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Baby names

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Original poster

Irish girls' names in England and Wales 2021

84 replies

SeanChailleach · 24/10/2022 14:06

Here are the top twenty Irish names given to girls in 2020 in the UK:
Erin 884
Orla 794
Maeve 654
Nora 406
Niamh 362
Alba 352
Cora 349
Connie 338
Paige 252
Maeva 226
Kiara 213
Quinn 210
Tallulah 194
Norah 176
Neve 172
Anya 171
Keira 147
Peggy 125
Cara 123
Lia 118
Kyra 110
Margo 103

[Title edited by MNHQ at OP's request]

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Original poster
SeanChailleach · 24/10/2022 18:17

Yes Neve is an Anglicisation of Niamh. Although it's also a Spanish name, it's very commonly used by Irish people.

OP posts:
Original poster
SeanChailleach · 24/10/2022 15:10

Yes it's England and Wales 2021. Thanks for pointing that out.

Yes some people may be giving their babies these names without regarding them as Irish names. That's not the point of posting this, which is mainly for parents who are thinking of calling their daughters one of these names, or a name such as Fiadh which doesn't actually feature on this list because fewer than 12 babies got that spelling in England and Wales last year.

OP posts:
toastofthetown · 24/10/2022 14:40

I’m pretty confused. By 2020 do you mean 2021? And instead of UK did you mean England and Wales? I’ve only checked the count for the top three names on the list, but the numbers for all of those names match the England and Wales list - and England and Wales ≠ UK.

Also not sure how all of these are Irish. Anya is a Russian diminutive of Anna which sounds similar to Áine but isn’t the same name. Alba and Tallulah aren’t Irish either.

Original poster
SeanChailleach · 24/10/2022 14:31

Tailefhlaith is an Old Irish name. Tallulah is the Anglicisation.
Alba, Paige, and Connie all may have multiple origins, but Ailbe, Peig, and Conna are all Irish names for which these Anglicisations are often used.

OP posts:
AmandaMirandaPanda · 24/10/2022 14:27

Is Neve even an anglicisation of Niamh, historically? It seems more likely to be from the Italian/Portuguese word for snow. Plus possible influence from the actress Neve Campbell, in whose case it's her mother's maiden name. And Alba is pretty obviously Scottish, in a UK context.

googleyourheartout · 24/10/2022 14:25

Agree about neve spelling or indeed kiara or ceara. Just spell the name properly please.

googleyourheartout · 24/10/2022 14:17

How on earth can Alba, Connie, Paige and Tallulah be claimed as irish. Complete nonsense. Most of the other names are a stretch also.

JustGotToKeepOnKeepingOn · 24/10/2022 14:14

Neve makes me howl with rage... Niamh or use something else! I have an Irish name... on the phone to a call centre recently I was asked if I was using the Irish spelling of my name. I told them I was using THE spelling of my name! 🙄

Original poster
SeanChailleach · 24/10/2022 14:07

... and these are the names with Irish spellings given to more than 12 babies. There are no fadas in the database.

Orla 794
Niamh 362
Cara 123
Orlaith 81
Tara 52
Roisin 46
Caoimhe 36
Eabha 32
Aine 26
Meabh 25
Ailbhe 17

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