girl's name
Aoibheann
EE-vawn
- Origin Irish
- Gender Girl
- Letters 9
- Popularity Top 100 (Ireland)
- Births on record 2,724
Northern Ireland
#94
2024 births
Aoibheann is a girl's name of Irish origin meaning "radiant" or "beautiful," from aoibh. It ranks 94th in Northern Ireland, and its English form Eavan belongs to one of Ireland's major poets.
- Aoibheann is a name of Irish origin.
- Peaked in Ireland in 2012, when 115 babies were given the name.
- Its usage has held steady over the past decade in Ireland.
- Today about 1 in 1,725 babies in Ireland is given this name.
- First appears in birth records in 1971.
Aoibheann over time
Births per decade in Ireland, 1970s to 2020s. The striped bar is the 2020s, still in progress — it covers 2020 to 2025, not a full ten years.
Show the numbers
| Decade | Births |
|---|---|
| 1970s | 39 |
| 1980s | 80 |
| 1990s | 171 |
| 2000s | 547 |
| 2010s | 891 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 240 |
What Aoibheann means
Aoibheann means radiant, or of beautiful appearance, from the Irish aoibh — a pleasant or smiling expression. The root describes a face in a particular moment rather than beauty as a permanent attribute, which is a distinction most translations lose.
Where Aoibheann comes from
Aoibheann is the Irish Aoibheann or Aoibhinn, from aoibh, a pleasant look or smile, with a suffix. It belongs to a tight cluster of Irish names — Aoife, Aoibhe, Aoibhín, Aoibheann — that all reach back to the same root and that Irish records have treated interchangeably for centuries, which makes their separate popularity figures somewhat artificial. The name was borne by several medieval Irish noblewomen, including the mother of Brian Boru's rival Máel Sechnaill. Its standard anglicization is Eavan, carried by Eavan Boland, whose work on women, domestic life and Irish history reshaped what Irish poetry could be about between the 1960s and her death in 2020. Evan, the Welsh form of John, is unrelated despite the spelling.
Aoibheann in use
Aoibheann ranks 94th in Northern Ireland with 22 births in 2024 and 183rd in Ireland, and our records mark it stable with a peak in 2018. Our records carry it only from 2012, one of the shortest histories of any name in either top hundred. Outside the island it is effectively absent — 4,709th in England and Wales.
How popular is Aoibheann?
In 2025, Aoibheann was given to 26 babies in Ireland, ranking #183 that year. It is one of the most popular names in Ireland.
Where Aoibheann is used
Irish figures withhold any name given to fewer than three babies in a year, so a gap means the name fell below that floor rather than went unused. The Central Statistics Office began recording the síneadh fada in 2018, so accented and unaccented spellings are counted separately from that year on. Data & sources.
Names that peaked alongside Aoibheann
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents who like Aoibheann also like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Aoibheann over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
Aoibheann in other languages
The same name as it is spelled elsewhere — not shortenings, and not different names that merely sound alike. Each one has its own record here.
- Irish
- Aoife
Sibling names for Aoibheann
Names from the same era that won't rhyme or share an initial with Aoibheann — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common questions about Aoibheann
What does the name Aoibheann mean?
Aoibheann means "radiant" or "beautiful," from the Irish aoibh, a pleasant expression.
How do you pronounce Aoibheann?
EE-vawn. The bh gives a v sound.
What is the English form of Aoibheann?
Eavan, carried by the poet Eavan Boland. The Welsh Evan is a separate name and unrelated.
Is Aoibheann the same as Aoibhín?
They are separate names from the same root, and Irish records have often treated them interchangeably.
How popular is the name Aoibheann?
In 2025, Aoibheann was given to 26 babies in Ireland, ranking #183 that year. It is one of the most popular names in Ireland.
Is Aoibheann a girl's or a boy's name?
Aoibheann is given almost entirely to girls in birth records.
When was Aoibheann most popular?
Aoibheann peaked in 2012, when 115 babies were given the name. Its usage has held steady over the past decade.
Is Aoibheann a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Aoibheann currently ranks #94 in Ireland. Its usage has held steady over the past decade. Everything else — how it sounds with your surname, who it reminds you of — is yours.