The lexicon of the Irish language features some of the most beautiful names in the world (in spite of the fact that the spelling of Irish words is counterintuitive to our English mindset). In American culture, even non-Irish people have begun using Irish names.
Why do these names catch our fancy? Is it merely their musical sound, or is there something else involved? Perhaps these names convey something on an instinctual level out of ancient history and mythology. Read on to explore the complete guide to Irish names and the inspiration behind them.
History of Irish Names
The history of Irish names follows a centuries-long period of change. The names adapted to the brutal ruling forces that impacted the Irish language in a variety of ways, so names changed over the years. Original Irish language names were sometimes dropped or Christianized or Anglicized to match the ruling trends of the period.
As such, there are not only Irish names that come from many different periods of Ireland’s history, but there is also Anglicization of older Irish names that are now rendered somewhat different than they would have been in the old Irish language.
As a side note, when looking at Irish words, it is important to remember that you should refer to the Irish language as Irish. Calling it Gaelic is something of a misnomer since Gaelic refers to the Scottish language. In Irish, Gaelige is the word for the Irish language. For the purposes of this article, the Irish language will be referred to as Irish.
The Pre-Christian Era
The pre-Christian era of Ireland is referred to as such because it predates the broad conversion of the country by St. Patrick in the 5th century (more on him later). Not much is known about this period because not much, if anything, from this period, was written down. If anything was recorded, those records did not survive.
Ireland, however, has a strong oral tradition from this period, and many of what you might call traditional Irish names come from the figures of mythological stories dating from this admittedly broad period of history.
As such, names from this period tend to relate to mythological heroes or gods and goddesses. A few examples with their phonetic pronunciations include:
- Lugh [Loo] – the god of harvest who had possession of magic items the likes of which would make any D&D player envious, including a spear of fire and a boat that could sail on its own
- Muireann [Mwirin] – a mermaid who was captured out of a lake and taken to a saint who transformed her into a woman by baptizing her
- Niall [Nye-al] – a name taken by so many kings of ancient Ireland it became a title for authority and is thought to be the predecessor of the surnames O’Neill or MacNeill
- Brigid – the popular name that originated from the goddess of agriculture, poetry, and healing was also the name of a famous saint
St. Patrick, who eventually became the patron saint of Ireland, was not the only missionary to Ireland. Several missionaries to the Irish had their names canonized into the language:
- Cillian [Killian] – this saint from the 600s chastised a duke for marrying his brother’s widow and was killed for it
- Conan – not to be confused with the red-haired late-night show host, this Conan was a missionary from the Isle of Man, also in the 7th century
Christian Ireland
St. Patrick will probably always take the lead as the most recognizable Irish name, if only because he has become synonymous with everyone’s favorite drinking holiday. Ironically, it is St. Patrick who is widely believed to have converted Ireland to Christianity. Other than that, not much is known about him.
What is known is that the Christian period of Ireland ushered in a whole new set of names from a whole new cast of characters. Unlike the pre-Christian era, these names did not come from Irish mythology but rather had Christian, Hebrew, or Aramaic roots.
Perhaps not surprisingly, the names of the 12 Christian apostles became popular at that time. They were so popular, in fact, that they continue to have strong Irish connotations. They include names like:
- Peter
- Paul
- John
- Andrew
These names remain strongly associated with Irish names and continue to be in use in Ireland today. Also, it is significant to note that the Irish began using surnames around this time and were one of the first European countries to do so.
Norman Ireland
The Normans were originally from the Norse or Viking culture before settling in what is now northern France (going from Norseman to Norman). Eventually, they turned the gaze of medieval French culture toward the British Isles. They conquered England by 1066 and began to do the same to Ireland.
Norman lords began to take Irish names for themselves, adopting the culture at large. But as the culture (and the government) evolved to become what we now recognize as England, their rule over Ireland intensified, forbidding lords to take Irish names and demanding that they speak English.
By the 16th century, tension had increased between the two islands. You may recall that O’Neill (from Naill) symbolized authority and power. Perhaps it is no mistake then that Sean O’Neill, a rebellious Irish earl, caused the English crown so much grief that Elizabeth the First banned the name from being used.
However, languages have minds of their own. The monarchy could not stop the effect of one language on another. To this day, if an Irish surname has “Fitz” in front of it, the name is of French-Norman origin. Irish first names were often affected by French-Norman language spelling, while some new names came from that period.
