# Ireland: most popular baby names **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [May 20, 2004, 12:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ireland-most-popular-baby-names/246163 "2004-05-20T12:01:05Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![ruadh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/d2c977/32.png) [@ruadh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ruadh)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2004, 12:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ireland-most-popular-baby-names/246163/1 "2004-05-20T12:01:05Z")
The Central Statistics Office has just released the list of most popular baby names in Ireland in 2003. The Top Ten for boys are: Seán Jack Adam Conor James Daniel Michael Cian David Dylan For girls: Emma Sarah Aoife Ciara Katie Sophie Rachel Chloe Amy Leah Full results [here](http://www.cso.ie/publications/demog/babynames.pdf) (warning: pdf file) ---
**Author:** ![sunfish](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/96bed5/32.png) [@sunfish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sunfish)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2004, 12:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ireland-most-popular-baby-names/246163/2 "2004-05-20T12:30:26Z")
For those of us who are Gaelic-impaired, how are Cian, Aoife, and Ciana pronounced? ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2004, 12:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ireland-most-popular-baby-names/246163/3 "2004-05-20T12:43:13Z")
My approximations (not being Irish): Cian: KEE-un\* Aoife: EE-fuh Ciara: KEE-ruh\* In the case of Cian and Ciara, the “EE” sound is more like the “EA” you find in the word ‘ear’. ---
**Author:** ![ruadh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/d2c977/32.png) [@ruadh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ruadh)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2004, 12:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ireland-most-popular-baby-names/246163/4 "2004-05-20T12:46:04Z")
Ciara = Kira ---
**Author:** ![TwistofFate](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/cdc98d/32.png) [@TwistofFate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TwistofFate)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2004, 12:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ireland-most-popular-baby-names/246163/5 "2004-05-20T12:50:09Z")
Kira soulds a little too like Kye-Ra it should be more like Kia-ra. I’m glad we’ve gone back to normal names. It was getting a bit rediculous. ---
**Author:** ![ruadh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/d2c977/32.png) [@ruadh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ruadh)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2004, 1:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ireland-most-popular-baby-names/246163/6 "2004-05-20T13:06:12Z")
No, Twisty, Kira and Ciara are homophones, at least the way “Kira” is pronounced in North America. ---
**Author:** ![GorillaMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/50afbb/32.png) [@GorillaMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GorillaMan)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2004, 1:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ireland-most-popular-baby-names/246163/7 "2004-05-20T13:08:22Z")
> [@TwistofFate](#): > > it should be more like Kia-ra. Call my sister ‘kia-ra’ and she will hate you for all eternity. ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2004, 1:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ireland-most-popular-baby-names/246163/8 "2004-05-20T13:22:06Z")
> [@GorillaMan](#): > > Call my sister ‘kia-ra’ and she will hate you for all eternity. Is that because her name is actually Angela? ---
**Author:** ![sunfish](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/96bed5/32.png) [@sunfish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sunfish)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2004, 1:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ireland-most-popular-baby-names/246163/9 "2004-05-20T13:36:08Z")
> [@jjimm](#): > > My approximations (not being Irish): > > Cian: KEE-un\* > Aoife: EE-fuh > Ciara: KEE-ruh\* > > In the case of Cian and Ciara, the “EE” sound is more like the “EA” you find in the word ‘ear’. Thanks! Sooo… I’m guessing now that [this fella’s first name](http://www.bravotv.com/Queer_Eye_for_the_Straight_Guy/Kyan_Douglas/) has not only gotten an Americanized spelling but also an Americanized pronounciation (KYE-un). Does it make you want to scream when you see/hear such things, or have you seen so many examples by now that you no longer have the energy to protest? 😃 ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2004, 1:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ireland-most-popular-baby-names/246163/10 "2004-05-20T13:41:49Z")
> [@sunfish](#): > > Does it make you want to scream when you see/hear such things, or have you seen so many examples by now that you no longer have the energy to protest? 😃 The latter. E.g. I know the Irish name Caitlin is pronounced ‘KATE-linn’ in the US - the actual Irish pronunciation, however, is actually Kathleen (or Katleen). ---
**Author:** ![ruadh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/d2c977/32.png) [@ruadh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ruadh)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2004, 1:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ireland-most-popular-baby-names/246163/11 "2004-05-20T13:46:51Z")
And things have come full circle. That little girl who was killed in Limerick last year when her house was petrol bombed was called Katelyn. ---
