Irish names for babies — including 17 that no one (in the US) is using
Throughout history, parents in the United States have turned to Irish names for their babies.
“America has a long-running love affair with Irish names,” Laura Wattenberg, creator of Namerology, tells TODAY.com.
Wattenburg says American parents will try to "Irish-ize" a name by altering its spelling.
One example of that is seen in spelling of the girl's name "Maeghan."
"Except, that's not an Irish name," Wattenberg says. "Megan was a Welsh nickname for Margaret."
In fact, some of the top baby names for girls and boys in Ireland names are not Irish in origin. Names like Grace, Emily, Jack and Noah all hold top spots in Ireland based on data released by the Ireland Central Statistics Office.
281 Irish Names For Baby Boys And Girls
According to the most recent data from the Ireland Central Statistics Office, these are the top Irish names for baby girls and boys in Ireland from 2021, with pronunciation from IrishCentral.com and BabyNamesofIreland.com for traditional names.
Wattenberg tells TODAY.com that pronunciation of these names can vary based on geography.
Fiadh (fee-a)
Grace
Emily
Sophie
Éabha (ey-va)
Lucy
Mia
Ava
Lily
Ella
Amelia
Chloe
Hannah
Sophia
Emma
Ellie
Isla
Molly
Olivia
Sadie
Anna
Freya
Saoirse (ser-sha; hear “Little Women” actor Saoirse Ronan pronounce it)
Evie
Caoimhe (kwee-va or kee-va)
Ruby
Robyn
Kate
Willow
Sofia
Holly
Aoife (ee-fa)
Cara
Róisín (ro-sheen)
Katie
Sadhbh (sigh-v)
Leah
Millie
Isabelle
Clodagh (cloda)
Alice
Zoe
Sarah
Erin
Ada
Annie
Bonnie
Charlotte
Layla
Rosie
Maya
Croía (cree-ah)
Faye
Zara
Isabella
Daisy
Sienna
Maisie
Méabh (maeve)
Ailbhe (alva)
Harper
Eve
Eva
Ivy
Ciara (kee-ra)
Jessica
Clara
Mila
Fíadh
Rose
Aoibhín (ee-van or ay-veen)
Niamh (neev)
Julia
Bella
Maria
Hazel
Emilia
Laura
Indie
Lauren
Amber
Aria
Ayla
Amy
Lara
Paige
Elsie
Heidi
Elizabeth
Pippa
Mollie
Evelyn
Abigail
Nina
Áine (awn-ye)
Laoise (lee-sha)
Luna
Alannah
Penny
Lottie
Jack
Noah
James
Conor
Rían (ree-an)
Liam
Charlie
Daniel
Cillian (kill-ee-an)
Tadhg (ty-ge)
Michael
Oisín (o-sheen)
Finn
Fionn (finn)
Thomas
Seán
Darragh (darra)
Luke
Patrick
Harry
Alex
Adam
Cian (kee-an)
Theo
Oliver
Dylan
Jamie
John
Leo
Oscar
Ollie
Ben
Tom
Bobby
Ryan
Tommy
Matthew
Max
Callum
Sam
Danny
Aaron
Alexander
Jake
Alfie
Mason
David
Joseph
Jacob
Ethan
Kai
Shay
Donnacha (done-acka)
Luca
Sonny
Senan (she-nawn)
William
Evan
Archie
Freddie
Lucas
Nathan
Leon
Joshua
Hugo
Benjamin
Louis
Arthur
Billy
Jayden
Logan
Theodore
Aidan
Rory
Samuel
Teddy
Frankie
Daithí (da-hee)
Páidí
Jaxon
Odhran (orin)
Zach
Eoin (owen)
George
Robert
Brody
Isaac
Shane
Cathal (ka-hal)
Ted
Hunter
Tiernan
Sebastian
Tadgh (tie-g)
Andrew
Martin
Ronan
Edward
Eli
Arlo
While the above names reflect the official top 100 lists for boys and girls, other popular Irish names include:
Laoise (lee-sha)
Alannah
Maeve
Aoibheann (ay-veen)
Cadhla (ky-lah)
Aoibhe (ey-va)
Nora
Caragh (kara)
Aisling (ash-ling)
Aoibh (eve)
Naoise (nee-sha)
Eimear (ee-mur)
Gráinne (graw-nya)
Riley
Nessa
Quinn
Kayleigh
Bridget
Orla
Ríona (ree-ona)
Keeva
Bláthnaid (blaw-nid)
Neasa
Shauna
Claire
Imogen
Teagan
Saorlaith (ser-la)
Orlaith (orla)
Keelin
Kara
Liadh (lia)
Eileen
Enya
Kiara
Sinéad (shin-ade)
Dara
Clíodhna (clee-na)
Emer (eemer)
Siobhán (shiv-on)
Shannon
Fiona
Sorcha (sur-ka)
Mairéad (mi-rade)
Oonagh (una)
Rian
Caelan
Killian
Dara
Ruairí (rory)
Paddy
Hugh
Lorcan
Riley
Cormac
Niall
Rowan
Ciarán (keer-awn)
Conn
Caolan (keelin)
Pádraig (paw-drig, or paw-rick)
Brian
Finley
Oran
Kieran
Owen
Keelan
Kian
Keegan
Aiden
Seamus
Lennon
Lochlann
Flynn
Carson
Brendan
Conan
Colm
Declan
Connell
Colin
Top Unusual Irish Names For Babies With Meaning
Pamela Redmond, founder of baby-naming website Nameberry, tells TODAY.com that "plenty of undiscovered Irish baby names are still ripe for import."
