Irish Names

Also written as Aodhán and borne by a number of early Irish saints, Aodhan is a Gaelic spelling of Aidan, sometimes  pronounced with a very soft d/th sound in the middle, though this varies regionally. It ranked in the Northern Ireland Top 100 in a recent year. 

Aodhan

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.

Talula

Jaunty and dapper, Rafferty is one of the most engaging of the Irish surnames, used by Jude Law and Sadie Frost for their son in 1996. Derived from the Irish, O'Raighbheartaigh, it means "(spring) flood tide", though some sources relate it to the Old Irish rath meaning "abundance" and "prosperity."
 Preppy and energetic but earthy too, it also comes with cool nicknames Raffy, Rafe, and Raffa. A rare choice in the US, it has been appearing in the England and Wales Top 1000 since 2003 and has more recently appeared in the Top 250.

Rafferty

This distinguished surname belonged to one of Ireland's great princely families. Its many variations include Rourke (as in actor Mickey), and O'Rourke. The family surname is thought to be one of the oldest in the world, originating in the tenth century, following the death of a young prince named Ruarc. It has literary cred via Howard Roark, the protagonist of Ayn Rand's The Fountainhead.

Roark

Tully is a relaxed, rarely used Irish surname possibility which might provide an alternative to Tommy, Eli, or Troy. It has a long history of usage and a number of meanings, depending on which root you follow.
 From the surname, Ó Taithligh it could mean "quiet and peaceable", whereas from the Irish word tuile, it likely means "flood". There's also the possibility it's connected to the Scottish place name, Tullos, which comes from the Gaelic tulach meaning "hill", or perhaps to the Irish name Tuathal, meaning "ruler of the people" and the name of various Irish kings and heroes.
 
From an entirely different root, it has been occasionally used as a modern, anglicized form of the Roman Tullius , most notably the name of the philosopher Marcus Tullius Cicero. Meanwhile, statesman Alexander Hamilton used the pen name Tully when he wrote editorials denouncing the instigators of the Whiskey Rebellion, while Tully Blanchard is an American-Canadian wrestler who bears the name.
 These days, Tully is currently a quietly used unisex option, given to 38 girls and only seven boys in the US in 2024.

Tully

The name of a sympathetic character in the best-selling novel The Secret Life of Bees, though it feels more stylish these days spelled Rosaline.

Rosaleen

Occasionally used as an alternative to Brandon or Brennan. 

Brannon

Carey is a surname name that works equally well on babies of all genders: Jazz great Carey Bell and motorcross champion Carey Hart are just two examples of how handsome this name can be for a boy. Also spelled as Cary (as in Old-Hollywood actor, Cary Grant), it was popular for boys in the 50s and remained in the US charts from the 1880s to the 1990s. 
 
Usually considered an anglicized form of the Irish surname Ó Ciardha, the name ultimately comes from ciar meaning "black". It is possible however that it may be used as a variant of the Welsh Carew ("fort on the hill!); a twist on the Irish mac Fiachra ("son of Fiachra, son of the crow"); a name from the Byronic root karɨd ("to love); or an anglicized for of the German Gehring ("spear").
 
While Carey is a unisex choice, it reached great heights for girls in the US back in the 1970s, likely thanks to its similarities with Carrie, Kerry, Cheri, and Caroline. These days, it's leaning masculine again, albeit in very small numbers: just 18 boys and 5 girls were given the name in a recent year.

Carey

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.

Carlin

Daire, along with brother names Dara and Darragh, is among the Top 100 <a href="https://nameberry.com/list/328/irish-baby-names-for-boys">boys' names in Ireland</a> today. An ancient name with an inspirational meaning, pronunciation could prove confusing to Americans.

Daire

Spirited and bubbly, but handsome and preppy too, Darby is a surname style choice that fits in well with the likes of Alby and Lennox. 
 
Derived ultimately from Old Norse, as a surname, it likely emerged in reference to the English town Derby (pronounced the same).
 
Darby works particularly well with an O' surname, as in 'Darby O'Gill and the Little People' and it could also be a unisex option (and is now more popular for girls in the US).
 
Patrick Dempsey chose it for one of his twin boys back in 2007.

Darby

Devlin is an Irish name that's fresher and even more devilish than Devin. 
The earliest written record of this surname occurs in the thirteenth century, when an O'Devlin was appointed Bishop of Kells in 1211.
 In the contemporary world, Devlin Agamand is a character in the video game "War of Witchcraft" and there is a British rapper who goes by the single name Devlin. Bernadette Devlin was the youngest woman ever elected to the British Parliament.

Devlin

Stronger and more contemporary twist on Carla or Carly, Carlin was used just about equally for girls and boys in the US last year.

