Noah and Grace were the most popular first names given to babies registered in 2025.
This is one of the findings of the Baby Names 2025 statistics published today by the Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency.
The statistics show Grace has remained at the top spot as the most popular girls’ name after placing top in 2024 and after five years at number one from 2018 to 2022. Grace has appeared in the top three most popular girls names for 20 consecutive years. Noah has returned to number one after first reaching the top spot (joint) in 2018 and regaining it in 2023. Noah has appeared in the top three most popular boys’ names for nine consecutive years.
For boys’ names, Jack came in second to Noah. Jack has remained in the top four since 1998, with 12 consecutive years at number one from 2003 to 2014, and regaining the top spot again in 2021. James returned to third place, having been in the top three since 2010, and reaching first place from 2015 to 2020, and in 2022 and 2024.
Arthur entered the boys’ top ten in 2025 for the first time in the series which dates back to 1997. Leo re-entered the top 10, after appearing in 2018, 2021, and 2023. Within the boys’ top 100, the highest climbers in popularity between 2024 and 2025 were Naoise, Conn, Reggie, and Micheal. Some of the less common names given to baby boys in 2025 were Ace, Bowie, and Phoenix.
For baby girls, Fiadh came in second to Grace, up from third place in 2024. Fiadh has held a top three position since 2021. Olivia came in third, down from second place in 2024, and remaining in the top five since 2015.
Annie re-entered the top 10 in 2025, only appearing in the top 10 once before in 2022, and Meabh entered the top 10 for the first time in 2025. Within the girls’ top 100, the highest climbers in popularity between 2024 and 2025 were Lainey, Millie, Cassie, and Harper.
As with previous years, there were a greater variety of girls’ names (2,225) than boys’ names (1,875) registered in 2025. Some of the less common names given to baby girls in 2025 were Wynter, Zendaya, and Pixie.
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 Babies
- James – 135 Babies
- Charlie – 123 Babies
- Leo – 115 Babies
- Oisin – 108 Babies
- Theo – 106 Babies
- Luca – 104 Babies
- Arthur / Jude – 101 Babies
Girls:
- Grace – 127 Babies
- Fiadh – 105 Babies
- Olivia – 101 Babies
- Isla – 97 Babies
- Lily – 96 Babies
- Emily – 94 Babies
- Annie – 91 Babies
- Aoife – 85 Babies
- Meabh – 81 Babies
- Freya – 78 Babies
You can find out more about these names and others on NISRA’s interactive dashboard which facilitates name searches by rank, number of babies registered with that name, meaning and origin. The dashboard is available via a link on the main baby names web page.
