690+ Irish Names (With Meanings and Popularity)

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

Uncommon choice too reminiscent of "bidet". Try Bridie instead.

You might want to honor premier U.S. architect Frank Gehry--even though he was born Ephraim Goldberg. Gehry, pronounced like the more common surname Geary, may be a spin on the name Gary, which means spear, or derive from the Middle English word geary, which means fickle.

Donal is, yes, just Donald with the final d cut off, but that somehow gives it a jauntier, fresher feel. Donal Logue is a Canadian actor and Donal Skehan is an Irish cookbook author.

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?

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.

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

A dandy, bouncy family name with tap shoes, high hat, and cane. There are several theories of its derivation, including as a nickname from the word 'ganty,' for a person who commonly wore gloves, or from 'gamen,' for someone good at games.

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

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

Out-of-date for a boy, innovative for a girl.

Despite its virtuous meaning, Fergall - along with the more standard spellings Fergal, Ferghal and Fearghal - has never made it across the ocean. In the States, Fergall is a rare yet pronounceable name with strong ties to Ireland. In its native land, it's been worn for over a thousand years by everyone from chieftains to poets to sportsmen, and still appears steadily in birth records.

Associated with the poet and novelist Galway Kinnell, this name of an Irish city, county, and bay would make an evocative choice. For further literary cred, writers Liam O'Flaherty and Frank Harris both hail from Galway.

Transformation of the stolid Gilbert into an animated surname name.

Poetic name that's terminally mournful.

Popular in Ireland, as is the similarly difficult spelling EOGHAN, but over here, most would stick with Owen.

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