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Irish Names

Irish names carry the widest gap on this site between how they look and how they sound, because Irish spelling records a sound system English does not have. Many arrive in two forms: the Irish spelling and an anglicization made by a clerk writing down what he heard. Both are in use, often in the same family, and neither is the wrong one.

Languages behind these names Irish Irish Gaelic uncertain Hebrew Old Irish Latin

Rankings for

317 names, most popular first in United States

Very Rare Rare Uncommon

Girls Boys Unisex

Liam Liam is a boy's name of Irish origin, a short form of Uilliam, the Irish version of William.
Boy Irish #1 in US
Riley Riley is a name with two origins that converged. The Irish line comes from Ó Raghallaigh, an Anglicized surname, while the English line names a place meaning "rye clearing," from the Old English ryge and leah.
Unisex Irish #48 in US
Rowan Rowan is a name with two origins. The Irish line comes from Ó Ruadháin, from ruadh meaning red, giving "little red-haired one."
Unisex Irish #59 in US
Aiden Aiden is a boy's name of Irish origin meaning "little fire," an Anglicized form of Aodhán.
Boy Irish #62 in US
Nolan Nolan is a boy's name of Irish origin, anglicized from Ó Nualláin.
Boy Irish #65 in US
Maeve Maeve is a girl's name of Irish origin, anglicized from Medb, usually translated as "she who intoxicates" or "intoxicating."
Girl Irish #76 in US
Kennedy Kennedy is a name of Irish origin meaning "helmeted head" or "ugly head," from the Gaelic ceann, head, and éidigh.
Girl Irish #85 in US
Gael Gael is a boy's name meaning a Gaelic person — a speaker of Irish, Scottish Gaelic or Manx.
Boy Irish #86 in US
Quinn Quinn is a name of Irish origin, anglicized from Ó Cuinn, meaning "descendant of Conn."
Unisex Irish #97 in US
Ryan Ryan is a boy's name of Irish origin, anglicized from Ó Riain.
Boy Irish #99 in US
Declan Declan is a boy's name of Irish origin whose meaning is uncertain.
Boy Irish #139 in US
Sloane Sloane is a girl's name of Irish origin meaning "raider" or "warrior."
Girl Irish #141 in US
Connor Connor is a boy's name of Irish origin meaning "lover of hounds."
Boy Irish #166 in US
Callan Callan is a boy's name of Irish origin meaning "battle" or "rock."
Boy Irish #190 in US
Rory Rory is a name of Irish and Scottish Gaelic origin meaning "red king."
Unisex Irish #199 in US
Finn Finn is a boy's name of Irish origin meaning "fair" or "white."
Boy Irish #206 in US
Lennon Lennon is a unisex name of Irish origin, an anglicized form of the surname Ó Leannáin.
Unisex Irish #214 in US
Kevin Kevin is a boy's name of Irish origin meaning "gentle birth," and its saint founded Glendalough and by tradition lived to 120.
Boy Irish #221 in US
Brianna Brianna is a girl's name, the feminine of Brian, whose Irish meaning has never been securely established.
Girl Irish #222 in US
Oscar Oscar is a boy's name with two competing origins: the Irish os, deer, plus cara, friend, giving "deer lover," or the Old Norse Ásgeirr, meaning "god's spear."
Boy Irish #223 in US
Callahan Callahan is a unisex name of Irish origin, anglicized from Ó Ceallacháin.
Unisex Irish #227 in US
Brayden Brayden is a modern American invention with a real Irish surname behind it, and it peaked in 2010 — one of the latest peaks on this site.
Boy Irish #229 in US
Collins Collins is a unisex name with two separate origins. In Ireland it anglicizes Ó Coileáin, from a word for a young hound; in England it is a patronymic meaning son of Colin, itself a medieval pet form of Nicholas.
Unisex Irish #241 in US
Delaney Delaney names a river, not a challenger — the Irish behind it is the dark one of the Slaney, so the dark challenger gloss that appears everywhere online mistakes a place for a fight.
