Croía (also Croíadh; both /ˈkriːə/), are feminine given names derived from the Irish word croí meaning "heart".[1][2] Croía by 2023 had risen to 23rd most popular girl's name in the Republic of Ireland, and 59th in Northern Ireland.[3][4] Isolated instances (one or two babies per annum registered with the name) were noted by NISRA (Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency) in 1998 (Croia), 2004 (Croiagh), 2005, 2016, and 2017 (Croiadh).[n 1][4] The first year in which the Central Statistics Office recorded more than three babies registered with either name in the Republic was 2018.[3] Maitiú Ó Coimín comments that Croía and its variants are not Irish words, and that the root word Croí has also been used occasionally as a name (7 boys and 3 girls in 2019).[1]
| Pronunciation | /ˈkriːə/ KREE-ə |
|---|---|
| Gender | Female |
| Language(s) | Irish |
Many friends of Ross O'Carroll-Kelly's wife Sorcha are given extravagantly Irish names to satirise a certain middle-class view of Irishness;[5] a 2018 column featured one named Croia who found Sorcha's Guys and Dolls fancy-dress theme gender binarist.[6] Conor McGregor's daughter born in January 2019 was named Croía, which Her.ie at the time described as "unique";[7] later commentators have suggested McGregor's choice might have helped its subsequent increased popularity.[8][1]
| Name→ | Croía | Croíadh | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ↓Year | Count | Rank | Count | Rank | ||||
| Rep | NI | Rep | NI | Rep | NI | Rep | NI | |
| 2023 | 166 | 36 | 23 | 59 | 13 | 9 | 296 | 193 |
| 2022 | 140 | 33 | 38 | 64 | 16 | 6 | 266 | 266 |
| 2021 | 116 | 19 | 52 | 123 | 27 | 1–2 | 177 | >446 |
| 2020 | 56 | 4 | 95 | 333 | 16 | 1–2 | 264 | >397 |
| 2019 | 32 | 4 | 162 | 336 | 12 | 5 | 347 | 298 |
| 2018 | 18 | 0 | 255 | — | 11 | 1–2 | 387 | >434 |
Notes
edit- ^ NISRA statistics do not take note of the síneadh fada,[4] so í appears as i.
- ^ As a name for females registered as born in a given year. Rep = Republic of Ireland; NI = Northern Ireland
References
edit- ^ a b c Ó Coimín, Maitiú (26 March 2020). "'Croía', 'Laoch' agus 'Féile' – na hainmneacha is neamhghnáiche a tugadh ar pháistí in 2019". PEIG.ie (in Irish). Retrieved 2 September 2024.
- ^ "Croía". Behind the Name. Mike Campbell.
- ^ a b c "VSA60: Girls Names in Ireland with 3 or More Occurrences". data.cso.ie. Dublin: Central Statistics Office. Retrieved 2 September 2024.
- ^ a b c d "Baby Names 2023". Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency. 15 April 2024. Full Names List, 1997-2023 Tables. Retrieved 2 September 2024.
- ^ O'Brien, Eugene (2023). Reading Paul Howard: the art of Ross O'Carroll-Kelly. Routledge Studies in Irish Literature. New York: Taylor & Francis. p. 42. ISBN 978-0367645359.
- ^ Howard, Paul (29 December 2018). "Ross O'Carroll-Kelly: Croia called me a gender binarist because of my Goys and Dolls party". The Irish Times. p. 4 Magazine. Retrieved 2 September 2024.
- ^ Ryan, Keeley (5 January 2019). "Apparently, this is the unique name Conor McGregor and Dee Devlin gave their second child". her.ie. JOE. Retrieved 2 September 2024.
- ^ Hyland, Paul (25 February 2022). "Revealed: The most popular names for Irish newborns born last year". Irish Independent. Retrieved 2 September 2024.