210+ Irish Girl Names (and Meanings)
- Eavan
Origin:
IrishMeaning:
"beautiful sheen"Description:
Anglicized spelling of the difficult-to-decipher Gaelic Aoibheann, the name of several Irish princesses, this name rhymes with Steven. Eavan Boland is a distinguished Irish poet who teaches at Stanford University.
- Mab
Origin:
Irish, EnglishMeaning:
"intoxicating"Description:
An Anglicized form of Medb borrowed by both Shakespeare and Percy Bysshe Shelley for the of queen of the fairies. Perfect if you want something both adventurous and simple - though you could use it as a nickname for Mabel, Mirabel, Mabli, or Amabel too.
- Bronagh
Origin:
IrishMeaning:
"sorrow"Description:
Bronagh, along with Anglicized form Brona, is a popular name in Ireland. It's the name of a sixth century mystic as well as a modern television character on Penny Dreadful.
- Ceara
Origin:
Spelling variation of Irish CiaraDescription:
Even though the pronunciation of Ceara and the more usual Ciara is KEER-a, most Americans would tend to mispronounce this spelling variation as Sierra.
- Myrna
Origin:
IrishMeaning:
"festive; affection, endearment"Description:
An anglicized spelling of Muirne, the name of the mother of Finn mac Cool in Irish legend, Myrna has a unique sound and two possible meanings, both of which are positive. Actress Myrna Loy was a notable bearer and her fame caused a spike in popularity of the name, when it reached the US Top 150 in the 1930s.
- Etain
Origin:
IrishMeaning:
"jealousy"Description:
The Etain (or more properly Étaín) of Irish mythology was a beautiful fairy turned into a fly (or in some versions, a butterfly), by a jealous queen. The insect Étaín fell into a glass of milk and was swallowed by yet another queen, then reborn as a beautiful maiden. Its pronunciation is similar to the number eighteen.
- Ethne
Origin:
Variation of Eithne, IrishMeaning:
"kernel"Description:
Ethne is one of the many Irish Gaelic names whose spelling and pronunciation -- it's en-ya -- will prove endlessly confusing to English speakers.
- Merrin
Origin:
Variation of Merryn or Mirren, Cornish or Irish, meaning unknownDescription:
Is Merrin a real name or a melodic invention? Singer Bo Bice brought this merry name to the public's attention when he chose it for his daughter, but most reliable baby name sources don't list it. But there is a Cornish saint's name Merryn, thought to be a variation of the Irish names for girls Mirin and Mirren, and so we're going to call Merrin another twist on that ancient group of names.
- Brona
Origin:
IrishMeaning:
"sorrow"Description:
Brona is an Anglicized form of Bronach or Bronagh, the name of a sixth century mystic and follower of Saint Patrick. The name is attracting some modern notice in the US via the character Brona Croft in TV's Penny Dreadful.
- Rosaleen
Origin:
Irish diminutive of RoseMeaning:
"rose, a flower"Description:
The name of a sympathetic character in the best-selling novel The Secret Life of Bees, though it feels more stylish these days spelled Rosaline.
- Mackenna
Origin:
IrishMeaning:
"son of the handsome one"Description:
Although the Mc or Mac prefix always means "son of", the first names McKenna and MacKenna are used in the US exclusively for girls, with the McKenna spelling outpacing this one 14 to 1. There are no boys recorded with either spelling of the name.
- Keelan
Origin:
IrishMeaning:
"slender and fair"Description:
Keelan is the Anglicized, phonetic form of the more traditionally-spelled Caelan.. While this name is said by many sources to be unisex and might certainly feel unisex to Americans, in practice in modern Ireland it is only given to boys. Keelin is also found.
- Bedelia
Origin:
IrishMeaning:
"strength or exalted one"Description:
This fanciful Irish extension of Bridget is known here through the wacky Amelia Bedelia books for kids -- an association your child may or may not like.
- Bedelia
Origin:
IrishMeaning:
"strength or exalted one"Description:
This fanciful Irish extension of Bridget is known here through the wacky Amelia Bedelia books for kids -- an association your child may or may not like.
- Macha
Origin:
IrishMeaning:
"of the plain"Description:
Irish goddess and saint name that's strong, to say the least.
- Eachna
Origin:
IrishMeaning:
"horse"Description:
Eachna is the name of an Irish goddess renowned for her beauty, brains and stylishness; in early legend, a Connacht princess named Eachna was deemed to be one of the loveliest and cleverest women int he world.
- Cliona
Origin:
IrishMeaning:
"shapely"Description:
Attached in Irish mythology to a Cliona who was, among other things, an inspirer of poets. Cliona is well-used in modern Ireland, along with Irish form Cliodhna, though it's largely unknown in the rest of the world.
- Tulla
- Tiernan
Origin:
IrishMeaning:
"little lord"Description:
An old Irish surname cousin of Tierney that makes an unusual and appealing Irish gender switch.
- Seana
Origin:
Irish GaelicMeaning:
"god is gracious"Description:
More streamlined – and more authentic – than Shawna.