The Irish have been blessed with some of the most beautiful names in the world. Here are some of the top Irish girls’ names and top Irish boys’ names, that just happen to be some of our favorites.
How to choose the perfect name for your baby? Once you find out that you’re pregnant, it’s one of the big decisions that takes up a lot of brain space over the next 9 months. There is lots to consider – do you want a popular name, a unique Irish name or something that’s a little easier to spell?
If you’ve decided to go down a Gaelic route and are looking for a beautiful Irish name, then we are here to help – in this blog post we will take you through 90 beautiful Irish baby name meanings and origins, so that you can get some inspiration for your little bundle of joy.
Find the perfect Irish baby names for boys and girls and learn the meaning behind the most popular baby names in Ireland.
Irish Baby Girl Names
It can be quite hard to choose the perfect name for your little girl. Choosing a name is a big decision and can affect her entire life. The name you choose will help to shape who she will become, what she will learn, and how she will see herself.
Choosing a name is also a great way to get some creative thinking about who your daughter will become in the future.
Here’s a definitive list of Irish girl names in alphabetical order from A-Z, so you can find the perfect baby name
- Ailbhe – Ailbhe means “white” from the Irish word “albho” and pronounced Alva. This was originally a boy’s name but is more common now with baby girls.
- Aileen – Pronounced ayleen, meaning bright, shining light
- Aisling – This popular Irish name is pronounced Ashling or Ashleen in different parts of Ireland depending on your accent. Meaning a vision or dream
- Alanna – Gaelic meaning beauty or serenity
- Áine – A form of Anne and Anna meaning “brightness” or “radiance” pronounced awn ye. Áine was also an Irish Celtic goddess of summer, wealth and sovereignty
- Aoibhe – Meaning radiant beauty. This name comes from the Irish word “aoibh” meaning “beauty.” This name is pronounced like Ava
- Aoife – “The fair, beautiful one.” This name is consider a form of Eve and is pronounced Eefa
- Aoibhinn – Meaning beautiful. The Anglicised version of this name is Eavan
- Ava – An alternative spelling of Aoibhe. In Latin this name also means bird or birdlike.
- Bríd – This name comes from the Old Irish Brigit meaning “high, exalted” and is pronounced similiar to the word Bridge but with a longer vowel sound.
- Briege – This is an alternate spelling of the above.
- Caitríona – Meaning pure or clear
- Caoimhe – Meaning gentle, from the Irish-Gaelic word “caomh”. There are two variations on pronunciation for this name, you can say it Keeva or Kweeva
- Caragh – This name means beloved, or friend. A simpler spelling for this girls’ name is Cara
- Ceara – This name means dark haired one, perfect for little girls born with dark or black hair
- Ciara – As above, Ciara means black and is a female version of the popular Irish boys name Ciaran or Keiran
- Clodagh – This name is pronounced Cloe-da. It is the name of an Irish river
- Córa – Means maiden or girl
- Dearbhla – Pronounced Dervla, and means “poet’s daughter” Another spelling variation is Deirbhile
- Éabha – means living and is pronounced Ava
- Eilis – Meaning pledged to God. This is an Irish form or variant of the name Elizabeth. Eilish is another spelling, more known because of the singer Billie Eilish.
- Eimear – This name means “swift” and also “beautiful queen.” In ancient Irish mythology, Eimear was the legendary wife of Cuchulainn
- Éithne – Pronounced Enya this is an Irish name of great legend, although the Gaelic origin of the name means kernel or grain.
- Emer – Said Ee-mer this is an alternative spelling of Eimear
- Erin – Means Ireland and Peace. The name comes from the word for Ireland “eire”
- Fiadh – Meaning wild or wildness. This name is said Fia
- Finola – Means fair shouldered
- Grainne – Meaning unknown but may be connected with the word ghrian, meaning “the Sun. This name has Irish roots in mythology. Pronounced Grawn-ya
- Laoise – Pronounced Leesha, meaning either famous warrior or light
- Maeve – Queen, or the intoxicating one. In Irish legend and folklore, Maeve was the name of the Queen of Connacht and the name of the queen of the fairies
- Mairead – An Irish form of Margaret, meaning pearl
- Naoise – A celtic mythical name, originally used for boys but now is unisex
- Niamh – Meaning bright. An alternative to the Irish spelling is Neve
- Nora – Meaning light
- Onora – Meaning honor, an alternative spelling is Annora
- Oonagh – Meaning lamb, Also can be spelt Oona or Una
- Orla – Meaning golden princess, can also be spelt Orlaith
- Róisín – Meaning little rose, this beautiful name can also be spelled Rosheen
- Sadhbh – This unique name means goodness, or sweet. This name is said like “Sive”
- Saoirse – Meaning freedom, pronounced Seersha. This Irish baby girl name grew in popularity with the actress Saoirshe Ronan, who played Luna Lovegood in Harry Potter.
- Síle – This is an Irish equivalent of the Latin name Cecilia
- Sinead – Meaning God is gracious. this is one of the more common names of Irish origin, so hopefully spelling and pronunciation won’t be a problem.
- Siobhan – Meaning God’s Grace
- Tara – Meaning rocky hill
Irish Baby Boy Names
Irish baby boys can be just as fun to choose from as their girls counterparts. There are a plethora of unique Irish names for your baby boy, with no two being exactly alike. They are fun names that are both cute and distinctive, giving you lots of options to consider during pregnancy.
