Films and celebs inspire NI baby names

Zeplin, Jupiter, Lady and Star were among some of the more unusual names given to babies born in Northern Ireland last year.

Perhaps inspired by movies and celebrities, some parents also opted for names including Maverick, Ace, Divine, Rio, Star, Vogue and Blaise.

However most stuck with the classics, with Emily and James topping the charts of the most popular first names for baby girls and boys in 2017.

These are the findings of the Baby Names 2017 report published on Wednesday by the Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency (NISRA).

In total, 23,248 births were registered in Northern Ireland in 2017.

Of these, there were slightly more boys (11,984) than girls (11,264) born.

Emily has been the most popular girls' name in each of the past five years, albeit jointly with Grace in 2013, whereas James has been the most popular boys' name in each of the past three years.

In terms of girls' names, the top 10 also included Grace, Olivia, Isla, Anna, Sophie, Ella, Amelia, Charlotte and Sophia.

While the top 10 of boys' names also included Jack, Noah, Charlie, Jacob, Harry, Thomas, Daniel, Oliver and Logan.

Top 10 baby names in Northern Ireland, 2017

Boys:

1. James - 243 Babies

2. Jack - 226 Babies

3. Noah - 189 Babies

4. Charlie - 185 Babies

5. Jacob - 180 Babies

6. Harry - 169 Babies

7. Thomas - 158 Babies

8. Daniel - 147 Babies

9. Oliver - 143 Babies

10. Logan - 125 Babies

Girls:

1. Emily - 216 Babies

2. Grace - 202 Babies

3. Olivia - 179 Babies

4. Isla - 153 Babies

5. Anna - 142 Babies

6. Sophie - 132 Babies

7. Ella - 128 Babies

8. Amelia - 127 Babies

9. Charlotte - 124 Babies

10. Sophia - 121 Babies

The statistics released by NISRA also revisit the most popular names registered in Northern Ireland across the last four decades.

In 1977, David and Claire were top, in 1987 Christopher and Laura were the most popular, in 1997 it was Matthew and Chloe, and in 2007 Jack and Katie were most favoured.

• baby names
• northern ireland