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Top Irish Names For Babies

Parents seeking an Irish name for their son or daughter have many options to consider.
/ Source: TODAY

Laura Wattenberg, creator of Namerology, tells TODAY.com, “America has a long-running love affair with Irish names.”

Throughout history, parents in the United States have turned to Irish names for babies, often trying to "Irish-ize" a name by altering its spelling.

One example of that is seen in spelling of the girl's name: "Maeghan."

"Except, that's not an Irish name," Wattenberg says. "Megan was a Welsh nickname for Margaret."

In fact, some of the top baby names for girls and boys in Ireland are not actually Irish in origin. But there are also some Irish names that you might not realize are from Ireland.

Names like Grace, Emily, Jack and Noah all hold top spots in Ireland based on data released by the Ireland Central Statistics Office.

Irish boy names

  • Jack
  • Noah
  • James
  • Conor
  • Liam
  • Charlie
  • Daniel
  • Michael
  • Finn
  • Thomas
  • Seán
  • Luke
  • Patrick
  • Harry
  • Alex
  • Adam
  • Theo
  • Oliver
  • Dylan
  • Jamie
  • John
  • Leo
  • Oscar
  • Ollie
  • Ben
  • Tom
  • Bobby
  • Ryan
  • Tommy
  • Matthew
  • Max
  • Callum
  • Sam
  • Danny
  • Aaron
  • Alexander
  • Jake
  • Alfie
  • Mason
  • David
  • Joseph
  • Jacob
  • Ethan
  • Kai
  • Shay
  • Luca
  • Sonny
  • William
  • Evan
  • Archie
  • Freddie
  • Lucas
  • Nathan
  • Leon
  • Joshua
  • Hugo
  • Benjamin
  • Louis
  • Arthur
  • Billy
  • Jayden
  • Logan
  • Theodore
  • Aidan
  • Rory
  • Samuel
  • Teddy
  • Frankie
  • Jaxon
  • Zach
  • George
  • Robert
  • Brody
  • Isaac
  • Shane
  • Ted
  • Hunter
  • Tiernan
  • Sebastian
  • Andrew
  • Martin
  • Ronan
  • Edward
  • Eli
  • Arlo
  • Caelan
  • Killian
  • Dara
  • Paddy
  • Hugh
  • Lorcan
  • Riley
  • Cormac
  • Niall
  • Rowan
  • Conn
  • Brian
  • Finley
  • Oran
  • Kieran
  • Owen
  • Keelan
  • Kian
  • Keegan
  • Aiden
  • Seamus
  • Lennon
  • Lochlann
  • Flynn
  • Carson
  • Brendan
  • Conan
  • Colm
  • Declan
  • Connell
  • Colin

Irish girl Names

  • Grace
  • Emily
  • Sophie
  • Lucy
  • Mia
  • Ava
  • Lily
  • Ella
  • Amelia
  • Chloe
  • Hannah
  • Sophia
  • Emma
  • Ellie
  • Isla
  • Molly
  • Olivia
  • Sadie
  • Anna
  • Freya
  • Evie
  • Ruby
  • Robyn
  • Kate
  • Willow
  • Sofia
  • Holly
  • Cara
  • Katie
  • Leah
  • Millie
  • Isabelle
  • Alice
  • Zoe
  • Sarah
  • Erin
  • Ada
  • Annie
  • Bonnie
  • Charlotte
  • Layla
  • Rosie
  • Maya
  • Faye
  • Zara
  • Isabella
  • Daisy
  • Sienna
  • Maisie
  • Harper
  • Eve
  • Eva
  • Ivy
  • Jessica
  • Clara
  • Mila
  • Rose
  • Julia
  • Bella
  • Maria
  • Hazel
  • Emilia
  • Laura
  • Indie
  • Lauren
  • Amber
  • Aria
  • Ayla
  • Amy
  • Lara
  • Paige
  • Elsie
  • Heidi
  • Elizabeth
  • Pippa
  • Mollie
  • Evelyn
  • Abigail
  • Nina
  • Luna
  • Alannah
  • Penny
  • Lottie
  • Alannah
  • Maeve
  • Nora
  • Riley
  • Nessa
  • Quinn
  • Kayleigh
  • Bridget
  • Orla
  • Keeva
  • Neasa
  • Shauna
  • Claire
  • Imogen
  • Teagan
  • Keelin
  • Kara
  • Eileen
  • Enya
  • Kiara
  • Dara
  • Shannon
  • Fiona
  • Rian

Unique Irish baby names with meaning

Wattenberg tells TODAY.com that pronunciation of these Irish names can vary based on geography. We are using pronunciation from IrishCentral.com and BabyNamesofIreland.com for reference.

