30 Irish baby names
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If you're on the hunt for some name inspiration for your baby's arrival, then you're in luck! To join in with this week's St Patrick's Day celebrations, we've picked some of our favourite Irish names for boys and girls – and helped with the pronunciation too!
If you're baby was born on 17 March, then congratulations! You have a St. Paddy's Day baby! If your family has Irish heritage, or simply if you love all things Celtic, then you might consider choosing an Irish name for your new baby. We've rounded up some of our favourites for you to explore...
1. Aoife
The Irish version of Eva or Ava and meaning 'beautiful'.
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Pronounced: Ee-fa
2. Cillian
Also spelled Killian sometimes, this is an ancient Irish boys' name.
Pronounced: kil-e-an
3. Saoirse
A patriotic female name meaning 'freedom' and made famous by actress, Saoirse Ronan.
Pronounced: sear-sha
4. Oisin
This popular boys' name means 'little deer'.
Pronounced: osh-een
5. Tadhg
A strong boys' name, meaning 'poet' or 'philosopher'.
Pronounced: ti-gue (like the first syllable of tiger)
6. Eoghan
The Irish version of Owen, meaning 'born of the yew tree'.
Pronounced: o-in
7. Senan
Connected with the Latin word meaning 'senator,' this started as a nickname, used as a term of respect. Saint Senan was a famed founder of monasteries.
Pronounced: Se-nun
8. Fiadh
This girls' name is becoming increasingly popular and means 'wild' in Irish.
Pronounced: fee-a
9. Roisin
Dates back to the 16th century, this stems from the Latin name Rosa and means 'little rose'.
Pronounced: ro-sheen
10. Caoimhe
This pretty-sounding girls name means 'gentle', 'beautiful' or 'precious'.
Pronounced: kee-va
11. Eabha
Éabha is the Irish form of Eve.
Pronounced: ay-va
12. Clodagh
A girls name that stems from the river Clody that runs through County Tipperary and County Wexford.
Pronounced: clo-da
13. Sadhbh
This unusual girls' name rhymes with five and will require a lot of spelling attempts to those unfamiliar with it!
Pronounced: Si-ve
14. Cathal
One of the most common names in Ireland in the Middle Ages after St Cathal or Cathaldus, this boys' name is becoming popular again in Ireland.
Pronounced: ka-hal
15. Aideen
This girl's name means 'little fire'.
Pronounced: Ay-deen
16. Cian
This adorable boy's name means 'ancient, enduring'. In a legend, Cian Mac Mael Muad was the son in law of Brian Boru, who won a battle against Vikings.
Pronounced: key-in
17. Orlagh
This girl's name can also be spelt Orlaith and means 'golden princess'.
Pronounced: or-la
18. Rian
This ancient Irish name is believed to mean 'little king'.
Pronounced: ree-an
19. Sinead
This is the Irish form of the name Jane, which mens 'God is gracious'.
Pronounced: shin-aid
20. Ruari
This great name means 'red king, great king'.
Pronounced: rau-ri
21. Riona
This name comes from the name Rionach which means 'queenly'.
Pronunciation: ree-in-ock
22. Niall
This gorgeous name means 'champion'.
Pronunciation: ny-all
23. Eimear
In Irish mythology, Eimear possessed the so-called 'six gifts of womanhood', which were beauty, a gentle voice, sweet words, wisdom, needlework and chastity.
Pronounced: Ee-meer
24. Fionn
This boy's name means 'fair headed'. In Irish folkore, Fionn MacCool was a leader warrior of the band 'The Fianna'.
This name has three pronunciations: finn, fee-in or fyon
25. Ciara
The feminine version of Ciaran, this name means 'dark' or 'dark hair and dark eyes'.
Pronounced: kee-ra
26. Tadhg
This boy's name means 'poet' or 'philosopher'.
Pronounced: ty-g
27. Aoibhe
This girl's name means 'beauty'.
Pronounced: ey-va
28. Senan
This unique name means 'brightness'.
Pronounced: see-nan
29. Nuala
This sweet girl's name comes from two names: Fionnuala, which means 'fair shoulder', and Una, which means 'lamb'.
Pronounced: noo-lah
30. Ronan
This name means 'little seal'.
Pronounced: ro-nan
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Related articles
Looking for more baby name inspo? Check out our articles below or swap ideas with other parents in our forum.