New parents adore cute Irish name meaning 'friend'

Parents are falling in love with a short and sweet Irish name for girls that means 'friend'. Irish names proved to be hugely popular among parents in Ireland and the US last year.

In America, the Irish name Liam proved to be the most popular for boys . Meanwhile, in Ireland, a huge number of Irish names seem to catch parents' eyes.

One of the popular Irish names for girls from last year was Cara, which means 'friend'. Recent data released from the Irish Central Statistics Office details which names were most popular for both boys and girls in the country in 2023.

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Irish names proved more popular with boys than they did with girls. However, some Irish names for girls did make it onto the list of most the most popular names for babies born in Ireland last year.

One of them is Cara. Cara was given to 127 baby girls born in Ireland last year, putting it at number 27 on the list, tied with the Irish name Saoirse in the same place.

Cara directly translates to 'friend' in the Irish language . It also has roots in Latin with meanings such as 'loved one'.

Cara wasn't the only Irish name for girls that parents in Ireland fell in love with last year. Other popular choices were Fiadh and Éabha.

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Meanwhile, popular names for baby boys born in Ireland last year include Rían and Oisín. Irish names were also pretty popular in the US last year.

A clear trend emerged when it came to giving Irish names to baby girls in the US in 2023. Names inspired by Irish last names were popular with examples including Sloane, Kennedy, and Riley.

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