Jack and Ava were the most popular babies names registered in Westmeath in 2015, according to new statistics released by the Central Statistics Office (CSO ).
Jack retains the top spot it held in 2014 as the most popular boys name, taking over from James in 2013.
When it comes to girls names, Ava and Emily have been jostling for the top spot in Westmeath in recent years, coming in joint favourites in 2013, while Emily made the cut in 2014 and Ava took over in 2015.
This is broadly in keeping with national trends, which saw Jack and Emily remain the most popular babies names registered in 2015. Jack retains the top position it has held every year since 2007 and Emily has retained the number one spot that it first claimed in 2011.
That trend varied in neighbouring Roscommon, where Jack and Thomas topped the table in 2015, Jack and Conor in 2014, and James in 2013; while Ella was the favourite girls name in 2015, Emily and Lily were neck and neck in 2014, and Caoimhe topped the list in 2013.
Emily came out on top in both Offaly and Longford last year, while Jack was the most popular boys name in Offaly and Patrick in Longford.
Nationally, the top five boys names (Jack, James, Daniel, Conor, and Sean ) have been the top five since 2007 with slight changes to their order.
This is the fifth consecutive year that Emily has been the most popular name chosen for girls. Emma, Ava, Sophie, and Amelia were the next most frequently chosen names to make it to the top five most popular names for girls in 2015.
As in previous years, girls are given a wider variety of names than boys with 4,487 girls names registered compared to 3,475 boys names.
