Baby names: King and North make Northern Ireland list

King and North were among some of the more unusual birth names registered in Northern Ireland last year.

The details were released by the Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency (Nisra).

It said James regained the top spot as the most popular first name for baby boys, while for girls, Grace was the common name for the fifth year running.

But Nisra said it also recorded 950 names that had not been used before.

"Blockbuster movies, popular television series, current celebrities and memorable places continue to appear to be influencing factors for some parents," the agency said.

Nisra's list shows that least one baby girl was called North last year - is this a patriotic reference to her place of birth or could it have been inspired by the eldest daughter of Kim Kardashian and Kanye West?

Only baby North's parents can end the speculation.

To misquote Shakespeare - some babies are born great, some achieve greatness, but at least one child in Northern Ireland had greatness thrust upon him, thanks to his very unusual first name.

Baby Great will have high expectations to live up to right from the outset: Both he and baby King are bound to stand out among their classmates during roll call.

Or perhaps the less traditional names are just a reflection of Northern Ireland's increasingly diverse society?

For parents who opted for a more traditional route, James was the top choice.

A total of 175 boys born in 2022 were named James, beating last year's most common baby name, Jack, into second place.

Noah came third in the boys' popularity stakes, while the Irish name, Oisin, entered the top 10 for the first time.

For girls, Grace has continuously held the top spot since 2018, but over the past 17 years it has never been lower that third place.

The Irish name Fiadh entered the top 10 for the first time in 2020 but it has increased in popularity and, in this latest list, it has risen to third place.

The recording of first name choices in Northern Ireland began 26 years in 1997 and since then many names have fallen in and out of fashion.

Over the past year. the highest climbers terms of popularity were Hugo, Luca, and Hudson for boys.

For girls, the fastest movers up the top 100 list were Pippa, Nevaeh, and Lucia.

Indeed, parents of girls appear to either have more choice or more originality when it comes to choosing names for their little ones.

There were 2,278 girls names registered in Northern Ireland in 2022, compared to 1,809 boys' names.