Irish Names for Boys

Energetic name that's keen to please.

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.

Perfect name for the child of dog enthusiasts, and much more distinctive than the trendy Connor.

Has a decidedly Roman Catholic feel, thanks to the bishop.

McDermott is a common Irish surname that means, as all Mc or Mac names do, "son of" --then Dermott or Dermot, which is an Anglicization of the Irish Gaelic Diarmaid. The legendary Diarmaid was the lover of Grainne and the real King Diarmaid, in the twelfth century, first invited the English into Ireland. Actor Dermot Mulroney made his name famous in the U.S.

Likable Irish surname name, but bound to be confused with Clooney.

Forget Donald. Honor Grandpa Don with this new spin.

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

Magee has a broad and bouncy appeal for the sons of anyone from Adam to Zachary.

The Irish surname and sometime first name Redmond is derived from the German Raymond, which was imported to Ireland via Norman conqueror Raymond LeGros -- Raymond the Fat.

The use of O-prefixes could create the next wave of Irish inflected names, offering an innovative way of honoring a relative with a behind the times moniker.

Surname that could have pronunciation problems -- it's Dorrity -- as well as having an off-putting meaning.