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Irish First Names

Meanings, pronunciations, mythology, and genealogy — every name with its full history

Irish first names are among the most distinctive in the world — and often the most mispronounced. Aoife is not "AY-oh-fee." Niamh is not "Nee-am." Siobhán is not "Syoh-ban." Each name has a pronunciation rooted in Old Irish phonology, and a history reaching back centuries into mythology, sainthood, and cultural identity.

Quick Pronunciation Rules

CAlways a hard K sound — never S. Ciaran = KEER-awn, Cillian = KIL-ee-an
bh / mhMakes a V sound (or W in Ulster). Siobhán = shih-VAWN, Niamh = NEEV, Caoimhe = KEE-va
aoiMakes a long EE sound. Aoife = EE-fa, Caoimhe = KEE-va
s + i/eMakes SH. Saoirse = SEER-sha, Siobhán = shih-VAWN, Oisín = uh-SHEEN
-ínDiminutive suffix, makes "een." Róisín = ROH-sheen, Oisín = uh-SHEEN

Girl Names

Aoife

Pronounced: EE-fa
Beautiful, radiant — warrior queen of mythology
Girl

Saoirse

Pronounced: SEER-sha
Freedom — born from Ireland's independence struggle
Girl

Niamh

Pronounced: NEEV
Bright, radiant — princess of Tír na nÓg
Girl

Siobhán

Pronounced: shih-VAWN
God is gracious — the Irish form of Joan
Girl

Caoimhe

Pronounced: KEE-va
Gentle, beautiful, kind — related to Kevin
Girl

Brigid

Pronounced: BRIJ-id / BREED
Exalted one — goddess and patron saint of Ireland
Girl

Róisín

Pronounced: ROH-sheen
Little rose — a symbol of Ireland herself
Girl

Maeve

Pronounced: MAYV
She who intoxicates — warrior queen of Connacht
Girl

Orla

Pronounced: OR-la
Golden princess — Ór Fhlaith, light of medieval Ireland
Girl

Clodagh

Pronounced: CLOH-da
After the River Clodagh in Tipperary — a name born from the land
Girl

Gráinne

Pronounced: GRAWN-ya
Love, grace — Gráinne Ní Mháille, the Pirate Queen
Girl

Sorcha

Pronounced: SOR-uh-kha
Radiance, brightness — one of Ireland's most ancient names
Girl

Boy Names

Cillian

Pronounced: KIL-ee-an
Church — saint, scholar, and Cillian Murphy
Boy

Fionn

Pronounced: FIN
Fair, white — Fionn Mac Cumhaill, Finn McCool
Boy

Ciarán

Pronounced: KEER-awn
Dark one — founder of Clonmacnoise
Boy

Oisín

Pronounced: UH-sheen
Little deer — poet of the Fianna
Boy

Declan

Pronounced: DEK-lan
Full of goodness — Saint Declan of Ardmore, pre-Patrician saint
Boy

Cormac

Pronounced: KOR-mak
Charioteer — Cormac mac Airt, the High King
Boy

Séamus

Pronounced: SHAY-muss
The Irish James — Séamus Heaney, Nobel poet
Boy

Éamonn

Pronounced: AY-mun
Wealthy protector — de Valera, founder of modern Ireland
Boy

Tadhg

Pronounced: TYE-ig
Poet, philosopher — one of the oldest Gaelic names
Boy

Find Your Irish First Name

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