girl's name
Fódhla
FOH-la
- Origin Irish
- Gender Girl
- Letters 6
- Popularity Top 1000 (Ireland)
- Births on record 159
Ireland
#166
2025 births
Fódhla is a girl's name taken from one of Ireland's three ancient names, borne by the goddess who lost the naming contest to her sister Ériu. It ranks 166th in Ireland and is at its peak now.
- Fódhla is a name of Irish origin.
- Peaked in Ireland in 2025, when 28 babies were given the name.
- It has been rising over the past decade in Ireland.
- Today about 1 in 1,602 babies in Ireland is given this name.
- First appears in birth records in 2005.
Fódhla over time
Births per decade in Ireland, 2000s 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 |
|---|---|
| 2000s | 14 |
| 2010s | 21 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 84 |
What Fódhla means
Fódhla is a name for Ireland itself, and its derivation is unresolved. Readings connect it to a word for a sod of earth or to a sense of foundation, and neither can be demonstrated.
Where Fódhla comes from
Fódhla is one of the three poetic names for Ireland, alongside Ériu and Banba, and the three were sisters of the Tuatha Dé Danann. When the Milesians invaded, each asked that the island be named for her; Ériu's request was granted and gave Éire, while Banba and Fódla survive as literary alternatives — Fódla is still used in Irish poetry and in formal registers the way Albion works for Britain. The name's own derivation is uncertain, with a word for a sod of earth among the proposals. Its use as a personal name is entirely modern: our records carry it only from 2005, which puts it with Croíadh and Aodhla among the very new Irish coinages, and it is the only one of the three sisters' names in current use as a given name.
Fódhla in use
Fódhla ranks 166th in Ireland with 28 births in 2025 and 291st in Northern Ireland, and it is at its peak in our records this year. Our records carry it only from 2005, so it has reached the Irish top 200 within twenty years of first appearing. It appears in no other market we hold, and the unaccented Fodhla is counted separately.
How popular is Fódhla?
In 2025, Fódhla was given to 28 babies in Ireland, ranking #166 that year. It is a well-established, commonly used name.
Where Fódhla 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 Fódhla is spelled
Birth registers count each spelling separately, so every one has its own ranking.
| Spelling | What it is | Births on record |
|---|---|---|
| Fodhla | Fodhla is Fódhla without the fada, and the spelling recorded in Ireland, where it ranks #518. | 68 |
Names that peaked alongside Fódhla
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents who like Fódhla also like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Fódhla over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
Fódhla 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 Fódhla
Names from the same era that won't rhyme or share an initial with Fódhla — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common questions about Fódhla
What does the name Fódhla mean?
It is one of the three ancient names for Ireland. Its own derivation is unresolved.
Who was Fódla?
A goddess of the Tuatha Dé Danann and sister of Ériu and Banba. All three asked the Milesians to name Ireland for them; Ériu won.
How do you pronounce Fódhla?
FOH-la, two syllables. The dh is silent.
Is Fódhla a traditional name?
The word is ancient, but its use as a given name is new — our records carry it only from 2005.
Is Fódhla a girl's or a boy's name?
Fódhla is given almost entirely to girls in birth records.
When was Fódhla most popular?
Fódhla peaked in 2025, when 28 babies were given the name. It has been rising over the past decade.
Is Fódhla a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Fódhla currently ranks #166 in Ireland. It has been rising over the past decade. Everything else — how it sounds with your surname, who it reminds you of — is yours.