Fearghal

maleStatistical record

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

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

Fearghal: Recorded since 1964, it reached #153 in 1986, and it stood at #404 in 2024.

3registrars recorded it
59times a registrar ranked it
61years from first to last
#153highest recorded position
15groupings it qualifies for

Region

Trend unknown

among boys in England and Wales · 1997

View as table

England and Wales · Boys rank by year
Year	Rank
1997	#2337

VerifiedSource: Office for National Statistics — Baby Names in England and Wales.Confidence: high.

See all England and Wales names · Source: Office for National Statistics — Baby Names in England and Wales

What the data shows

Trend unknownEngland and Wales · Boys

Recorded in official data among boys in Republic of Ireland in 41 of the 61 years from 1964 to 2024.

In 2024: #404 among boys in Northern Ireland, #785 among boys in Republic of Ireland.

Official data from 3 national registrars across 3 regions, 1964–2024 · Office for National Statistics. Data sources

Popularity journey

First recorded1964
First recorded at #232 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 recorded1964–2024
Highest recorded position: #153 among boys in Republic of Ireland, in 1986 (recorded 1964–2024).
Republic of Ireland · Boys
Most recent2024
Most recently recorded at #404 among boys in Northern Ireland, in 2024.
Northern Ireland · Boys

Fearghal appears in 2 of the published lists Namewise holds. The longest record is Republic of Ireland · Boys, which has ranked it in 41 years beginning in 1964, and has registered 298 births with the name.

Fearghal 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.

Fearghal'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	#232 (1964)	#153 (1986)	#785 (2024)	41 of 61	298 (1964–2024)	19 (1986)
Northern Ireland · Boys	#179 (1997)	#179 (1997)	#404 (2024)	17 of 28	81 (1997–2024)	8 (1997)

Fearghal 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 Fearghal in Republic of Ireland · Boys, by decade, with years covered and the average per year
Decade	Births registered	Years covered	A year
1960s	7	2 of 10	4
1970s	67	9 of 10	7
1980sbusiest	98	10 of 10	10
1990s	81	10 of 10	8
2000s	31	6 of 10	5
2010s	11	3 of 10	4
2020s	3	1 of 10	3

Across Republic of Ireland · Boys, the 1980s were its busiest decade, averaging 10 births a year.

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

Fearghal 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 3 regions, from 1964 to 2024. Highest recorded position: #153 in Republic of Ireland in 1986.

Fearghal'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
1997	England and Wales	male	#2337	4	High	Verified
2024	Northern Ireland	male	#404	3	High	Verified
2023	Northern Ireland	male	#395	3	High	Verified
2022	Northern Ireland	male	#414	3	High	Verified
2021	Northern Ireland	male	#433	3	High	Verified
2018	Northern Ireland	male	#416	3	High	Verified
2013	Northern Ireland	male	#343	4	High	Verified
2012	Northern Ireland	male	#311	5	High	Verified
2010	Northern Ireland	male	#303	5	High	Verified
2007	Northern Ireland	male	#236	7	High	Verified
2004	Northern Ireland	male	#305	3	High	Verified
2003	Northern Ireland	male	#229	5	High	Verified
2002	Northern Ireland	male	#220	5	High	Verified
2001	Northern Ireland	male	#207	6	High	Verified
2000	Northern Ireland	male	#244	4	High	Verified
1999	Northern Ireland	male	#186	8	High	Verified
1998	Northern Ireland	male	#207	6	High	Verified
1997	Northern Ireland	male	#179	8	High	Verified
2024	Republic of Ireland	male	#785	3	High	Verified
2012	Republic of Ireland	male	#718	3	High	Verified
2011	Republic of Ireland	male	#730	3	High	Verified
2010	Republic of Ireland	male	#542	5	High	Verified
2008	Republic of Ireland	male	#529	5	High	Verified
2007	Republic of Ireland	male	#629	3	High	Verified
2004	Republic of Ireland	male	#322	7	High	Verified
2003	Republic of Ireland	male	#423	4	High	Verified
2001	Republic of Ireland	male	#297	6	High	Verified
2000	Republic of Ireland	male	#274	6	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	#261	7	High	Verified
1996	Republic of Ireland	male	#251	8	High	Verified
1995	Republic of Ireland	male	#198	12	High	Verified
1994	Republic of Ireland	male	#208	9	High	Verified
1993	Republic of Ireland	male	#255	6	High	Verified
1992	Republic of Ireland	male	#202	10	High	Verified
1991	Republic of Ireland	male	#186	12	High	Verified
1990	Republic of Ireland	male	#216	8	High	Verified
1989	Republic of Ireland	male	#199	9	High	Verified
1988	Republic of Ireland	male	#186	11	High	Verified
1987	Republic of Ireland	male	#190	11	High	Verified
1986	Republic of Ireland	male	#153	19	High	Verified
1985	Republic of Ireland	male	#234	6	High	Verified
1984	Republic of Ireland	male	#205	9	High	Verified
1983	Republic of Ireland	male	#214	8	High	Verified
1982	Republic of Ireland	male	#223	8	High	Verified
1981	Republic of Ireland	male	#217	9	High	Verified
1980	Republic of Ireland	male	#232	8	High	Verified
1979	Republic of Ireland	male	#203	11	High	Verified
1978	Republic of Ireland	male	#205	10	High	Verified
1977	Republic of Ireland	male	#234	7	High	Verified
1976	Republic of Ireland	male	#316	3	High	Verified
1974	Republic of Ireland	male	#208	10	High	Verified
1973	Republic of Ireland	male	#254	6	High	Verified
1972	Republic of Ireland	male	#219	8	High	Verified
1971	Republic of Ireland	male	#257	5	High	Verified
1970	Republic of Ireland	male	#219	7	High	Verified
1969	Republic of Ireland	male	#270	4	High	Verified
1964	Republic of Ireland	male	#232	3	High	Verified