Elizabethan Ireland
In the 17th century, England began to tighten its rule over Ireland, and life became difficult. After a series of rebellions, England instituted laws aimed at punishing wealthy families of Ulster (where the O’Neill rebellion began) as well as dispossessing Catholics (who made up 60 percent of landowners) of their land.
In this period, it was also difficult for Irish people to find work, so many families removed the “O” and “Mac” prefixes from their last names in hopes of disguising their heritage so they could get jobs.
First names received a fresh influx of material as well. Names of German-Saxon origin grew in popularity and included such names as:
- William
- Gerard
- Robert
- Richard
Ireland in the 19th Century
In the 1800s, many Irish families began to take back the prefixes that they had lost in what became a sweeping reinterest in their Irish roots. In an odd turn of events, prefixes seemed to swap between different surnames. Sometimes families that had previously had “Mac” before their name chose to use “O” instead, and vice versa.
Some family names never returned to using a prefix. In another peculiarity of Irish language history, the surname Murphy commonly had the prefix of “O” in former days. But “O’Murphy” did not make nearly the comeback that some other surnames with prefixes did. Now, more Murphys live in the US than in Ireland.
During this period, first names that were derived from Irish mythology came back into fashion as well. Some of these include:
- Naill
- Ryan
- Shane
- Aine
- Seamus
- Ryan
Ireland Now
All of this has led to the present day when the Irish in Ireland as well as in the US and elsewhere are choosing from a wide range of names that have come to be associated with Ireland across the centuries.
For some reason, modern Irish parents choosing names are currently more adventurous with girl names than with boy names. In 2015 around 4,500 different girl names were used compared to around 3,500 different boy names.
All around the world, parents are reaching out for different and unique names for their children. With such a rich heritage of names, it makes sense that in Ireland, parents now use about four times as many different names as they did between 50 and 60 years ago.
Also, back in that time of the mid-twentieth century, only about five of the top 20 names had strong Irish heritage, including:
- Kevin
- Devlan
- Bridgit
- Deirdre
- Eileen
Today, the top 20 names picked by parents in Ireland include nine that come from deep within Irish heritage:
- Conor
- Sean
- Oisin
- Cian
- Fionn
- Liam
- Aoife
- Saoirse
- Caoimhe
Ancient Irish Names and Inspiration
Clearly, there are a lot of Irish names to choose from. Knowing the historical development of names in Ireland helps put some context to what kind of name you are likely to come up with depending on what time period you are looking at.
Since names with a deep Irish heritage are in vogue right now with Irish parents, now is the time to follow their lead and take a closer look at those types of names. What do they mean? Where do they come from?
As you look through the list of names, you will likely recognize some that came about in the medieval period. Some resonate with later periods and the influence that other cultures had on Ireland. Here is a closer look at specific Irish names.
Names of Irish Gods
There is nothing like the name of a deity to give your child a little extra confidence growing up. Is there a god who blesses scholars with a little divine inspiration? How about some extra muscle when dealing with bullies?
On a serious note, whereas naming your child Zeus or Neptune might seem a bit much because the Greek and Roman Pantheon are well known, the Irish gods are not. So you can get away with some pretty cool names, and no one will know the difference. Below are the names of Irish gods and their phonetic pronunciations.
- Eire [Era] – from the older Eriu, Eire literally means that she is from the island to the west, and so she is considered the goddess of Ireland
- Brigid – as mentioned before, she is the goddess of agriculture, healing, and poetry, and somewhere along the way in post-St. Patrick Ireland made the transformation, as it were, to patron saint over the scholarly minded
- Aine [Awn-ya] – this goddess of wealth and all things related to summer was also in the service of the woman who was queen over the Munster faeries, and additionally, she was one of the wives of the super cool Fionn MacCool (more on him later)
- Lugh – as mentioned earlier, Lugh is the god of the harvest and collector of magical items, who apparently is still remembered, or at least mentioned, in some parts of Ireland during an autumnal feast featuring revelry and dancing around bonfires
- Eithne [Enya] – Eithne is a tragic figure in Irish mythology, being a goddess whose father locked her up out of fear that her son would kill him (all thanks to the prophecy of a druid)
Names of Mythical Irish Heroes
Gods are not the only ones who get coverage in the myths of Ireland. Gods and goddesses were busy with divine machinations and the occasional partnership, which each resulted in the super-strong heroes of Irish Mythology.
