Irish Names for Boys

Also spelled Aulay in Scotland, this is an attractive form of the Scandinavian name Olaf that blends several currently fashionable sounds.

Daire, along with brother names Dara and Darragh, is among the Top 100 boys' names in Ireland today. An ancient name with an inspirational meaning, pronunciation could prove confusing to Americans.

This cross-cultural name is a spelling variant of two different popular names: the Irish Aidan and the Hebrew Idan. While Idan is a Top 100 choice in Israel, Aidan - and Aiden - in a number of English speaking countries. Pleasingly simple and concise, Edan may however be mistaken for Eden.

Although this surname name is closely related to the more common Irish name Kieran, Kiernan is also a well used family name, tied to thirty-three ancient chieftains. It has on a few occasions been used for girls.

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.

The additional syllable makes Lark a masculine surname name.

One of the ultimate teasable names, an Irish saint's name now associated with the oversized comic-strip dog. Scottish adventurer Bear (born Edward) Grylls took up the challenge when he used it for his son.

A spelling variant of presidential surname Regan that briefly entered the Top 1000 for boys in the 1960s, but hasn't rejoined the list since. Shakespeare also used the name for a daughter of King Lear, inspired by an ancient king of the Britons in accounts of the medieval scribe Geoffrey of Monmouth.

Aidan in all its many splendored varieties, particularly Aiden, had a spectacular rise up the list, and the phonetic Ayden came along for the ride. It is also used in Turkey.

Always the less common spelling of Irish classic Neil, Neal has been on a fifty-year slide, and now doesn't even make the Top 1000. It has a streamlined, surnamey appeal in this spelling.

Though Dara in the U.S. would be considered mainly a girls' name – the most recent count is 10 times as many girls given the name last year than boys – it's a boys' name in Ireland, where it's in the Top 100 along with variations Daire and Darragh.

The Irish boys' name Colum, rarely heard in the U. S., makes an interesting alternative to Colin.

Spunky Irish surname that still has a pugnacious feel from its lingering association with one of boxing's greatest champs, Jack Dempsey. Many people may associate it more with Patrick Dempsey these days—McDreamy from TV's Grey's Anatomy.

Odhran, Anglicized as Oran, was the name of an ancient saint. Today, Odhran is among the Top 100 Irish names for boys in Ireland.

Conroy is one Con name that feels a bit dated, though perhaps it's so far out it's coming in? Worth consideration if you like Connor but feel it's too widely used.

This Irish name of a saint from the Isle of Aran also appears in myth and fantasy fiction, giving it an intriguing, mystical air.

A jovial and jaunty Irish name, the title of a long-gone TV crime drama, this would make an appealing choice. Slight downside: Maddy is already a mega-popular nickname for Madeline/Madelyn and Madison, so this Mad- name might not feel as distinctive as the stats would suggest.

This name of an ancient Irish saint -- a favorite disciple of Saint Patrick -- could be an option for parents in search of a more distinctive alternative to Brendan or Aidan.

Immigrated into American pop culture in the person of 1940s superstar Tyrone Power, Jr. It has been on a steady decline since the 1970s.