Feargal

maleStatistical record

What official birth registration shows about Feargal: which national registrars published it, in which years, and how its recorded position changed.

No researched meaning, origin or pronunciation yet — what that means.

Feargal: Recorded since 1964, it reached #159 in 1971, and it was last ranked in 2000.

2registrars recorded it
35times a registrar ranked it
37years from first to last
#159highest recorded position
8groupings it qualifies for

What stands out in Feargal's record

Moved 139 places between two consecutive years — its largest recorded change. Names by largest single-year move

Region

Rising

among boys in Northern Ireland · 1997–1998

View as table

Northern Ireland · Boys rank by year
Year	Rank
1997	#271
1998	#240

VerifiedSource: NISRA — Northern Ireland Baby Names.Confidence: high.

See all Northern Ireland names · Source: NISRA — Northern Ireland Baby Names

What the data shows

RisingNorthern Ireland · Boys

Recorded in official data among boys in Republic of Ireland in 33 of the 37 years from 1964 to 2000.

In 1998: #240 among boys in Northern Ireland, #242 among boys in Republic of Ireland.

Official data from 2 national registrars across 2 regions, 1964–2000 · NISRA. Data sources

Popularity journey

First recorded1964
First recorded at #191 among boys in Republic of Ireland in 1964 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Republic of Ireland · Boys
Highest recorded1964–2000
Highest recorded position: #159 among boys in Republic of Ireland, in 1971 (recorded 1964–2000).
Republic of Ireland · Boys
Most recent2000
Most recently recorded at #312 among boys in Republic of Ireland, in 2000.
Republic of Ireland · Boys

Feargal appears in 2 of the published lists Namewise holds. The longest record is Republic of Ireland · Boys, which has ranked it in 33 years beginning in 1964, and has registered 219 births with the name.

Feargal across 2 official records

Each registrar publishes its own list, so these figures are read down a row, never across one. A position in one country is not comparable with a position in another, and Namewise never combines them into a single ranking. The birth counts do not compare across rows either, for a different reason: England and Wales registers roughly thirty times as many births a year as Northern Ireland, so a larger total says which registrar recorded it as much as how widely the name was given.

Feargal's first, highest and most recent recorded position in each official list, with the number of births each registrar registered with the name and its largest single year
Published list	First recorded	Highest	Most recent	Years recorded	Births registered	Most in one year
Republic of Ireland · Boys	#191 (1964)	#159 (1971)	#312 (2000)	33 of 37	219 (1964–2000)	17 (1971)
Northern Ireland · Boys	#271 (1997)	#240 (1998)	#240 (1998)	2 of 2	7 (1997–1998)	4 (1998)

Feargal by decade in Republic of Ireland · Boys

Births registered with the name in each decade of this one list, with the number of years the list covers in that decade. Bars are scaled on births a year, which is the figure that compares between decades — a decade the list only partly covers has a smaller total without being a quieter decade. Figures belong to this registrar alone and do not carry to another.

Births registered with Feargal in Republic of Ireland · Boys, by decade, with years covered and the average per year
Decade	Births registered	Years covered	A year
1960s	38	6 of 10	6
1970sbusiest	85	10 of 10	9
1980s	40	6 of 10	7
1990s	51	10 of 10	5
2000s	5	1 of 10	5

Across Republic of Ireland · Boys, the 1970s were its busiest decade, averaging 9 births a year.

See the names Republic of Irelandhas recorded the most births with →

Feargal appears in

Groupings this name qualifies for under their own stated rules, from the same official statistics shown above.

Popularity data

Official popularity data is available for 2 regions, from 1964 to 2000. Highest recorded position: #159 in Republic of Ireland in 1971.

