Irish Names for Boys

Can't help thinking of a donkey.

Hurley is a possibility as a unisex surname-name ending with the "lee" sound. It is perhaps most associated with British actress Elizabeth Hurley, and is much rarer than Harley, because the "ur" sound is currently out of fashion (and the word "hurl" may put some off).

Gives Carlo a place-name/surname spin.

While the lin ending is more commonly found in girls' names, Carlin is an authentic Irish male choice and was used just about evenly for both sexes in the US last year.

Much stronger than Dale for a boy.

Euston is best known as a London railway station, which got its name from a stately home and village in the English county of Suffolk. Ultimately it is thought to mean "settlement of a person called Efe". Unlike its Top 1000 soundalike Houston (as in Texas), Euston has never been recording on the charts.

Used primarily for girls in Ireland, but sounds unisex to us.

Cagney is one of the spunkiest Irish surnames around, and could make a lively and fresher successor to the tired Casey.

A little further down the road paved by Aidan and Logan.

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

This name was consistently in the boys' Top 200 until WW2. It's a name with so many dimensions to it: the hyper-masculine meaning, the surname-as-firstname trendiness, and the softer sound and connotation since homophone Carol was favoured in the 1940s and '50s for daughters. We think it's time for a resurgence of Carrolls amongst the boys.

Fresh choice that could pick up where Dylan and Logan left off.

An X-ending surname less common than the Jolie-Pitt-inspired Maddox. Grandparents might still associate it with the old TV crime show. 

Breccan may be the original saints' name, but in the modern U.S., the spelling Brecken is the most popular form, followed by Breckin. A winner by any spelling.

This more user-friendly Anglicized form of Beacan, could profit from its kinship with the popular Beckett--with which it could share the nickname Beck. Becan is an Irish saint's name, attached to the founder of a sixth century monastery.

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.

An attractive ancient Irish saint's name that conjures up a beacon of light, this Irish name for boys is well-used in Ireland but rarely heard in the US.

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.

Angus is the Anglicized spelling of the Scottish Gaelic name Aengus or Aonghus or Aonghas. Unless you have a cultural reason to choose one of the Gaelic variations, Angus is uncommon enough.