Wondering what the top Irish girl names are? We’ve compiled a stellar list! Did your name make it?
If you want to give your little one an Irish name that doesn’t seem stuck in the past, here are the top 20 hottest modern Irish girl names right now.
Irish girls name often derive from the Irish language or Gaelic. Thus, giving them a great sense of place, tying them to our culture, and remembering the Irish language, which (shamefully) can be often forgotten in modern times.
With all pleasantries aside, they can also be hard as hell to pronounce! Saying that, they link the past, present, and future.
20. Aine – phonetically: awn-ya
Aine is an Irish goddess of summer, wealth, and sovereignty. She is represented by a red mare and often depicted alongside the midsummer sun.
19. Aoife – phonetically: ee-fah
This name comes from the Gaelic word ‘aoibh’, which translates into English as ‘beauty’. In great Irish legend, Aoife was a goddess of war and a hero at that!
18. Aoibheann – phonetically: ay-veen
Aoibheann derives from the Gaelic language. In English, this name would translate to mean ‘pleasant’ or ‘of radiant beauty’.
17. Bláthnaid – phonetically: blaw-nid
This Irish girl name, which is interpreted to mean ‘flower’ or ‘little flower’, can also be spelt as Blánaid or Bláthnat.
16. Bronagh – phonetically: brone-ah
Unfortunately, this name has darker undertones than the many previous names that mean ‘flower’ and ‘goddess warrior’.
Instead, the classic Irish name Bronagh means ‘sorrow’ or ‘sadness’. An interesting choice for a newborn, we must admit.
An Irish saint, Bronagh gave her name to the County Down town of Kilbroney. Here, you can visit Saint Bronagh’s Holy Well.
15. Caoilfhionn – phonetically: key-lin
This Celtic girl name is made up of the marriage of ‘caol’ (meaning ‘slender’) and ‘fionn’ (meaning ‘fair’). Together this is to be the name of a girl who is slender and fair, at least according to the Gaelic language.
14. Caoimhe – phonetically: qwee-vuh or key-vah
This popular Irish girl name derives from the Gaelic word ‘caomh’, which can have a variety of splendid meanings, such as ‘graceful’, ‘gentle’, or ‘beautiful’.
It can look like quite the tongue twister, but it is actually quite an easy one to pronounce!
13. Cliona – phonetically: klee-un-ah
Cliona – also spelt as Clíodhna – is a typical Irish girl name. Its roots are found in the Gaelic word ‘clodhna’, which could mean ‘shapely’.
In Irish myth, Cliona was a beautiful goddess who fell in love with a mortal named Ciabhan.
12. Dearbhla – phonetically: der-vil-eh
There are many variants of Dearbhla. It can be spelt like Deirbhle, Deirbhile, Derbhail, Dervla, and Doirbhle. The name derives from the Irish language and is made up of two parts.
The first is ‘Dearbh’, which means ‘truth’, while ‘ail’ means ‘loveliness’.
11. Deirdre – phonetically: deer-dra
This extremely popular Irish name has a curiously unknown meaning. Some suggest it derives from the old Gaelic word ‘der’, which means ‘daughter’, although its exact meaning remains unclear.
10. Eileen – phonetically: eye-leen
This Irish name is actually an English variant of the French name Aveline. In Irish Gaelic spelling, it is Eibhlín, a name which actually derives from the older Gaelic names Aibhilín or Eilín.
The most well-known person with this name is Irish model and international beauty pageant titleholder Eileen O’Donnell.
9. Eimear – phonetically: ee-mer
Eimear is a common Irish girl name that derives from Old Irish and means ‘ready’, ‘fast’, or ‘swift’.
Irish singer Eimear Quinn is one of the most well-known people with this name.
8. Fionnoula – phonetically: finn-ooh-la
This interesting Irish girl name can also be spelt as Finola. The meaning of this name is ‘white’ or ‘fair’, and the direct translation of this name into English means ‘white shoulders’.
7. Gráinne – phonetically: grawn-yah
Although most out-of-towners immediately pronounce this name as ‘granny’, it is far from that!
This name derives from Celtic mythology; Gráinne was the goddess of harvest and fruitfulness.
6. Maeve – phonetically: may-ve
Translated from the Old Irish language into English, the name Maeve means ‘she who intoxicates’. She was – in Irish mythology – a warrior queen of Connaught.
The name can also be spelt Maebh or Meadhbh.
5. Oonagh – phonetically: oooh-nah
Oonagh (or Oona), could derive from the Gaelic word for ‘uan’, meaning ‘lamb’, or has been considered to be based on the Latin word for ‘one’.
According to Irish legends, Oonagh was the Queen of the Fairies! Not a bad title, if you ask us!
4. Orlaith – phonetically: or-la
Orlaith can also be spelt as Orla or Orlagh. The translation of this Irish girls name is ‘gold’, and the general understanding is that the name means the ‘Golden Princess’ (also a fine title!).
3. Róisín – phonetically: roe-sheen
This popular Irish girl name derives from Irish and means ‘little rose’. The name can be anglicised as Roisin or Rosheen.
2. Sadhbh – phonetically: sigh-ve
This name has a hoard of spellings, including Sadb, Saibh, Sadbh, Sadhb, Sive, or Saeve. The name is often thought to mean ‘goodness’.
1. Sinéad – phonetically: shin-aid
This classic Irish girl name goes back donkey’s years. It is the Gaelic version of Jane, which means ‘God is gracious’.
There you have it, our top Irish girl names. Which is your favourite?
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