Zeplin, Maverick, Ace, Lady and Star among names given to newborns

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.

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.