Irish Names for Girls: The Complete List
- Meara
Origin:
IrishMeaning:
"pool, lake"Description:
A name that has many close, more familiar relatives, like Mira and Myra.
- Devin
Origin:
IrishMeaning:
"poet"Description:
Used far more for boys with this spelling, but still has a nice impish Irish feel for a girl.
- Kerry
Origin:
IrishMeaning:
"dark, dark-haired"Description:
Kerry is the name of one of the most beautiful and lush counties of Ireland was a seventies favorite. Related, updated versions might include Cerys and Keira.
- Emer
Origin:
IrishMeaning:
"swift"Description:
Popular name in Ireland -- it's pronounced ee-mer -- from the legendary wife of Cuchulainn who was supposed to possess the six gifts of womanhood: beauty, voice, speech, wisdom, chastity, and of course, needlework. Is found in the poetry of Yeats.
- Mare
Origin:
Irish variation of MaryDescription:
With this spelling, and one-syllable pronunciation, it sounds less like a whole name than a cut-off version of Mary. In fact, actress Mare Winningham was christened Mary.
- Mirin
Origin:
Irish and Scottish, meaning unknownDescription:
The 6th century Irish saint Mirin emigrated to Scotland and now is the patron saint of both the Glasgow suburb of Paisley and the game of football. Mirren is one modern spelling; the Cornish Merryn, best known as the name of the seacoast town St. Merryn, is also related. In all its forms, one of the most classic Scottish names for girls.
- Madigan
Origin:
IrishMeaning:
"little dog"Description:
An unusual, energetic surname choice that would make a good Madison alternative. Madigan was a typical police detective series of the 1970s, starring Richard Widmark.
- Cliodhna
Origin:
IrishMeaning:
"shapely"Description:
Cliodhna and its simplified form Cliona are both well-used in modern Ireland though they are ancient mythological names. The goddess Cliodhna left the Land of Promise with a mortal but was punished for her desertion by being swept to sea by a giant wave.
- Talula
Origin:
Variation of Tallulah or TalullaDescription:
Talula might be a streamlined spelling of either the Native American Tallulah or the Irish Talulla -- and very few namers know the difference as they sound identical. Investigate further and you decide, or you can just consider Talula a relative of both.
- Shawn
Origin:
Spelling variation of SeanMeaning:
"God is gracious"Description:
Shawn is one name that's become less unisex and more distinctly male over time in all its spellings, given to only 14 baby girls and over 500 boys in the US in the most recent year counted. But at its peak in the early 1970s, it was a Top 200 baby name for girls in the US, given to nearly 2000 baby girls... and 12,000 boys in this spelling alone.
- Noreen
Origin:
English, diminutive of NoraDescription:
Noreen's in limbo, especially now that Nora has made a comeback.
- Roan
Origin:
Variation of Rowan, Irish and ScottishMeaning:
"little redhead"Description:
This variation of Rowan, which is also a color name rhyming with Joan, is more popular for boys than girls, as are the other variations of the name. Rowan is the most popular spelling of the name for both genders, followed by Rowen, and then there's Rohan, Rohen, and so on.
- Clancy
Origin:
IrishMeaning:
"red-haired warrior"Description:
Irish surnames are hot, and this one can successfully cross the line to work for girls, replacing the outdated Casey. And only a dozen girls were named Clancy in the US in one recent year (along with 27 boys), making it one of those rare Irish names that are both accessible and distinctive, classic and cool. Clancy is a winner for either gender.
- 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.
- Ireland
Origin:
Place nameDescription:
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 curve (or trendsetting)—Ireland has been among the fastest-rising names of recent years. Other Irish place names include Shannon, Kerry, Galway, and Dublin.
- Aiden
Origin:
IrishMeaning:
"little and fiery"Description:
Aiden/Aidan is just beginning to wander into the girls' side of the name popularity list, but it's so huge for boys in all its spellings that it will be a long time before it can be called a unisex name.
- 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.
- Caitlyn
Origin:
Spelling variation of CaitlinDescription:
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 fresher than these more modern forms.
- Sheena
Origin:
Anglicization of Sine; Irish variation of JaneMeaning:
"God is gracious"Description:
Animated Gaelic name popularized by singer Sheena Easton, also brings to mind Sheena, Queen of the Jungle, the Amazonian comic book and TV series heroine. Sine is considered to be and English equivalent of Jane or Jean.
- Myrna
Origin:
IrishMeaning:
"festive"Description:
Angliziced spelling of Muirne, the name of the mother of Finn mac Cool in Irish legend. Actress Myrna Loy was a notable bearer.