guides and 5-year trend data.
Irish Gaelic names have a distinctive quality — musical, historic and unmistakably Celtic. They're popular across England, Scotland and Wales, not just in Irish communities. Liam has been a UK top 100 staple for over 20 years. Finn cracked the top 100 in 2022 and has stayed there. Rory is rising fast, reaching #24 in 2024.
Irish girls' names tend to have the most unusual spellings in English — Aoife ('EE-fa'), Niamh ('NEEV'), Siobhan ('shih-VAWN'). Many parents choose them specifically because they tell a cultural story. Both rank comfortably in the UK top 250.
Sorted by 2024 UK birth count. Trend shows rank change over 5 years. Click any name for the full profile.
| # | Name | UK Babies (2025) | 5yr Trend | Classroom Probability |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rory (UK #17) | 1,760 | ▲ 7 | Likely unique |
| 2 | Finley (UK #18) | 1,733 | → 0 | Likely unique |
| 3 | Liam (UK #68) | 763 | ▲ 2 | Likely unique |
| 4 | Finn (UK #74) | 706 | ▲ 9 | Likely unique |
| 5 | Patrick (UK #134) | 375 | ▼ 14 | Likely unique |
| 6 | Finlay (UK #175) | 293 | ▲ 6 | Likely unique |
| 7 | Ronan (UK #215) | 232 | ▲ 53 | Likely unique |
| 8 | Cillian (UK #217) | 230 | ▼ 40 | Likely unique |
| 9 | Callum (UK #251) | 186 | ▼ 3 | Likely unique |
| 10 | Aidan (UK #265) | 171 | ▼ 10 | Likely unique |
| 11 | Kevin (UK #292) | 157 | ▼ 28 | Likely unique |
| 12 | Connor (UK #299) | 152 | ▼ 35 | Likely unique |
| 13 | Declan (UK #372) | 112 | ▼ 1 | Likely unique |
| 14 | Fergus (UK #396) | 103 | ▲ 38 | Likely unique |
| 15 | Ruairi (UK #497) | 77 | ▲ 48 | Likely unique |
| 16 | Oisin (UK #517) | 75 | ▲ 113 | Likely unique |
| 17 | Shay (UK #529) | 73 | ▼ 140 | Likely unique |
| 18 | Conor (UK #578) | 67 | ▼ 156 | Likely unique |
| 19 | Sean (UK #615) | 61 | ▲ 23 | Likely unique |
| 20 | Lorcan (UK #621) | 60 | ▲ 70 | Likely unique |
| 21 | Killian (UK #627) | 59 | ▲ 11 | Likely unique |
| 22 | Kieran (UK #639) | 57 | ▲ 25 | Likely unique |
| 23 | Fionn (UK #658) | 55 | ▲ 99 | Likely unique |
| 24 | Cai (UK #687) | 52 | ▼ 23 | Likely unique |
| 25 | Niall (UK #745) | 46 | ▼ 132 | Likely unique |
| 26 | Ciaran (UK #953) | 32 | ▼ 153 | Likely unique |
| 27 | Dara (UK #1007) | 30 | ▲ 18 | Likely unique |
| 28 | Cormac (UK #1124) | 26 | ▼ 16 | Likely unique |
| 29 | Darragh (UK #1307) | 21 | ▲ 95 | Likely unique |
| 30 | Seamus (UK #1538) | 17 | ▼ 557 | Likely unique |
| 31 | Brendan (UK #1613) | 16 | ▼ 211 | Likely unique |
| 32 | Eoghan (UK #2440) | 9 | ▲ 1249 | Likely unique |
| 33 | Enda (UK #5137) | 3 | ▼ 17 | Likely unique |
Sorted by 2024 UK birth count. Click any name for the full profile.
| # | Name | UK Babies (2025) | 5yr Trend | Classroom Probability |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Maeve (UK #26) | 1,330 | → 0 | Likely unique |
| 2 | Orla (UK #64) | 721 | ▼ 6 | Likely unique |
| 3 | Erin (UK #72) | 633 | ▼ 7 | Likely unique |
| 4 | Aoife (UK #192) | 265 | ▲ 28 | Likely unique |
| 5 | Niamh (UK #208) | 228 | ▼ 15 | Likely unique |
| 6 | Saoirse (UK #402) | 102 | ▲ 41 | Likely unique |
| 7 | Tara (UK #444) | 90 | ▲ 103 | Likely unique |
| 8 | Cara (UK #468) | 85 | ▼ 14 | Likely unique |
| 9 | Neve (UK #502) | 80 | ▲ 81 | Likely unique |
| 10 | Bridget (UK #845) | 42 | ▲ 162 | Likely unique |
| 11 | Ciara (UK #894) | 39 | ▼ 172 | Likely unique |
| 12 | Caoimhe (UK #1110) | 30 | ▲ 192 | Likely unique |
| 13 | Roisin (UK #1166) | 28 | ▼ 232 | Likely unique |
| 14 | Clodagh (UK #1197) | 27 | ▼ 161 | Likely unique |
| 15 | Meabh (UK #1229) | 26 | ▼ 277 | Likely unique |
| 16 | Fiona (UK #1362) | 23 | ▲ 44 | Likely unique |
| 17 | Nessa (UK #1719) | 17 | ▲ 1977 | Likely unique |
| 18 | Aisling (UK #1892) | 15 | ▲ 109 | Likely unique |
| 19 | Keeley (UK #3333) | 7 | ▼ 14 | Likely unique |
| 20 | Sinead (UK #3333) | 7 | ▲ 363 | Likely unique |
| 21 | Eimear (UK #3705) | 6 | ▲ 488 | Likely unique |
| 22 | Mairead (UK #3705) | 6 | ▼ 9 | Likely unique |
| 23 | Siobhan (UK #3705) | 6 | ▼ 689 | Likely unique |
| 24 | Eilish (UK #4201) | 5 | ▼ 505 | Likely unique |
| 25 | Shauna (UK #5927) | 3 | ▼ 1734 | Likely unique |
| 26 | Sorcha (UK #5927) | 3 | ▼ 1083 | Likely unique |
What are the most popular Irish baby names in the UK?
The most popular Irish baby names for boys in the UK in 2024 are Finley, Rory, Liam, Finn, Patrick — all of Celtic or Gaelic origin. For girls, the most popular include Maeve, Orla, Erin, Niamh, Aoife.
Are Irish names popular in England and Wales?
Yes — Irish and Celtic names have been popular in England and Wales for decades, especially Liam, Finn, Rory and Niall for boys, and Aoife, Niamh and Erin for girls. The influence of Irish culture, TV characters and celebrity names has kept them prominent.
How do you pronounce Aoife and Niamh?
Aoife is pronounced 'EE-fa' and Niamh is pronounced 'NEEV'. These are traditional Irish Gaelic spellings. Both names are widely used in England despite the challenging spelling, which many parents consider a charm in itself.
Will an Irish name be unique in a UK classroom?
Most Irish names outside the top 50 will be unique in a class of 28. Even Finn (#83 in the UK) has less than a 3% chance of sharing a classroom. Aoife and Niamh are more popular — ranked around #220 and #193 respectively — so there is a slightly higher but still small chance.
Enter any Irish name — or any name at all — to see exactly how many children will share it in a UK class of 28, school of 600 and workplace of 200.
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