Names by origin
Irish baby names
Irish names are booming far beyond Ireland — 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 — meaning-first naming with a built-in story.
Irish girl names
MaeveMAYV — “she who intoxicates”; legendary warrior queen
SaoirseSEER-sha — “freedom”; modern patriot classic
NiamhNEEV — “bright, radiant”; otherworld princess
AoifeEE-fa — “beautiful, radiant”; legendary warrior
SorchaSUR-kha / SOR-sha — “brightness”
UnaOO-na — “lamb; unity”; simplest spelling of the set
SiofraSHEE-fra — “sprite, changeling”; rare and fey
ClodaghCLO-da — river name; quietly popular in Ireland
Irish boy names
FinnFIN — “fair”; hero Finn McCool; top import
CillianKILL-ee-an — “little church; bright-headed”
DeclanDECK-lan — early saint; easiest crossover spelling
RonanROH-nan — “little seal”; sea legend attached
OisinUH-sheen / o-SHEEN — “little deer”; legendary poet
TadhgTYG (like “tiger” minus -er) — “poet, philosopher”
CormacKOR-mak — legendary wise king
EoinOH-in — 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 “peace treaty” spelling |
| Cillian | Killian | Killian reads instantly; Cillian is the original |
| Séan | 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 — then choose the spelling accordingly.