![]() Sinead is one of the Irish names whose pronunciation seems to be the most widely known. The name can mean either ‘golden princess’ or ‘golden sovereign’. In early pre-Norman Ireland this name was borne by both the sister and the niece of high King Brian Boru. Orlaith is the Gaelic spelling, although the version Orla is recognised in Ireland too and is more common across the UK. In the Irish legend, Eimear was the wife of warrior legend Cuchulainn, and was said to have possessed the six gifts of womanhood, which are beauty, a gentle voice, sweet words, wisdom, needlework, and chastity. Either way, this is a popular Irish girls name, though outside of Ireland few would guess the pronunciation. The name Aoibhe is one of the Irish names for girls, which may be considered a form of either Aoife meaning ‘beauty’, or Eve, which means ‘life’. The name is thought to mean ‘wild’ and is derived from the word for wildlife, ‘fiadhúrla’. This feminine name has high popularity both in and out of Ireland, and has inspired several more phonetically spelled versions such as Ashlyn through the UK and US.įiadh is a gorgeous Gaelic name which has not reached such acclaim as it deserves outside of Ireland, probably due to it’s unusual spelling, although an anglicised version, Fia, has seen a surge in popularity. ![]() Wexford, is also known as Clody River, and it may be this association with the word ‘clody’ which has stopped Clodagh from spreading as far out of Ireland as many other Irish girls’ names have.Īisling comes from the Gaelic word ‘aislinge’, which previously referred to a genre of Irish poetry from the late 17th century, and when used as a name is thought to mean ‘dream’ or ‘vision’. There are a couple of famous namesakes, namely singer Clodagh Rodgers and chef Clodagh McKenna. Roisin is a beautiful Irish name which has been in use since the sixteenth century, and which means ‘little rose’.When Irish patriotic poetry and song was outlawed in Ireland, Irish bands would disguise their nationalistic verses and love songs, and sing about Roisin Dubh (“Dark Rosaleen”) as the poetic symbol for their country.Ī popular choice in Ireland, Clodagh was the name of a river and later a saint. Niamh is one of the most commonly recognised Irish names outside of the country, and it’s popularity has inspired several more anglicised versions of the same pronunciation. It was originally a term for a goddess, after the daughter of Manannan, the god of the sea, who was known as ‘Niamh of the Golden Hair’. Niamh is an Irish Gaelic name, derived from the Old Irish Niam, which means radiance, luster or brightness. Ciara was a distinguished figure who established a monastery in Co. In the present day, Irish-American actress Saoirse Ronan has helped the world to recognise and pronounce this beautiful name.Ĭiara is the feminine form of Ciaran, both of which come from the Gaelic word ‘ciar’, which means ‘dark’, implying dark features, like hair or eyes. The name Saoirse rose to popularity in the 1920’s, possibly in response to the Irish independence movement, as it’s meaning is ‘freedom’ or ‘liberty’. The male version of Caiomhe is Caoimhín, of which the anglicised version is Kevin. ![]() It is also the name of an Irish saint and has been constantly featured in the Top 20 baby names for Ireland for a long while. This fairly common and incredibly pretty Irish name derives from the Gaelic word ‘caomh’, and it means gentle, beautiful or precious. In Irish mythology, Aoife was a warrior princess, known as the greatest woman warrior in the world, the daughter of a king, and she also gave birth to the hero Cuchulainn’s only son, Connlach. It is derived from the word ‘aoibh’ which means ‘beauty’. Whatever brought you here, we hope you enjoy our round-up of some of the most popular Irish names and their origins, and if we’ve left your favourite off, please let us know!Īoife is a name which has a huge popularity both in and out of Ireland. If you are interested in Irish ancestry and surnames, you might find our article about Irish Clans interesting. Or maybe you are just trying to get to the bottom of how to pronounce Siobhan- without a B apparently! Or maybe you are lucky enough to be expecting a baby and are interested in Irish names to reflect your own heritage. If you have an Irish name or know someone with a moniker heralding from the Emerald Isle, maybe you’ve stumbled across this article whilst trying to find out the meaning or origin of it. Irish names have a reputation around the world, for sounding beautiful and having beautiful meanings… Provided you can work out their pronunciation from their unusual spellings!
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