Feargal's recorded popularity observations by year, region and administrative category, including rank, registered births, source confidence and when each region's data was last reviewed.
Year	Region	Category	Rank	Births registered	Confidence	Status
1998	Northern Ireland	male	#240	4	High	Verified
1997	Northern Ireland	male	#271	3	High	Verified
2000	Republic of Ireland	male	#312	5	High	Verified
1999	Republic of Ireland	male	#379	3	High	Verified
1998	Republic of Ireland	male	#242	6	High	Verified
1997	Republic of Ireland	male	#286	6	High	Verified
1996	Republic of Ireland	male	#295	5	High	Verified
1995	Republic of Ireland	male	#334	3	High	Verified
1994	Republic of Ireland	male	#342	3	High	Verified
1993	Republic of Ireland	male	#255	6	High	Verified
1992	Republic of Ireland	male	#222	8	High	Verified
1991	Republic of Ireland	male	#230	7	High	Verified
1990	Republic of Ireland	male	#286	4	High	Verified
1989	Republic of Ireland	male	#278	4	High	Verified
1988	Republic of Ireland	male	#186	11	High	Verified
1987	Republic of Ireland	male	#272	4	High	Verified
1986	Republic of Ireland	male	#172	14	High	Verified
1985	Republic of Ireland	male	#304	3	High	Verified
1981	Republic of Ireland	male	#292	4	High	Verified
1979	Republic of Ireland	male	#292	4	High	Verified
1978	Republic of Ireland	male	#326	3	High	Verified
1977	Republic of Ireland	male	#234	7	High	Verified
1976	Republic of Ireland	male	#258	5	High	Verified
1975	Republic of Ireland	male	#290	4	High	Verified
1974	Republic of Ireland	male	#227	8	High	Verified
1973	Republic of Ireland	male	#193	12	High	Verified
1972	Republic of Ireland	male	#186	12	High	Verified
1971	Republic of Ireland	male	#159	17	High	Verified
1970	Republic of Ireland	male	#173	13	High	Verified
1969	Republic of Ireland	male	#179	11	High	Verified
1968	Republic of Ireland	male	#243	4	High	Verified
1967	Republic of Ireland	male	#265	3	High	Verified
1966	Republic of Ireland	male	#229	4	High	Verified
1965	Republic of Ireland	male	#161	10	High	Verified
1964	Republic of Ireland	male	#191	6	High	Verified

Northern Ireland hub — collected by NISRA
Republic of Ireland hub — collected by CSO Ireland

See methodology and data sources for how popularity data is collected and what "confidence" means.

What the record shows

Recorded by 2 registrars between 1964 and 2000, ranked in 33 years of that period.

Its highest recorded position is #159, first reached in 1971.

Its largest count from any one registrar is 17 births, registered in Republic of Ireland in 1971.

Its record falls into 3 separate stretches, with a longest absence of 3 years.

A second registrar first ranked it in 1997, and 33 years separate the first registrar to record it from the last.

Every figure here is counted from the seven official registrars Namewise holds. A position is only ever a place within the list that published it, and a record that thins or stops is a fact about what registrars printed — never about how many children received the name.

Where to go next

Records with a comparable body of evidence, so the catalogue can be read outward from this one. Each group states the rule it was selected by.

Next in the catalogue

The records either side of this one alphabetically.

Fayth · #705, 20y
Fayzan · #1892, 17y
Fearghal · #153, 47y
Fearn · #2189, 18y

A comparable record

Records held by the same 2 registrars, over a similar number of ranked years, whose highest position is closest to this one. A similar body of evidence — never a claim that the names themselves are alike.

Miceal · #159, 35y
Janusz · #160, 37y
Ayah · #162, 30y
Carole · #162, 35y

Also first recorded in the 1960s

Records whose earliest ranking in Namewise's registrar data also falls between 1960 and 1969.

Donncha · #159, 55y
Miceal · #159, 35y
Serena · #159, 61y
Eilis · #158, 59y

Feargal was ranked #159 in Republic of Ireland · Boys in 1971. These are the names immediately either side of it on that published list — a fact about the registrar's own output, not a similarity judgement.

Feargal and the names beside it

Two names in the same published list are measured on the same scale, in the same year, by the same registrar — so these are positions that genuinely passed each other, not a similarity judgement. Drawn from the 2,573 names with a recorded popularity standing (common, familiar, uncommon), so a name outside that set could have passed Feargal without appearing here.