Girl Irish #242 in US
Ronan Ronan is a boy's name of Irish origin meaning "little seal," from the Irish rón.
Boy Irish #247 in US
Reagan Reagan means little king, and our data shows the opposite of what most people assume — American births more than halved during the first two years of Ronald Reagan's presidency and did not take off until a decade after he left office.
Unisex Irish #248 in US
Ayden Ayden is a boy's name, a respelling of the Irish Aidan meaning "little fire."
Boy Irish #257 in US
Norah Norah is a girl's name of Latin origin meaning "honor," and it exists because Irish speakers clipped the front syllable off Honora.
Girl Irish #262 in US
Sullivan Sullivan is a boy's name of Irish origin, from Ó Súilleabháin.
Boy Irish #314 in US
Cody Cody is a boy's name of Irish origin, anglicising Ó Cuidighthigh, meaning "descendant of the helpful one."
Boy Irish #318 in US
Casey Casey is a name of Irish origin meaning "vigilant" or "watchful."
Unisex Irish #320 in US
Brady Brady means descendant of Brádach, an Irish byname whose own meaning is not settled — spirited, large-chested and broad-eyed are all proposed, and none is established.
Boy Irish #321 in US
Aidan Aidan is a boy's name of Irish origin meaning "little fire," from Aodh, the name of a fire god.
Boy Irish #326 in US
Bryan Bryan is a boy's name of Irish origin whose meaning is unsettled — noble and high are both proposed.
Boy Irish #336 in US
Brian Brian is a boy's name of Irish origin whose meaning is unsettled — noble and high are both proposed, and neither is secure.
Boy Irish #339 in US
Teagan Teagan is a unisex name of Irish origin, usually derived from Tadhgán, a diminutive of Tadhg meaning "poet".
Unisex Irish #340 in US
Grady Grady means noble, and it comes from a byname rather than a rank — the Irish grádha describes someone held in esteem, which is a reputation earned rather than a title inherited.
Boy Irish #373 in US
Kayce Kayce is a unisex name of modern American coinage, a respelling of Casey or of the initials K.
Unisex Irish #375 in US
Desmond Desmond means south Munster, and it is a territory rather than a person — Deas-Mhumhain named the earldom the Fitzgeralds held, and the name reaches modern use through the land.
Boy Irish #376 in US
Kieran Kieran means little dark one, and Scotland ranks it 259th — above Ireland at 361st and the United States at 389th, which is not where an Irish saint's name would be expected to lead.
Boy Irish #389 in US
Murphy Murphy is a unisex name of Irish origin meaning "sea warrior".
Unisex Irish #397 in US
Kian Kian is a boy's name with two unrelated origins.
Boy Irish #401 in US
Mckenna Mckenna means son of the fire god, and the name is 100 percent female in our records — the Mac is a literal patronymic and Cionaodh names a pre-Christian deity, neither of which has been softened.
Girl Irish #410 in US
Killian Killian is a boy's name of Irish origin meaning "little church" or "little bright-headed one," and its saint was murdered for objecting to a duke's marriage.
Boy Irish #417 in US
Kane Kane is a boy's name of Irish origin meaning "battle", from Ó Catháin.
Boy Irish #451 in US
Rowen Rowen is a unisex name with two sources. It is a variant of Rowan, the tree name and the Irish Ó Ruadháin from a word for red; and separately an English dialect word for a second crop of hay cut in the same season.
Unisex Irish #486 in US
Sean Sean is a boy's name of Irish origin meaning "God is gracious," the Irish form of John by way of Norman French.
Boy Irish #489 in US
Donovan Donovan means dark brown, and the Irish surname behind it belonged to a king who backed the wrong side — the Uí Donnabháin lost their lands after opposing Brian Boru in the tenth century.
Boy Irish #496 in US

Related Origins