**Author:** ![GorillaMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/50afbb/32.png) [@GorillaMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GorillaMan)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2004, 1:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ireland-most-popular-baby-names/246163/12 "2004-05-20T13:51:33Z")
> [@sunfish](#): > > Thanks! > > Sooo… I’m guessing now that [this fella’s first name](http://www.bravotv.com/Queer_Eye_for_the_Straight_Guy/Kyan_Douglas/) has not only gotten an Americanized spelling but also an Americanized pronounciation (KYE-un). Kyan is a different name: there was a King of Ulster named Anselan O’Kyan. It also has an unrelated African origin. I did see a ‘Ciara’ on a US talk show who introduced herself as “See-ah-ruh”. :dubious: ---
**Author:** ![GorillaMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/50afbb/32.png) [@GorillaMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GorillaMan)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2004, 1:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ireland-most-popular-baby-names/246163/13 "2004-05-20T13:53:13Z")
> [@ruadh](#): > > And things have come full circle. That little girl who was killed in Limerick last year when her house was petrol bombed was called Katelyn. I was saddened to see so many boring English names in the girls in the OP. Isn’t there enough frickken Emmas in the world already? (Apologies to the Emmas reading this…) ---
**Author:** ![ruadh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/d2c977/32.png) [@ruadh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ruadh)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2004, 1:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ireland-most-popular-baby-names/246163/14 "2004-05-20T13:58:26Z")
I just can’t wait for “Chloe” to disappear. What a horrible thing to do to a poor defenseless baby girl. ---
**Author:** ![sunfish](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/96bed5/32.png) [@sunfish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sunfish)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2004, 2:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ireland-most-popular-baby-names/246163/15 "2004-05-20T14:03:56Z")
> [@GorillaMan](#): > > Kyan is a different name: there was a King of Ulster named Anselan O’Kyan. It also has an unrelated African origin. Ah okay, a different name altogether - so one less egregious offense. 😉 But an African origin, really? I’m just curious as to the particulars. A Google search on “Anselan O’Kyan” brings up a bunch of Scottish/Irish genealogy sites. ---
**Author:** ![GorillaMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/50afbb/32.png) [@GorillaMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GorillaMan)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2004, 2:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ireland-most-popular-baby-names/246163/16 "2004-05-20T14:07:44Z")
> [@sunfish](#): > > Ah okay, a different name altogether - so one less egregious offense. 😉 But an African origin, really? I don’t know the details, I only discovered it [here](http://www.babynology.com/babynames/m-african-fourK.html) while googling. ---
**Author:** ![Neidhart](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Neidhart](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Neidhart)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2004, 2:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ireland-most-popular-baby-names/246163/17 "2004-05-20T14:10:42Z")
But what about “Oisin” and “Caoimhe”? All I can guess is “Oozin’” and “Cavvie.” 😕 ---
**Author:** ![LifeOnWry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/96bed5/32.png) [@LifeOnWry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LifeOnWry)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2004, 2:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ireland-most-popular-baby-names/246163/18 "2004-05-20T14:14:26Z")
> [@GorillaMan](#): > > Kyan is a different name: there was a King of Ulster named Anselan O’Kyan. It also has an unrelated African origin. Although, that particular Kyan is a stage name, and was adapted from “Cayenne.” And no, I don’t have a cite, I found that on some Queer Eye bio page a few months back and I’m not gonna go dig it up. I believe his real name is Eddie. ---
**Author:** ![counsel\_wolf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/65b543/32.png) [@counsel\_wolf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/counsel_wolf)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2004, 2:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ireland-most-popular-baby-names/246163/19 "2004-05-20T14:16:15Z")
> [@Neidhart](#): > > But what about “Oisin” and “Caoimhe”? All I can guess is “Oozin’” and “Cavvie.” 😕 USH een KWEE vuh would be how I’d pronounce them. Note that the report removes accent marks from the names which is a bit of a cop out in my opinion, especially as Sean is two different names depending on which vowel the accent is on. ---
**Author:** ![curly\_chick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/7ba0ec/32.png) [@curly\_chick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/curly_chick)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2004, 2:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ireland-most-popular-baby-names/246163/20 "2004-05-20T14:17:32Z")
> [@Neidhart](#): > > But what about “Oisin” and “Caoimhe”? All I can guess is “Oozin’” and “Cavvie.” 😕 Usheen (emphasis on the “ush” ) and Cweeva, if you use the same phonetics as me [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ireland-most-popular-baby-names/246163.md?page=2)