girl's name
Cliodhna
KLEE-uh-na
- Origin Irish
- Gender Girl
- Letters 8
- Popularity Rare
- Births on record 1,800
Northern Ireland
#103
2024 births
Cliodhna is a girl's name of Irish origin borne by a queen of the sidhe whose name gave a wave in Glandore harbor its title. It ranks 103rd in Northern Ireland and is falling from a peak in 1996.
- Cliodhna is a name of Irish origin.
- Peaked in Ireland in 1996, when 38 babies were given the name.
- It has been falling over the past decade in Ireland.
- First appears in birth records in 1965.
Cliodhna over time
Births per decade in Ireland, 1960s to 2020s. The striped bar is the 2010s, still in progress — it covers 2010 to 2018, not a full ten years. The striped bar is the 2020s, still in progress — it covers 2020 to 2018, not a full ten years.
Show the numbers
| Decade | Births |
|---|---|
| 1960s | 8 |
| 1970s | 80 |
| 1980s | 122 |
| 1990s | 281 |
| 2000s | 279 |
| 2010s (to 2018) | 196 |
| 2020s (to 2018) | 91 |
What Cliodhna means
Cliodhna has no settled meaning. Shapely and territory have both been proposed for the Irish Clíodhna, and neither is demonstrable — the name is old enough that its construction is no longer recoverable.
Where Cliodhna comes from
Cliodhna anglicizes the Irish Clíodhna, whose derivation is unresolved. She is a queen of the banshees or of the sidhe in Munster tradition, particularly associated with the O'Keeffes and with Carrigcleena in County Cork. The best-known story has her drowned on the shore at Glandore while sleeping, after her lover leaves her; the ninth wave that took her is still called Tonn Chlíodhna, Clíodhna's Wave, and the sound of the sea in that harbor was said to be her lament. She appears in later poetry as a figure of sovereignty, one of the women who represent Ireland in the aisling tradition. The name is often given a confident meaning of shapely by reference sites; that reading has no early support.
Cliodhna in use
Cliodhna ranks 103rd in Northern Ireland with 20 births in 2024 and 275th in Ireland, and it is falling in our data from a peak in 1996. Our records carry it from 1965. Outside the island it is very rare — 4,061st in England and Wales — and the accented Clíodhna appears separately in Irish records, so the two spellings split the true total.
How popular is Cliodhna?
In 2018, Cliodhna was given to 6 babies in Ireland, ranking #607 that year. It is a rare choice.
Where Cliodhna 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.
How Cliodhna is spelled
Birth registers count each spelling separately, so every one has its own ranking.
| Spelling | What it is | Births on record |
|---|---|---|
| Clíodhna | Clíodhna is Cliodhna written with a fada, used in Ireland, where it ranks #275. | 124 |
Names that peaked alongside Cliodhna
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents who like Cliodhna also like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Cliodhna over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
1 nickname for Cliodhna
Each one is a name in its own right — the figure underneath is how it is doing today, so you can see which short forms are rising and which have faded.
Cliodhna 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.
Sibling names for Cliodhna
Names from the same era that won't rhyme or share an initial with Cliodhna — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common questions about Cliodhna
What does the name Cliodhna mean?
It is unresolved. Shapely is the usual gloss but has no early support.
How do you pronounce Cliodhna?
KLEE-uh-na, three syllables. The dh is silent.
Who was Clíodhna?
A queen of the sidhe in Munster tradition, drowned at Glandore — the wave there is still called Tonn Chlíodhna.
How popular is Cliodhna?
103rd in Northern Ireland and 275th in Ireland.
Is Cliodhna a girl's or a boy's name?
Cliodhna is given almost entirely to girls in birth records.
What are the nicknames for Cliodhna?
Cliodhna is usually shortened to Cliona.
Is Cliodhna a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Cliodhna currently ranks #103 in Ireland. It has been falling over the past decade. Everything else — how it sounds with your surname, who it reminds you of — is yours.