The top male names in Ireland during 1911 according to the Census by the Central Statistics Office's (CSO).

According to the CSO data in 1911 the most popular names for baby boys were John (13.9%) and Patrick (10%).

These names were so well-liked that close to a quarter of the Irish male population had the name of John or Patrick in 1911.

Top 10 boy’s baby names in Ireland in 1911

  • John
  • Patrick
  • James
  • Michael
  • Thomas
  • William
  • Joseph
  • Edward
  • Daniel
  • Peter

These top ten names accounted for 60% of all male names in 1911 and the CSO noted that now there is much more variety in names for Irish babies today compared with over 100 years ago. Today Irish names for babies like Fionn or Liam are very popular while in 1911 they would have been considered quite rare.

On another note, the name James remains strong to this day, with it ranking number two in Ireland's most popular boy names for 2020.

Meanings behind the most popular baby boy names in Ireland from 1911:

John: One of the most common names in English, the name means "God is gracious".

Patrick: Meaning "nobleman", the name translates to Pádraig in the Irish language.

James: Hebrew origin that means "supplanter".

Michael: Meaning "who is like God", the name translates to Mícheál in Irish.

Thomas: Greek origin that means "a twin".

William: English origin that means "Will, Desire And Helmet, Protection".

Joeseph: Meaning "God will increase".

Edward: English origin that means "wealthy guardian".

Daniel: Meaning "only God is my judge".

Peter: Greek origin that means "rock".

Do you have a favorite Irish baby name? Let us know in the comments down below!