By Pamela Redmond · Updated October 2026
Across 19 pages
of 19
Irish, variation of Mary
"bitter; beloved; drop of the sea"
Well-established Irish and Scottish name that has never really caught on across the pond. Remembered by an older generation as the beautiful red-haired ballerina in the film The Red Shoes , Moira…
Irish Gaelic
"god is gracious"
Siobhan is the Irish variation of Joan, which is derived from the ancient Anglo-Norman name Jehanne. In this way Siobhan is indirectly related to the name Sinead—the Irish form of Jeannette, which…
Irish
"poet"
Used far more for boys with this spelling, but still has a nice impish Irish feel for a girl.
Place name
Kim Basinger and Alec Baldwin put Ireland on the map when they chose it as a first for their daughter, saying that geographic names were a family tradition. And it seems they were a bit ahead of the…
"sea warrior"
More traditional spelling Murphy is far more popular, given to 783 girls (and 341 boys) in a recent year in the US — but this alternative is beginning to gain more attention. Given to around 80 girls…
"little king"
Like somewhat more popular twin sister Reagan, this vibrant last-name-first Irish choice makes a strong, straightforward option. She does have a couple of downsides though. Regan entered the girls'…
Irish variation of Catherine
"pure"
An Irish and Welsh form of Catherine, Caitlin was a boom name of the eighties, rocketing from obscurity (Americans first heard it via the wife of doomed poet Dylan Thomas) to the height of popularity…
"old and wise"
Irish place-name -- it's a river, a town, and an airport -- once popular but now supplanted by such newer immigrants as Saoirse and Seanan.
"dark eyes"
Stylish and boyish but could work for a girl -- especially one with brown eyes -- and Sully is a quirky and jaunty nickname.
Irish, English
"between two hills"
Arlo, an unexpectedly popular name for boys these days, is also finding new life as a girls' name. Its roots are primarily as an Irish or English surname, but it might also be a short form of the…
Spelling variation of Caitlin
Caitlyn is following all variations on the Irish classic Caitlin down the US baby name charts, following decades of popular usage. The original Anglicized form Kathleen is now starting to feel…
"golden princess"
Orla is an Irish name closely associated with the high king Brian Boru, as it was the name of his sister, daughter and niece. It was very popular in the Middle Ages – the fourth most popular name in…
Short form of Oscar or Osborn, English or Irish
"deer; divine"
This grandpa-esque nickname, traditionally short for masculine names like Osmond, Oscar, or Oswald, is starting to get traction on its own, thanks to its cool, zippy sound. In the Top 1000 for boys…
Irish, English, Norse
"free from envy; from the deer estate"
Once a common boy name in Ireland, the dynamic Darby now has a definite unisex feel. A bit like a mash up between Darcy and Ruby, it appeared in the US Top 1000 in the 90s, peaking in 1995 when it…
Irish variation of Cecilia
"blind"
Sheila peaked in popularity from the 1930s to the 1960s (she reached Number 49 in 1965), along with Maureen and Colleen; parents today would probably go back to the original Cecilia or forward to…
"little rose"
No, the pronunciation--ro-SHEEN--isn't immediately obvious to the non-Gaelic viewer, but the sound of this shiny Irish version of Rose is pretty enough to make it worth considering. Very popular in…
Caitlin, but with the popular -lynn suffix.
"slender"
Keely is well-used in modern Ireland, also found as Keeley and Keela. The boys' form is Keelan. Largely unknown in the US, this could make an interesting update for Kelly or Kaylie or Kylie -- though…
Scottish, Meru, or Hawaiian
"son of Kenneth; happy one, gift"
Makena may be one of the names with the most diverse range of possible roots. It can be a spelling variation of the Scottish surname McKenna, or a name from the East African Meru community with a…
"phantom queen"
The mythological Morrigan was the ancient goddess of war, often symbolized by a crow. Besides being a name, this is also used as a proper noun preceded by an article: the Morrigan, defined as a…