Colm is a popular <a href="https://nameberry.com/list/328/irish-baby-names-for-boys">Irish name for boys</a> that could immigrate, especially with its peaceful meaning. Colm Toibin is a contemporary Irish novelist and critic, author of The Master and Brooklyn; Colm Meaney is an Irish actor. Pronunciation is two syllables instead of one, like Colin with an 'm' at the end. Colm is related to Columba, Colom, Colum, Callum, and Malcolm.

Colm

Cheerful but laidback, surname-style Delaney is derived from the Old Irish name Dubhshláine and has become a familiar choice for girls in recent decades. Nevertheless, it has also been used for boys since the early 1900s and was equally - though rarely - given to both, right up until the 1990s. 
 
Since then, it has been given to around 15 boys each year, with notable bearers including musician Delaney Bramlett, actor Delaney Williams, and singer Delaney Davidson. With last names as first names on trend and <a href="the-softer-side-of-boys-names">soft names for boys</a> climbing the charts, Delaney could work well - and feel fresher - on a boy.

Delaney

Fintan is an ancient Irish saints' name that in legend is also the name of the only person to survive The Flood.  Popular in modern Ireland, Fintan is ripe for export to the US where it is rarely used but could make an excellent long form for the stylish Finn.

Fintan

Has a legitimate first name history in its native land and an appealing meaning, but pronunciation is far from obvious. 

Riordan

St. Senán was a famed 6th-century monk, who founded a monastery on Inis Cathaigh whose ruins can still be seen today. Legend has it that before he could found the monastery, he had to banish a great monster. Typically spelled as Senán, this name is popular in Ireland and Northern Ireland where it ranks in the Top 100.
 
Sometimes considered a diminutive form of Sean (the Irish variant of John), Senan also appears as Seanan, and occasionally as Sionan, and Sinan.

Senan

The most enduringly popular hero of Irish myth was Finn McCool, whose name is one of the coolest ever. When used for the female protagonist of How to Make an American Quilt, Finn established its hipness for girls as well. 
</br.
But cool as it may sound, Finn cannot really be considered a gender-neutral name. It was given to nearly 2000 baby boys in the US last year, versus only 15 baby girls. Finley, by contrast, is almost exactly evenly matched.

Finn

A winning last-name-first Celtic choice, Flynn is still mostly used for boys, such as the son of Orlando Bloom and Miranda Kerr. Though Flynn is definitely one of the Irish surname names, from Quinn to Flannery to Makenna, that makes one of the trendy <a href="https://nameberry.com/list/79/boy-names-for-girls">boy names for girls"</a>.

Flynn

 are international stars, ranking near the top of popularity lists in Ireland and the US along with many other countries.

 in the US, standing at Number 1, and Riley is the

. Many new Irish baby names are replacing old standards like Kathleen and Patrick.

 include Kennedy, Quinn, Nora, and Maeve.

 include Finn, Ryan, all spellings of Aiden, Declan, and Rowan.

 we're hearing more of include Saoirse, as in actress Ronan; Niamh; and Una. 

 itself look rather different than they do in the US, though there are also several crossovers. Notably, not all of the top Irish baby names are actually Irish: at Number 1 currently are Jack and Sophie.

s in Ireland include the classic Hebrew James and Noah along with Irish names Cillian, Tadhg, and Liam. The 

 include only two Irish-language names, Éabha and Fiadh. Other popular girl names in Ireland are Grace, Emily, and Sophie.

 and Manx names. Along with Finn and Fiadh, other Irish Gaelic choices among the 

 include Eabha, Saoirse, and Aoife for girls; Darragh, Cillian, Oisin and Tadgh for boys.

Irish baby names enjoying international popularity

 include Liam, which ranks among the top names in France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany, Sweden and Norway as well as Canada, Australia and New Zealand.

 in the Netherlands while variation Fynn is on Germany’s most popular list, and Nora is the second most popular girls’ name in Norway.

 go far beyond the Old School Kevins and Kathleens. If you define unique baby names as 

 on what's conventionally considered a name, then these nontraditional Irish surname names and place names may be ones you want to consider for your daughter or son.

 that work for boys and girls include Bellamy, Brady, and Callahan.

 in the US and most places outside the Emerald Isle -- though some are among the Top 100 names in Ireland -- include Aoife, Cian, Oisin, and Tadgh. Correct Irish spelling and pronunciation can be challenging for non-native speakers.

 both classic and modern, for girls and for boys, here, ordered according to their current popularity on Nameberry.

Irish names with meaning and popularity including top Irish baby names and unique Irish names for girls and boys. (Page 15)

690+ Irish Names (With Meanings and Popularity)