690+ Irish Names (With Meanings and Popularity)

This Celtic surname is familiar but barely used at all as a first name.

Tongue twister of a name common in Ireland in both its Gaelic and its Anglicized forms. American or British parents looking for an Irish name that's still largely unknown in the outside world might consider this.

A long shot, but it could join the crop of dashing Irish surname names.

Clear and strong, if a little heavy.

McCabe is an Irish patronymic surname that originated with Scottish mercenaries in Ireland who wore distinctive hats -- or cabas, which is also the name for capes.

Obscure and quirky, but not without some appeal.

Undiscovered Irish surname with a lot more bounce and masculine dash than Shannon.

This friendlier Celtic version of Edmund has an upbeat feel and a good chance of competing with Aidan and Damon sometime soon.

Irish surname that refers to High King Brian Boru, also spelled O'Brien. Makes a fabulous first name.

Same problem as Eóin -- squared.

Fogarty has the Old Fogey problem.

Bridget variation that's the root of the unattractive nickname Biddy. Bedelia is another spelling.

Yeats, the strong name of the great Irish poet, would work better for a boy. Also has possible pronunciation problem with people who might think it rhymes with Keats. Yeats rhymes with the word from which it's derived: gates.

Perfect as an updated namesake for Great-Uncle Neal (or Neil).

Kavanagh, which can also be spelled Cavanagh, Cavenagh, Kavanaugh, and Cavanaugh, is one of the few traditional Irish surnames not to start with Mc or O'. Kavanagh relates to the name first Kevin or Caomhan. Early kings of Leinster bore the name Kavanagh.

Pronounced like the word "even," this was a common name among the ancient royal families of Ireland, and has now become popular again.

Donovan is on the rise, so why not this sequel?

Infrequently used relic of the Maureen-Colleen-Kathleen era, though it does seem to have a bit more energy than the others.