Irish Girl Names by ViVi

Popular in Ireland, though not as popular as its spelling variant Eimear, Emer is a mythological name, associated with the legendary wife of the warrior hero Cuchulainn. She was said to possess the six gifts of womanhood: beauty, voice, speech, wisdom, chastity, and needlework.

This pleasant modernization of a dated original is still rare but has real modern possibilities. Alternate versions include Merial and Meryl.

Sadhbh was the name of several real and legendary Irish princesses, including the daughters of Conn of the Hundred Battles, of Queen Medb of Connacht, and of King Brian Boru. It's also written Sabha. One of the most authentic Irish names for girls, it is also unfortunately one of the most difficult to export.

Sadbh is the modern Irish form of the more streamlined but equally confusing Sadb or Sadhbh: these names are pronounced to rhyme with five. In Irish mythology Sadb or Sadbh or Sadhbh, a goddess lover of Finn McCool's, was turned into a deer only to vanish and (somewhere in there) give birth to Oisin.

Grainne is the Irish form of the name often Anglicized as Grania. It was the name of the ancient grain goddess and also of the fiancee of mythological hero Finn McCool and lover of Dermot, who was a heroine of the seas.

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.

The Irish Gaelic form of Evelyn or Aveline, this name is more authentically spelled Eibhlín. It appears in the title of a love song by 17th century composer Cearbhall Óg Ó Dálaigh, called Eibhlín a Rún.

Aoibhinn and its twin name Aoibheann may be popular in Ireland but most English-speakers would find the spelling baffling and the pronunciation impossible to divine. It's ee-van, or se-vin, fitting with the Irish popularity of many names -- Aoife, Eabha, Ava -- with this similar sound.

This soundalike for the famous volcano, Mount Etna, is a fiery Irish choice that could be perfect for a red-haired baby girl.

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.

This Anglicized spelling of Irish Aislinn or Aisling has enjoyed some popularity in the US as an updated Ashley.

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.

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.

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.

The name of one of the most famous medieval Irish saints, who was known as "the foster-mother of the saints," and founded a nunnery in the county of Limerick. Might be of interest to someone looking for an unusual 3-letter name.

We'd opt for Fiona.

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.

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.

Similar in sound to Anya and Enya, Áine is a mythical Irish choice, associated with the goddess of summer, wealth, beauty, love, and fertility. It is a familiar choice in Ireland and Northern Ireland, where it flits in and out of the Top 100, while in England and Wales, it was a Top 1000 choice back in the 2000s.

Irish goddess and saint name that's strong, to say the least.