Names by origin
Irish baby names
Irish names are booming far beyond Ireland 鈥?Maeve, Finn, and Cillian all climbed steadily this decade. The catch: spelling and sound don't always match. This guide covers meanings and pronunciation.
Why Irish names are surging
Three forces converge: heritage pride (millions of families with Irish roots), screen visibility (Saoirse Ronan, Cillian Murphy, Paul Mescal made the spellings familiar), and the 2026 appetite for names with real mythology behind them. Irish legend supplies warriors, queens, and otherworld princesses 鈥?meaning-first naming with a built-in story.
Irish girl names
MaeveMAYV 鈥?鈥渟he who intoxicates鈥? legendary warrior queen
SaoirseSEER-sha 鈥?鈥渇reedom鈥? modern patriot classic
NiamhNEEV 鈥?鈥渂right, radiant鈥? otherworld princess
AoifeEE-fa 鈥?鈥渂eautiful, radiant鈥? legendary warrior
SorchaSUR-kha / SOR-sha 鈥?鈥渂rightness鈥?/span>
UnaOO-na 鈥?鈥渓amb; unity鈥? simplest spelling of the set
SiofraSHEE-fra 鈥?鈥渟prite, changeling鈥? rare and fey
ClodaghCLO-da 鈥?river name; quietly popular in Ireland
Irish boy names
FinnFIN 鈥?鈥渇air鈥? hero Finn McCool; top import
CillianKILL-ee-an 鈥?鈥渓ittle church; bright-headed鈥?/span>
DeclanDECK-lan 鈥?early saint; easiest crossover spelling
RonanROH-nan 鈥?鈥渓ittle seal鈥? sea legend attached
OisinUH-sheen / o-SHEEN 鈥?鈥渓ittle deer鈥? legendary poet
TadhgTYG (like 鈥渢iger鈥?minus -er) 鈥?鈥減oet, philosopher鈥?/span>
CormacKOR-mak 鈥?legendary wise king
EoinOH-in 鈥?Irish form of John
Spelling: keep it Irish or anglicize?
| Irish spelling | Anglicized | Trade-off |
|---|---|---|
| Aoife | Eefa / Eva | Authenticity vs. constant spelling-out |
| Niamh | Neve / Nieve | Neve is gaining as the 鈥減eace treaty鈥?spelling |
| Cillian | Killian | Killian reads instantly; Cillian is the original |
| S茅an | Shaun / Shawn | All three long established in English |
| Tadhg | Teague / Tig | Original is beloved in Ireland, hard abroad |
Rule of thumb: if grandparents, teachers, and baristas will all meet the name, decide upfront how many corrections per week you can live with 鈥?then choose the spelling accordingly.