So, if the name Hercules seems a bit over the top, but you are still looking for a name with an epic feel to it, the name of a mythical Irish hero may be just the ticket. Here are a few examples:
- Aoife [Eefa] – this name resonates as one of the early Irish female heroes who was a fierce warrior but who, according to some stories, gave in to the dark side when she turned her children into swans out of jealousy for her husband, King Lir’s love of them
- Fionn [Feeun] – Finn in modern Ireland, Fionn MacCumhaill (Finn MacCool) became an awesome hero who led a fearsome band of warriors called the Fianna, built a huge causeway out of a bunch of interlocking columns, and gained godly wisdom when he ate a salmon with a spell of knowledge cast on it
- Niamh [Neeve] – while it is a bit unclear whether the original Niamh was actually a god or just the daughter of one, she nevertheless was able to lure Oisin the warrior to marry her in the land of eternal youth
- Ailbhe [Allva] – this hero of Irish mythology fought alongside Fionn MacCool as a member of the Fianna
- Oisin [Osheen] – the eventual husband to Niamh, Oisin was the son of the infamous Fionn MacCool and Sadb, a goddess
- Maebh [Maeve] – this name belonged to a woman who was either the Queen of Connaught or else a queen of the faeries
- Dara – If Maebh was the Queen of Connaught, then Dara was the man who refused to sell her a bull, thus starting a war
- Etain [Eh-tane] – this name belongs to a woman of myth who fell in love with the Faerie Midir, even though she was married, and got turned into a swan along with her husband
- Blathnaid [Blawnid] – this name comes from the story of Blathnaid who was caught between rival lovers, kidnapped and forced to marry one, then rescued by the other, but unfortunately killed in the end (along with her rescuer) by a faithful follower of her husband
- Deirdre – this popular name actually comes from the tragic hero in Irish mythology who was forced to marry a king after he killed her lover and who died by suicide in some stories and heartbreak in others
- Eimear [Ee-mur] – she was the wife of a legendary king and possessed, among other things, wisdom, beauty, and a gentle voice
- Conor – a classic Irish name that belonged to a legendary king (Conchobar MacNessa) and is perfect for dog lovers since it literally means a lover of dogs
- Nessa – the mythological mother to the mythological Conor, Nessa means not gentle or rough, so maybe that was why Conor was tough enough to be a king
Names of Irish Saints
In the same way that you do not have to be especially pagan to employ the names of Irish gods, you do not have to be especially religious to employ the names of Irish saints. Many of these have been used so regularly for so long, it is a surprise to hear that some of them were missionaries and others of them martyrs.
Nevertheless, the saints of Ireland past have given you, if nothing else, a long list of really cool names to choose from when naming your kids. Just take a look at some of these. I guarantee you will recognize the names while learning maybe a surprising history of their background.
- Brendan – one of the first monks in Ireland, and he became the patron saint of sailors after he spent seven years sailing around trying to find the garden of Eden and came back with a lot of tall tales about giant fish and people with heads like pigs
- Caoimhe [Quee-va] – Caoimhe conjures up a meaning of beauty and grace that comes from the Irish saint who originally bore it
- Conan – as mentioned earlier, the original bearer of the name was a saint whose name means little wolf
- Cillian – also mentioned earlier, Cillian was the missionary who was killed for telling a duke not to marry his brother’s widow
- Ronan – this popular name was the name of a saint who lived in the 500s AD (just after St. Patrick), but is also the name of a legendary king who killed his own son because of trickery on the part of his wife
- Kieran – this is the gender-neutral name of any of a number of Irish saints bearing it
- Caitlin – it used to be pronounced “Cat-leen” and has connections to both Cathrine and Cathleen and is likely derived from the virgin saint of Alexandria
- Deaglan [Decklin] – this saint is considered the first missionary to Ireland and also the founder of a monastery in County Waterford
- Feargal [Fer-gal] – this name has experienced undiminished popularity in Ireland through the centuries and is tied not only to a saint from the 700s but a king from that period as well
- Padraig [Por-rick] – this name is maybe not so popular but its derivation, Patrick, certainly is
Names of Other Ancient People in Ireland
In addition to gods, heroes, and saints, actual people also lived in ancient Ireland. Some of them were the semi-mythological and sometimes historical kings of the period of the high kings beginning in the late 1000s BC, and some were of the so-called pagan kings lasting throughout the first thousand years AD.
