Irish Names for Boys

Former teen idol name, now middle-aged. This name has been on a steady decline since the early-1990s.

Devlin is an Irish name that's fresher and even more devilish than Devin.

The earliest written record of this surname occurs in the thirteenth century, when an O'Devlin was appointed Bishop of Kells in 1211.

Clancy, one of the original crossover Irish surname names, is as energetic and appealing as ever — full of moxie, more distinctive than Casey, and also one of the less obvious of the red-headed names.

According to Irish legend, Saint Brendan the Voyager was the first European to touch American soil, and his name has been established here for decades, peaking in the late 1990s.

Lighthearted, spirited Irish-accented name. Works particularly well with an O' surname, as in 'Darby O'Gill and the Little People'. Patrick Dempsey chose it for one of his twin boys.

Has a legitimate first name history in its native land and an appealing meaning, but pronunciation is far from obvious.

Darren and wife Sharon shop for fifties memorabilia on eBay. The Connecticut place-name Darien might offer an update.

Finnigan is another way to spell Finnegan, one of the energetic Irish surname-names in vogue now. One note: While Finnigan, Finnian, Finley and so on are appealing names on their own, you don't need to use a longer form to get to Finn, which is a perfectly proper name all on its own.

Spelling variation more popular in Germany than the original, which is also well-used there.

An Irish last-name-first-name that could make a child feel distinctive, while still having the regular guy nickname of Quinn. Christine Taylor and Ben Stiller spelled their son's name Quinlin.

Fallon was one of the first of the unisex surname names, but thanks to "Dynasty" in the 1980s it now has a feminine image. For a boy, try Phelan instead.

More authentic and original form of Ryan, but far less common of the two spellings.

Teagan is a cousin of trendy names Reagan and Keagan now given to girls about six times as often as boys. As an Irish name, it's a diminutive of the original Tadhg. Teagan may also be a variation of the Welsh Tegan, a saint's name that means fair.

A common surname in Ireland that projects a complex image for a short-one-syllable name, combining spirit and substance.

A variation of Corey, this spelling has also been on a steady decline since the early-1990s. Its days are likely numbered on the US popularity charts altogether.

Shawn is a phonetic spelling of Sean that may be past its peak – it was a Top 30 name in the early 1970s – but is still quite popular for boys: over 500 baby boys were named Shawn in the US in the most recent year counted vs 800 given the original Sean spelling.

Fionn, the modern Irish form of Finn, is more popular in Ireland these days than Finn, which is rising fast in the U.S. where Fionn is virtually unknown. That's probably a good thing, because few Americans would know that Fionn and Finn have the same root and are pronounced the same, like the fin of a fish. It's the namesake of a great hero from Irish mythology, Fionn MacCumhaill, who acquired divine wisdom by eating an enchanted salmon of knowledge.

Cashel is one of the many appealing Irish names that have not yet emigrated to the US. Cashel was chosen by actor Daniel Day-Lewis and his writer-director wife Rebecca Miller for their son.

A much fresher Ty name than Tyler or Tyson.

Cheerful but laidback, surname-style Delaney is derived from the Old Irish name Dubhshláine and has become a familiar choice for girls in recent decades. Nevertheless, it has also been used for boys since the early 1900s and was equally - though rarely - given to both, right up until the 1990s.