690+ Irish Names (With Meanings and Popularity)

The use of O-prefixes could create the next wave of Irish-inflected names, offering an innovative way of honoring a relative with the old-fashioned moniker Brian. On Downton Abbey, the surname O'Brien was heard so often, it began to seem like a first.

This name of twenty early Irish saints sounds a little redundant.

Name your daughter Duana after a Duane relative if you like, but please pronounce it doo-ahn-a and not doo-wain-a.

Poetic name that's terminally mournful.

This Irish saint's name makes an attractive alternative for Dylan or Donald.

Sorley is an anglicization of the Irish name Somhairle, itself derived from the Old Norse Sumarliði, a nickname for a summer traveler (perhaps meaning a viking raider!). It is sometimes used as a boy name in Britain, but very rarely in the US. The similarity to the word "sorely" may put some off, but we still think it makes a jaunty, unusual surname-style option.

Keefe is an energetic Irish surname occasionally used as a first. Only caveat: Will people think your little Keefe is a Keith with enunciation problems?

Friendly, cheerful Irish name that originated as a nickname for a redhead. Potential problem: reminiscent of the Spanish custard.

Irish town names are now fair game -- as are most other places with connections to Ireland -- but are much better suited to boys.

Shevonne is proof that a name can be pretty and tacky at the same time.

An old saint's name that, even with the post-Aidan wave of Irish names, is a bit too close to crone.

See SEAMUS.

Fania would make an interesting choice for a child of Irish Russian heritage, being a Celtic name with a Russian Tania-like feel.

Patsy has been rarely heard for half a century, for either gender, and we're not expecting that to change in the near future..

A common Irish surname that's seldom heard as a first name, but has an appealing meaning.

Out-of-date for a boy, innovative for a girl.