The following list of baby boy names are Irish names in their own right and can be used as a base for your own baby boy name choices.
Here is our list of Irish boy names in alphabetical order from A-Z, so you can find something beautiful and meaningful.
- Aban – Meaning little abbot
- Aidan – This is a popular boy name of Irish origin in the United Staes and here in the UK. Its meaning is fire.
- Ailbe – meaning white, Also can be spelt Alby
- Aodh – Meaning fire, pronounced “ay”. Fire also hints towards to colour red so this name works well for a ginger baby or red haired child.
- Aonghus – Meaning strength
- Bradan – Meaning Salmon
- Brogan – meaning little shoe
- Cabhan – Meaning grassy hill, pronounced Kav-an
- Callum – Meaning dove
- Cian – meaning Ancient
- Cianán – meaning Ancient
- Ciaran – Meaning dark little one
- Cillian – Meaning associated with the church
- Clancy – Red haired Warrior. This name is perfect for a little red haired baby boy.
- Colm – Meaning Dove
- Connall – Meaning strong in battle
- Connor – Also spelt Conor, or the Gaelic equivalent Conchobar
- Dáithí – Meaning swift and noble, pronounced Da-hee
- Dara – Meaning Oak tree. Also spelt Darragh
- Declan – Meaning man of prayer
- Eamonn – Meaning guardian, protector
- Eóin – Pronounced Owen, this Popular Irish boys name means God is gracious and is an Irish form of John
- Faoláin – Wolf, pronounced Fay-lan in the Irish language.
- Fiachra – Means little Raven
- Fionn – Meaning white or fair, also spelt Finn
- Leith – means wide
- Lochlainn – means Viking
- Lonán – meaning little black bird
- Lorcan – meaning little fierce one
- Naoise – A celtic mythical name in Irish History, originally used for boys but now is unisex
- Niall – Warrior
- Oisin – Meaning little deer, this traditional name is pronounced O-sheen
- Patrick – Name of the Patron Saint of Ireland, popular for a baby born around St. Patrick’s Day
- Reilly – Also spelt Riley. This is an Irish surname that can also be used as a first name, for boys or girls.
- Riordan – Poet
- Ronan – meaning a little seal
- Ruairí – meaning red haired king. This name is the Gaelic spelling of Rory
- Sean – Irish form of John, meaning God’s gracious gift
- Seamus – The Irish version of James, pronounced Shay-muss
- Tiarnán – Meaning little Lord.
- Tierney – Lord or chief
- Tadgh – Meaning poet, pronounced Tyg
- Ultan – meaning Ulsterman, from the place name Ulster in Northern Ireland. This is a traditional Saints name.
Top 10 Lists – Most Popular Baby Names in Ireland
Want to keep track of baby names from Ireland’s Central statistics office? Here is a list of the most popular baby names in the republic of Ireland.
The statistics reported currently do not go any later than 2020, as the current year of 2022 and last year 2021 doesn’t have data ready yet but this will give you an idea of the top baby names and what’s still popular today.
Top 10 Boys Names in Ireland 2020
| Name | Rank | Number of Births |
|---|---|---|
| Jack | 1 | 597 |
| James | 2 | 495 |
| Noah | 3 | 447 |
| Daniel | 4 | 359 |
| Conor | 5 | 345 |
| Finn | 6 | 331 |
| Liam | 7 | 329 |
| Fionn | 8 | 323 |
| Harry | 9 | 311 |
| Charlie | 10 | 305 |
Top 10 Girls names in Ireland 2020
| Grace | 1 | 410 |
| Fiadh | 2 | 366 |
| Emily | 3 | 329 |
| Sophie | 4 | 328 |
| Ava | 5 | 297 |
| Amelia | 6 | 275 |
| Ella | 7 | 265 |
| Hannah | 7 | 265 |
| Lucy | 9 | 261 |
| Mia | 10 | 251 |
If your chosen choice is a common name and currently very popular is that a good thing or a bad thing?
Well, it goes both ways depending on your priorities. If you want a unique or rare name, you may prefer to avoid choosing from within the current top 10 lists but if you want to be sure that most people can manage to spell and pronounce your child’s first name, then seeing the name listed here will be reassurring.
Choosing the Best Irish Baby Name
If you’re a new parent, or expecting parent and you’re wondering what you’ll name your baby, you probably know that choosing the right name for your baby is not easy. In fact, you might even feel overwhelmed by all of the options available to you.
Check out our free workbook on 5 steps to choosing a baby name, with free printables for you to make your own list and work through the decision.
To make your life easier, here is a list of the best Irish baby names for girls and boys. I hope it helps you with your decision-making process.
There are so many cute and meaningful names that you can choose to tie in with your Irish heritage and Irish culture, whether you want a Classic Irish name, a modern name, unique Irish baby names or to stick with the traditional Gaelic form of the name you have chosen – whether for first names or middle names.
More Baby Name Lists
Share
Share this Irish baby names list with friends and family to discuss opinions, or post to your Pinterest Board!
4 thoughts on “90 Best Irish Baby Names for Girls and Boys (with meanings)”