England and Wales hub — collected by Office for National Statistics
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 3 registrars between 1964 and 2024, ranked in 47 years of that period.

Its highest recorded position is #153, first reached in 1986.

Its largest count from any one registrar is 19 births, registered in Republic of Ireland in 1986.

Its record falls into 7 separate stretches, with a longest absence of 4 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.

Fayzan · #1892, 17y
Feargal · #159, 33y
Fearn · #2189, 18y
Fearne · #295, 24y

A comparable record

Records held by the same 3 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.

Moya · #153, 42y
Benedict · #155, 51y
Finian · #155, 49y
Conn · #150, 44y

Also first recorded in the 1960s

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

Idris · #153, 43y
Keiran · #153, 30y
Moya · #153, 42y
Assumpta · #154, 22y

Fearghal was ranked #153 in Republic of Ireland · Boys in 1986. 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.

Fearghal 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 Fearghal without appearing here.

Fearghal moved ahead of

Florence Compare
In 1988 they stood at #234 and #234 in Republic of Ireland · Boys; by 1989 that had become #199 and #307.
Kim Compare
In 1971 they stood at #257 and #257 in Republic of Ireland · Boys; by 1972 that had become #219 and #307.
Ashley Compare
In 2006 they stood at #305 and #264 in Northern Ireland · Boys; by 2007 that had become #236 and #315.
Keith Compare
In 2006 they stood at #305 and #264 in Northern Ireland · Boys; by 2007 that had become #236 and #276.

Moved ahead of Fearghal

Filip Compare
In 2006 they stood at #322 and #390 in Republic of Ireland · Boys; by 2007 that had become #629 and #134.
Jan Compare
In 2006 they stood at #322 and #351 in Republic of Ireland · Boys; by 2007 that had become #629 and #180.
Hudson Compare
In 2017 they stood at #343 and #398 in Northern Ireland · Boys; by 2018 that had become #416 and #114.
Arlo Compare
In 2017 they stood at #311 and #403 in Northern Ireland · Boys; by 2018 that had become #416 and #121.

Moved the opposite way to Fearghal

Alexander Compare
Between 1964 and 2024 in Republic of Ireland · Boys, Fearghal went from #232 to #785 while Alexander went from #116 to #44.
Arthur Compare
Between 1964 and 2024 in Republic of Ireland · Boys, Fearghal went from #232 to #785 while Arthur went from #98 to #47.
Benjamin Compare
Between 1964 and 2024 in Republic of Ireland · Boys, Fearghal went from #232 to #785 while Benjamin went from #139 to #74.
Conor Compare
Between 1964 and 2024 in Republic of Ireland · Boys, Fearghal went from #232 to #785 while Conor went from #56 to #19.

Moved the same way as Fearghal

Alfred Compare
Between 1964 and 2024 in Republic of Ireland · Boys, Fearghal went from #232 to #785 and Alfred from #134 to #430.
Bruce Compare
Between 1964 and 2024 in Republic of Ireland · Boys, Fearghal went from #232 to #785 and Bruce from #204 to #655.
Denis Compare
Between 1964 and 2024 in Republic of Ireland · Boys, Fearghal went from #232 to #785 and Denis from #21 to #195.
Derek Compare
Between 1964 and 2024 in Republic of Ireland · Boys, Fearghal went from #232 to #785 and Derek from #30 to #472.

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 3 regions, from 1964 to 2024. Highest recorded position: #153 in Republic of Ireland in 1986. Source data last verified 2026-07-22.

Fearghal

Fearghal at a glance

What the data shows

Popularity journey

Fearghal across 2 official records

Fearghal by decade in Republic of Ireland · Boys

Fearghal 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 Fearghal

Fearghal and the names beside it

Fearghal moved ahead of

Moved ahead of Fearghal

Moved the opposite way to Fearghal

Moved the same way as Fearghal

Fearghal at a glance

Fearghal across 2 official records

Fearghal by decade in Republic of Ireland · Boys

Fearghal 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 Fearghal

Fearghal and the names beside it

Fearghal moved ahead of

Moved ahead of Fearghal

Moved the opposite way to Fearghal

Moved the same way as Fearghal