Study unveils how Irish boy names have changed in last 60 years

Father’s Day is just around the corner, meaning that we’re taking the time to focus on the main men in our lives!

As we gear up to celebrate our fantastic Irish Dads and Grandads this Sunday, My Nametags, Ireland’s leading supplier of personalised name labels, has marked the occasion by examining how trending boys’ names have changed in Ireland over the last 60 years.

From 1963 all the way to 2023, check out the top names for Irish dads, granddads, sons and grandsons below:

Top Names for Grandad

Between the years 1963 and 1973, these were the most popular names for boys that were used in Ireland. So, as Father’s Day approaches,it is highly likely that Irish grandchildren have a Grandad with one of the following names:

John

Patrick

Michael

Paul

James

These traditional names were the top 5 boys names recorded in Ireland in 1963. Similar names were recorded in 1973, with the name ‘David’ taking over the ‘James’ spot in the top 5.

Top Dad Names

Moving onto Dad names! Within the years 1983 and 1993, many of the older traditional names remain popular for boys in Ireland. The top 5 names that were recorded in 1983 were as follows:

John

David

Michael

Stephen

Patrick

In 1993, the top names were still similar to the 1983 list, with only one new additional name – ‘Shane’ – joining the list of top 5.

Most Popular Names for Grandsons

Lastly, in terms of grandson names, the trends have significantly changed over the decades. Since the 2000’s, the most popular names in Ireland have changed to shorter, trendier names – this includes the likes of Sean, Jack, Adam and Conor. However, James still remains popular, holding firm in the top 5 names for last year.

In total for 2023, the five most popular names for boys were:

Jack

Noah

James

Rían

Óisin (closely followed by Fionn)

You can visit the My Nametags website here to find out more about their personalised name labels, as well as other products available.