"The baby names here are all widely used in contemporary Ireland, are accessible in terms of spelling and pronunciation, yet are virtually unknown in the U.S.," Redmond says.
If you love the sound of Irish baby names, but don't want one that's already popular, here are 17 Irish baby names — and meanings — from Nameberry to consider.
Brona — Brona, or its Irish version Bronagh, a girls’ name that means sorrow, can be considered unique in the U.S. The name of an ancient mystic, Brona is popular in Ireland and is also heard on television’s "Penny Dreadful," which could broadcast its appeal.
Cahir — Cahir, pronounced quite logically ka-heer, has not been listed in the top 1000 names for U.S. boys in the past century, nor has its Irish form Cathair. It means “battle man.”
Cliona — The appeal of this ancient name increases dramatically when you learn that it’s pronounced as the rhythmic CLEE-uh-na and does NOT rhyme with Fiona. Meaning “shapely,” Cliona was used for no girls in the U.S. in 2016.
Conal — There were 26 boys in the U.S. named Conall and another 26 named Connell, but none called Conal. Meaning “strong as a wolf,” this name is prominent in Irish history and can make a great substitute for Conor.
Dara, Darach, Darragh, Daire — All these names are pronounced Dara and all are popular for boys in Ireland. Darragh is a Top 50 boys’ name in Ireland. The name means “oak tree.”
Dervla — This ancient and still well-used Irish name, which means “daughter of the poet,” has not appeared in the top 1,000 list for U.S. girls in the past century. The Irish spelling is Dearbhla — and not surprisingly, that wasn’t used either.
Donnacha — This popular boys’ name in Ireland is pronounced dunn-ah-ka, and means “brown-haired warrior.”
Emer — Emer was a legendary wife who possessed the six gifts of womanhood, according to Irish mythology: beauty, voice, speech, wisdom, chastity, and needlework. Used by Yeats, Emer — pronounced ee-mer — is widely used in modern Ireland. In the U.S., plenty of girls are called Emery or Emerson but none are named Emer.
Fia — Fia and its Irish version Fiadh are among the fastest-rising girls’ names in Ireland yet are virtually unknown in the U.S. It means “wild deer” but might also be a short form for Sofia.
Fintan — Fintan has a great meaning, or rather two great meanings — white fire or white bull — and a worthy ancient namesake: the legendary Fintan is said to be the only Irishman to survive the biblical flood. A perfect long form for the stylish Finn, Fintan is rarely used in the U.S.
Lorcan — Despite its use in "Harry Potter" and its status as the name of the patron saint of Dublin, Lorcan was given to only 15 baby boys in the U.S. in 2014. Meaning “little and fierce,” it’s the perfect successor to Logan.
Nuala — Girls’ name Nuala is a short form of Fionnuala, which means “white shoulders,” and is frequently used on its own.
Oran — Both Oran and its Irish version Odhran are in the Top 100 names for boys in Ireland, yet Oran was given to only 28 boys in the U.S. in 2015 and the more difficult Odhran to none. The name means “pale little green one.”
Orla — This accessible name that means “golden princess” was as popular in medieval Ireland as it is today. Associated with the famed high king Brian Boru, it’s in the Irish Top 100 but is far more rare in the U.S.
Piran or Pieran — This Irish name is unusual in both the U.S. and Ireland. Meaning prayer, Piran is the name of the patron saint of miners and of Cornwall.
Senan — Pronounced she-NAWN, Senan is one of the hottest boys’ names in Ireland, now standing among the Top 100. In the U.S., it's rarely used but makes a perfect alternative for Sean. Meaning “old and wise,” Senan was the name of an ancient founder of monasteries.
Ultan — It’s no surprise, given that this name means “man from Ulster,” that it’s most popular in Northern Ireland. While 18 saints were named Ultan, no babies in the U.S. were given the name in 2014.
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Editor's note: This story was first published on March 9, 2017.
This article was originally published on TODAY.com
