Irish Names for Boys

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.

After being one of the hot upscale surnames of the nineties, Garrett has left the Top 100 and this streamlined spelling is dawdling near the bottom of the Top 1000.

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

This appealing name of a mythical king of Tara whose reign brough prosperity to his kingdom is strongly associated with actor Sean. The Irish form is Conaire.

Dugan is an open, friendly, and cheery Irish surname that would be suited to a dark-haired boy.

Roone is a lively, attractive and unusual redhead entry brought into the mix by the late TV sports and news executive Roone Arledge, who seemed to own it as a one-person name when he was alive.

More common as a surname, Galvin is a possible alternative to Gavin and Calvin.

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.

The Arthur variation preferred in Portugal and across much of Eastern Europe. It’s a truly international name, and one that would be easy to wear in the US as well.

Too close to baloney.

Transformation of the stolid Gilbert into an animated surname name.

Long popular in Ireland and England, Ciarán is the name of Ireland's first-born saint and twenty-five other saints. While this is the authentic Irish spelling, it is more familiar in the US in the Anglicized Kieran spelling.

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.

An earthy rock'n'roll name with multiple origins. The Roc was a giant bird in Middle Eastern legend.

Not your typical jovial Irish surname; but has a dark, craggy appeal, and Tag as a nickname.

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.

Aydan has been a popular alternate spellings of Aidan, though it has been declining in usage since 2008. It has also been seen as a girl's name.

The names may sound the same, but they have different origins and meanings. Take your pick.

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