690+ Irish Names (With Meanings and Popularity)

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

Fogarty has the Old Fogey problem.

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

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.

When ordering a baby name, hold the mayo.

This Irish surname-name certainly feels brighter and fresher than the English equivalent, Clark.

This is one of several similar sounding Gaelic surname names that would make perfectly acceptable choices--others are Kennan, Keenan and Kenyon. Another possible meaning is "descendant of the fair ones," referring to the Norse invaders.

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.

If you're looking for an Irish last name that moves beyond Casey and Cassidy, this one is pleasant sounding and worth considering. Kavanaugh, which can also be spelled Cavanagh, Cavenagh, Kavanagh, 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 Kavanaugh.

Variant (mis)spelling of Siobhan.

Too close to baloney.

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

Clear and strong, if a little heavy.

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.

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

There are many dynamic three-syllable Irish surnames; this is one of the rarer two-syllable ones. Molloy is the title of a 1951 novel by Samuel Beckett, initially written in French. Another Beckett novel of naming interest is Malone Dies.

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