690+ Irish Names (With Meanings and Popularity)

The nickname of Mrs. Al Gore (born Mary Elizabeth), bestowed because her favorite childhood lullaby was "Tippy Tippy Tin," should remain her exclusive property.

An X-ending surname less common than the Jolie-Pitt-inspired Maddox. Grandparents might still associate it with the old TV crime show. 

Fresh choice that could pick up where Dylan and Logan left off.

Kennedi is a spelling variation of Kennedy. Kennedi has been on an upward trend since she entered the Top 1000 in 1998. If you're going to go with this trendy Presidential name, we prefer Kennedy.

Like Cassidy, Kassidy peaked near the turn of the millennium and has lost ground in recent years.

For better or worse, this name is still firmly attached to the TV series Gilmore Girls. It's one of a number of Scottish and Irish surname names beginning with Gil, meaning "servant". In this case, it's "servant of Mary", making it a subtle male Marian name.

Offbeat Anglicized form of the intractable Gaelic Rathnait.

Feminine of Aidan, but now girls would prefer to use the original.

Once-popular boys' name works better now for girls, as a kind of Dara/Karen blend.

Lovely and rare (even in Ireland) mythological widow whose tears rained on Ireland.

Authentic Irish choice, easy to spell, tricky to pronounce.

In addition to being the appellation of an ancient grain goddess, this name was also borne by two mythic Irish figures, one of whom was betrothed to legendary chieftain Finn MacCool, the other the brave sixteenth century pirate Grainne Ni Mhaille— known in English as Grace O'Malley-- whose name passed into poetry as a symbol of Ireland.

This name was consistently in the boys' Top 200 until WW2. It's a name with so many dimensions to it: the hyper-masculine meaning, the surname-as-firstname trendiness, and the softer sound and connotation since homophone Carol was favoured in the 1940s and '50s for daughters. We think it's time for a resurgence of Carrolls amongst the boys.

Breccan may be the original saints' name, but in the modern U.S., the spelling Brecken is the most popular form, followed by Breckin. A winner by any spelling.

Makenna is a name from the East African Meru community, with a sweet, cheerful meaning and a spirited sound. It could also be used as a spelling variation of the Scottish surname McKenna, or as a nod to the Hawaiian place name, Makena, on the south-west of the Island of Maui, possibly borrowed from the Meru name or from the Hawaiian Makana, meaning "gift".

Meabh, the native Irish spelling of Maeve, is in the Top 100 in Ireland and becoming more popular here in its Anglicized form. Outside of Ireland, life will be easier with the Maeve spelling of this lovely queen's name.

This Irish surname packs a lot of attitude, projecting an image of spunk and sass. The Welsh singer Duffy, born Aimee Anne Duffy, is best known for her songs Mercy and Warwick Avenue.

Logan came from nowhere in the past few decades to break the Top 25, and Hogan is a good bet to follow, now that "Hogan's Heroes" has faded from memory.

Connolly, an alternate spelling of Connelly, could make a livelier and less common substitute for Connor.