Feargal moved ahead of

Roger Compare
In 1996 they stood at #334 and #261 in Republic of Ireland · Boys; by 1997 that had become #286 and #382.
Ronald Compare
In 1990 they stood at #286 and #286 in Republic of Ireland · Boys; by 1991 that had become #230 and #324.
Andreas Compare
In 1969 they stood at #243 and #222 in Republic of Ireland · Boys; by 1970 that had become #173 and #251.
Jon Compare
In 1999 they stood at #334 and #334 in Republic of Ireland · Boys; by 2000 that had become #312 and #390.

Moved ahead of Feargal

Hugo Compare
In 1998 they stood at #242 and #280 in Republic of Ireland · Boys; by 1999 that had become #379 and #184.
Cameron Compare
In 1993 they stood at #255 and #339 in Republic of Ireland · Boys; by 1994 that had become #342 and #208.
Joshua Compare
In 1988 they stood at #186 and #201 in Republic of Ireland · Boys; by 1989 that had become #278 and #146.
Callum Compare
In 1993 they stood at #255 and #339 in Republic of Ireland · Boys; by 1994 that had become #342 and #225.

Moved the opposite way to Feargal

Benjamin Compare
Between 1964 and 2000 in Republic of Ireland · Boys, Feargal went from #191 to #312 while Benjamin went from #139 to #67.
Ciaran Compare
Between 1964 and 2000 in Republic of Ireland · Boys, Feargal went from #191 to #312 while Ciaran went from #49 to #23.
Conor Compare
Between 1964 and 2000 in Republic of Ireland · Boys, Feargal went from #191 to #312 while Conor went from #56 to #3.
Craig Compare
Between 1964 and 2000 in Republic of Ireland · Boys, Feargal went from #191 to #312 while Craig went from #214 to #49.

Moved the same way as Feargal

Adrian Compare
Between 1964 and 2000 in Republic of Ireland · Boys, Feargal went from #191 to #312 and Adrian from #65 to #164.
Alan Compare
Between 1964 and 2000 in Republic of Ireland · Boys, Feargal went from #191 to #312 and Alan from #29 to #51.
Anthony Compare
Between 1964 and 2000 in Republic of Ireland · Boys, Feargal went from #191 to #312 and Anthony from #12 to #58.
Arthur Compare
Between 1964 and 2000 in Republic of Ireland · Boys, Feargal went from #191 to #312 and Arthur from #98 to #274.

What's not yet available

Meaning
Origin
Pronunciation
Nicknames and spelling variants

Absence from this list does not mean the name isn't genuinely meaningful or widely used — only that Namewise hasn't sourced and reviewed that content yet. Absence from a specific year or geography above does not prove zero use there either; official statistics only publish names above a minimum threshold.

Official popularity data is available for 2 regions, from 1964 to 2000. Highest recorded position: #159 in Republic of Ireland in 1971. Source data last verified 2026-07-22.

Feargal

Feargal at a glance

What stands out in Feargal's record

What the data shows

Popularity journey

Feargal across 2 official records

Feargal by decade in Republic of Ireland · Boys

Feargal appears in

Popularity data

What the record shows

Where to go next

Next in the catalogue

A comparable record

Also first recorded in the 1960s

Names published alongside Feargal

Feargal and the names beside it

Feargal moved ahead of

Moved ahead of Feargal

Moved the opposite way to Feargal

Moved the same way as Feargal

Feargal at a glance

What stands out in Feargal's record

Feargal across 2 official records

Feargal by decade in Republic of Ireland · Boys

Feargal appears in

What the record shows

Where to go next

Next in the catalogue

A comparable record

Also first recorded in the 1960s

Names published alongside Feargal

Feargal and the names beside it

Feargal moved ahead of

Moved ahead of Feargal

Moved the opposite way to Feargal

Moved the same way as Feargal