  • Fiadh (fee-a)
  • Éabha (ey-va)
  • Saoirse (ser-sha; hear “Little Women” actor Saoirse Ronan pronounce it)
  • Caoimhe (kwee-va or kee-va)
  • Aoife (ee-fa)
  • Róisín (ro-sheen)
  • Sadhbh (sigh-v)
  • Clodagh (cloda)
  • Croía (cree-ah)
  • Méabh (maeve)
  • Ailbhe (alva)
  • Ciara (kee-ra)
  • Aoibhín (ee-van or ay-veen)
  • Niamh (neev)
  • Fíadh (fee-ya)
  • Áine (awn-ye)
  • Laoise (lee-sha)
  • Rían (ree-an)
  • Cillian (kill-ee-an)
  • Tadhg (ty-ge)
  • Oisín (o-sheen)
  • Fionn (finn)
  • Darragh (darra)
  • Cian (kee-an)
  • Donnacha (done-acka)
  • Senan (she-nawn)
  • Daithí (da-hee)
  • Páidí (paw-dee)
  • Odhran (orin)
  • Eoin (owen)
  • Cathal (ka-hal)
  • Tadgh (tie-g)
  • Laoise (lee-sha)
  • Aoibheann (ay-veen)
  • Cadhla (ky-lah)
  • Aoibhe (ey-va)
  • Caragh (kara)
  • Aisling (ash-ling)
  • Aoibh (eve)
  • Naoise (nee-sha)
  • Eimear (ee-mur)
  • Gráinne (graw-nya)
  • Ríona (ree-ona)
  • Bláthnaid (blaw-nid)
  • Saorlaith (ser-la)
  • Orlaith (orla)
  • Liadh (lia)
  • Sinéad (shin-ade)
  • Clíodhna (clee-na)
  • Emer (eemer)
  • Siobhán (shiv-on)
  • Sorcha (sur-ka)
  • Mairéad (mi-rade)
  • Oonagh (una)
  • Ruairí (rory)
  • Ciarán (keer-awn)
  • Caolan (keelin)
  • Pádraig (paw-drig, or paw-rick)
  • Caelan

Top unusual Irish names for babies with meaning

Pamela Redmond, founder of baby-naming website Nameberry, tells TODAY.com that "plenty of undiscovered Irish baby names are still ripe for import."

"The baby names here are all widely used in contemporary Ireland, are accessible in terms of spelling and pronunciation, yet are virtually unknown in the U.S.," Redmond says.

If you love the sound of Irish baby names, but don't want one that's already popular, here are 17 Irish names — and meanings — from Nameberry to consider.

Brona — Brona, or its Irish version Bronagh, a girls’ name that means sorrow, can be considered unique in the U.S. The name of an ancient mystic, Brona is popular in Ireland and is also heard on television’s "Penny Dreadful," which could be part of its appeal.

Cahir — Cahir, pronounced quite logically ka-heer, has not been listed in the top 1000 names for U.S. boys in the past century, nor has its Irish form Cathair. It means “battle man.”

Cliona — The appeal of this ancient name increases dramatically when you learn that it’s pronounced as the rhythmic CLEE-uh-na and does NOT rhyme with Fiona. Meaning “shapely,” Cliona wasn't used for any baby girls in the U.S. in 2016.

Conal — There were 26 boys in the U.S. named Conall and another 26 named Connell, but none called Conal. Meaning “strong as a wolf,” this name is prominent in Irish history and can make a great substitute for Conor.

Dara, Darach, Darragh, Daire — All these names are pronounced Dara and all are popular for boys in Ireland. Darragh is a top 50 boys’ name in Ireland. The name means “oak tree.”

Dervla — This ancient and still well-used Irish name, which means “daughter of the poet,” has not appeared in the top 1,000 list for U.S. girls in the past century. The Irish spelling is Dearbhla — and not surprisingly, that wasn’t used either.

Donnacha — This popular boys’ name in Ireland is pronounced dunn-ah-ka, and means “brown-haired warrior.”

Emer — Emer was a legendary wife who possessed the six gifts of womanhood, according to Irish mythology: beauty, voice, speech, wisdom, chastity and needlework. Used by Yeats, Emer — pronounced ee-mer — is widely used in modern Ireland. In the U.S., plenty of girls are called Emery or Emerson but few are named Emer.

Fia — Fia and its Irish version, Fiadh, are among the fastest-rising girls’ names in Ireland yet are virtually unknown in the U.S. It means “wild deer” but might also be a short form for Sofia.

Fintan — Fintan has a great meaning, or rather two great meanings — white fire or white bull — and a worthy ancient namesake: the legendary Fintan is said to be the only Irishman to survive the biblical flood. A perfect long form for the stylish Finn, Fintan is rarely used in the U.S.

Lorcan — Despite its use in "Harry Potter" and its status as the name of the patron saint of Dublin, Lorcan was given to only 15 baby boys in the U.S. in 2014. Meaning “little and fierce,” it’s the perfect successor to Logan.

Nuala — Girls’ name Nuala is a short form of Fionnuala, which means “white shoulders,” and is frequently used on its own.

Oran — Both Oran and its Irish version Odhran are in the top 100 names for boys in Ireland, yet Oran was given to only 28 boys in the U.S. in 2015. The name means “pale little green one.”

Orla — This accessible name that means “golden princess” was as popular in medieval Ireland as it is today. Associated with the famed high king Brian Boru, it’s in the Irish top 100 but is far more rare in the U.S.

Piran or Pieran — This Irish name is unusual in both the U.S. and Ireland. Meaning prayer, Piran is the name of the patron saint of miners and of Cornwall.

Senan — Pronounced she-NAWN, Senan is one of the hottest boys’ names in Ireland, now standing among the top 100. In the U.S., it's rarely used but makes a perfect alternative for Sean. Meaning “old and wise,” Senan was the name of an ancient founder of monasteries.

Ultan — It’s no surprise, given that this name means “man from Ulster,” that it is most popular in Northern Ireland. While 18 saints were named Ultan, no babies in the U.S. were given the name in 2014.

Editor's note: This story was first published on March 9, 2017.