Nearly 36 million people in the U.S. (12% of the total population) have Irish roots, according to the U.S. Census Bureau's 2006 American Community Survey. It's not surprising, then, that many parents specifically seek out Irish names for their children.

Which Irish names are currently popular in the U.S.? Here are some of the Irish names I spied among the top baby names of 2006...

Boy Names:
Brady
Brayden, Braden, Braeden, Braydon
Brody, Brodie
Bryan, Brian
Cody, Kody
Connor, Conner, Conor
Devin
Donovan
Grady
Kevin
Liam
Nolan
Quinn
Rowan
Ryan
Sean, Shawn, Shane, Shaun

Girl Names:
Briana, Breanna, Bryanna
Bridget
Cassidy, Kassidy
Erin
Keira, Kiara, Ciara, Kiera
Kelly
Kennedy
Reagan, Raegan
Shannon
Tara, Taryn
Teagan

And what are parents in Ireland naming their children? Below are the top 25 male and female names for 2006. (The distinctly Irish names are in boldface.)

1. Sean and Sarah
2. Jack and Emma
3. Conor and Katie
4. Adam and Aoife
5. James and Sophie
6. Daniel and Ava
7. Luke and Grace
8. Cian and Ella
9. Michael and Leah
10. Jamie and Ciara
11. Aaron and Amy
12. Dylan and Emily
13. Thomas and Lucy
14. Ryan and Chloe
15. Darragh and Caoimhe
16. Oisin and Hannah
17. Matthew and Rachel
18. John and Niamh
19. Patrick* and Rebecca
20. Ben and Jessica
21. David and Anna
22. Callum and Lauren
23. Alex and Kate
24. Shane and Laura
25. Evan and Mia

*The name Patrick can actually be traced back to Latin, but it is often considered Irish due to the association with St. Patrick.

Finally, for those looking for a less common Irish name, here are some other ideas...

Boy Names:
Brogan
Cillian, Killian
Conan
Doran
Doyle
Eamonn, Eamon
Keefe
Murphy
Rory
Seamus
Torin

Girl Names:
Aisling, Aislinn, Ashling
Bedelia
Bevin
Maeve
Orlagh, Orla
Sheila
Sinead
Siobhan
Sorcha
Talulla