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Noah, Grace most popular baby names in NI last year

Stock image of newborn baby in a hospital setting
Birth registrations in 2025 included 966 baby names that had not been used before (stock image)

Noah and Grace were the most popular names for babies born in Northern Ireland in 2025.

The Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency (Nisra) report showed that Grace is the most popular girls' name for the second consecutive year, having previously been at number one from 2018 to 2022.

Grace has been among the top three most popular girls' names for the past 20 years.

Noah has regained the position as the most popular boys' name, having previously been at number one in 2018 and 2023.

Jack is the second most popular name for baby boys and James is in third position.

Arthur has entered the top 10 for the first since the list began to be compiled in 1997.

Leo has also re-entered the top 10.

In the top 100 most popular names for baby boys, some of the highest climbers were Naoise, Conn, Reggie and Micheal, while some of the less common names were Ace, Bowie and Phoenix.

Fiadh is the second most popular name for baby girls with Olivia in third place.

Annie has re-entered the top 10, after appearing in the top 10 once before in 2022, while Meabh entered the top 10 for the first time.

Within the girls' top 100, the highest climbers were Lainey, Millie, Cassie, and Harper.

Some of the less common names given to baby girls in 2025 were Wynter, Zendaya, and Pixie.

Nisra said there were a greater variety of girls' names (2,225) than boys' names (1,875) registered in 2025.

Birth registrations in 2025 included 966 baby names that had not been used before.

Top 10 baby names in 2025

Boys:
Noah - 170 babies
Jack - 150
James - 135
Charlie - 123
Leo - 115
Oisin - 108
Theo - 106
Luca - 104
Arthur/Jude - 101

Girls:
Grace - 127 babies
Fiadh - 105
Olivia - 101
Isla - 97
Lily - 96
Emily - 94
Annie - 91
Aoife - 85
Meabh - 81
Freya - 78