Parents seem to be once again taking inspiration from the bible for their baby names as the list of the most popular names for 2022 has been released.
The trend toward the old-fashioned is continuing among new parents with Irish saint name to the fore.
The CSO said there was a "clear Christmas influence when it comes to naming girls" last December, with the number one choice being 'Holly'. However, over the full year, the number one choice for girls in Ireland was 'Fiadh", followed by 'Grace'.
Read More : 'One of the best' - Tributes paid to dad of four killed in horror Tyrone crash
And for boys, four of the five most popular names given last December were inspired by the bible. The CSO also has a great Irish Baby Names app that allows you to search for most popular, most unusual and most given by year all of the way back to 1968.
There is one boy's name that remains at the top of the 12-month list for the second year running - and that's 'Jack', with Noah coming close behind. Both Jack and Noah remain by far the most popular boy's names of recent years.
The most popular names chosen for baby boys born across Ireland during December 2021 were: Jack (58); Noah (42); Michael (38); James (37); and Daniel (36).
The most popular names chosen for baby girls in December 2021 were: Holly (45); Ellie (34); Grace (33); Emily (32); while Ava and Ella were joint fifth with 29 names each.
Last year saw 89 babies born on Christmas Day, 51 boys and 38 girls and for the girls, Holly was by far the most popular name for Christmas babies.
When compared to ten years ago, the names chosen for babies born in 2011 were a little different to today - Sean and Adam were top of the list for boys back then but they appear to have fallen out of favour. For girls, the two very popular names from 2011 that have really gone out of fashion are Sophie and Lucy.
The top ten boys names for Ireland in 2021 were:
Jack
Noah
James
Conor
Rían
Liam
Charlie
Daniel
Cillian
Tadhg
And for girls - the top ten names in 2021 for Irish parents were:
Fiadh
Grace
Emily
Sophie
Éabha
Lucy
Mia
Ava
Lily
Ella
Ella
Gerard Doolan, Statistician in the Vital Statistics Division, said: "Looking at the most popular names for babies born in December compared with those whose birth was registered in December we can see a clear Christmas influence when it comes to naming girls."
"In terms of the whole of 2021, the most popular name for girls was Fiadh, while Jack topped the chart for boys' names not only in December, but for the whole of 2021," he added.
READ NEXT :
Garda allegedly pays criminal €300 to attack female colleague's home
Lebanon's top soldier makes emotional trip to camp where Sean Rooney was based
'Love wasn't part of my plan' - Doireann Garrihy hints at new relationship
Senior garda vows to get Kinahan cartel as investigation files are sent to DPP
Cold snap returns in Met Éireann weather forecast as we head towards New Year
Get breaking news to your inbox by signing up to our newsletter
