It’s a universally-accepted truth that Americans love a bit of anything Irish.
The two countries have a rich intertwined history – millions of US citizens claim Celtic ancestry as so many people left Ireland over the years to start a new life there.
Now it looks like two classic Irish names are becoming popular with American parents.
Among the most-searched for baby names across the pond this year have been Maeve and Declan.
Name website Nameberry has included the names in its top 20 most searched lists of 2018 so far – Maeve comes in at number 11 on the girls’ list while Declan in tenth place on the boys’ list.
In Irish mythology, Maeve was the warrior queen of Connacht who played a hand in the death of hero Cúchulainn.
Declan, meanwhile, was a saint whose ship was wrecked on the Co Waterford coast. The name means ‘man of prayer’ or ‘full of goodness’.
Here are the most searched-for girl baby names of the year so far in the US.
1. Olivia
2. Amara
3. Cora
4. Isla
5. Charlotte
6. Aurora
7. Amelia
8. Rose
9. Ava
10. Genevieve
11. Maeve
12. Penelope
13. Iris
14. Violet
15. Ophelia
16. Eleanor
17. Esme
18. Luna
19. Imogen
20. Eloise
And here are the top searched-for boy names of 2018 up to now.
1. Atticus
2. Milo
3. Jasper
4. Jack
5. Asher
6. Silas
7. Theodore
8. Wyatt
9. Henry
10. Declan
11. Finn
12. Oscar
13. Olivier
14. Leo
15. Felix
16. Bodhi
17. Aryan
18. Arthur
19. Levi
20. Axel