And then there were those who were just normal Irish people with cool names that have neat meanings. Here are a few examples:
- Fiona – Fiona means beautiful, fair, and, as you may have guessed, is the feminine version of Fionn because Fiona MacCool is as awesome as Fionn MacCool
- Eamon [Aim-on] – this name literally means that you have a lot of money or are a rich protector
- Niall – as mentioned earlier, Niall was a title for the high kings and came to be synonymous with authority in Ireland, the most famous being the semi-mythological king with the best title ever, Niall of the Nine Hostages
- Gearoid [Ger-o-id] – this name is an Irish variation of Gerald or Garrett and so came about in the middle ages with a meaning that the bearer of the name is carrying a spear
- Rian [Ree-uhn] – the basis of the now popular boys name, Ryan, Rian means small king
- Eabha [Ay-va] – this name is actually the Irish way of saying Eve and means simply “life.”
- Brian – a classic Irish name for the classic Irish warrior who fought off the Vikings in the early middle ages
- Cian [Keen or Kee-an] – either the name of a warrior who helped Brian fight the Vikings or the name of the god of medicine’s son (who was also the famous Lugh’s father)
- Brannon – the basis for the popular name Brandon or even Brennan, Brannon means that the bearer of the name has descended from a sad parent—what a weight to carry around from birth
- Dubheasa [Duv-eesa] – this is an old Irish name about which not much is known except that it means a dark waterfall or dark beauty and was popular for a time in medieval Ireland
- Eilis [Ey-al-esh] – it means promised to god and was a popular Irish version of Elizabeth in the middle ages
- Nevin – meaning holy, this name is the Irish version of Devin or Kevin
- Saoirse [Seer-sha] – this name had a surge of popularity in the early 1900s when Ireland became an independent state because the name means freedom or liberty
- Conroy – this name sounds similar to “Conrad” and is often shortened to “Con” or more commonly used as an Irish surname, but the name means a dog of the plain
- Tadhg – “Tige” was the King of Connacht at the end of the first millennium AD
- Muireann – Muireann was the mermaid mentioned earlier whose name means sea-fair
- Roisin [Ro-sheen] – it means little rose
- Cormac – Cormac McAirt was one of the high kings, and Cormac McCarthy is currently one of the great American writers
- Clodagh [Clo-dah] – the Clodagh is a river that can be found in County Waterford in Ireland
- Imogen – according to legend, Imogen was the wife of Brutus of Troy
- Maira [May-ra] – this name means bitter and is the Irish version of Mary, not as pleasant a meaning as some others on this list
- Flanagan – if red hair is associated with the Irish, then Flanagan, which means red, is the perfect Irish name
- Sean – this variation on John is about as Irish, and you can possibly get
- Aoibheann [Ay-veen] – it seems like there are an abundance of Irish names that both mean beautiful and sound beautiful, and Aoibheann is no exception
- Peadar [Pad-ur] – this is the Irish version of the name Peter, which means “rock” just as the name does in the Bible
- Callen – also means rock and is actually a gender-neutral name even though it is a popular choice right now for girls
- Aisling [Ashling] – meaning vision, Aisling has come to embody the spirit of Ireland after being named for a form of Irish poetry that was developed in the 1600s
- Maite [May-tee] – pronounced like a pirate would, Maite means something along the lines of a strong woman warrior
- Aileen – like Eileen, except that this name is actually the Irish version of Helen
- Noland – this name sets expectations high since it means champion
- Daithi [Da-hee] – this lusty Irishman, who was the father of two dozen sons and the last of the Pagan Kings, was said to have been killed by a bolt of lightning
- Quinn – this name has been adopted by both genders and has connotations of leadership and intelligence
- Cara – meaning friend
- Lana – is the feminization of Alan and means cheerful
- Kiara – this is a well-loved Irish name that has a host of meanings, including the bird cockatoo as well as the small, sunny, clear, and dark one
- Ciara [Keera, as in Keira Knightly] – if Kiara means dark one, Ciara means little dark one
- Kerrigan – is a popular surname that has become a popular first name for both genders
- Keegan – this is also a popular surname that has become a popular first name
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