Irish Names for Boys
Across 21 pages
of 21
Keenen
Variation of Keenan
"ancient"
Energetic name that's keen to please.
Keir
Irish
"dark, black"
Keir is a single-syllable name that packs a lot of punch, might suggest -- thanks to its similarity to the word care -- a caring person. Sir Keir Rodney Starmer is a British politician and head of…
Keiran
Spelling variation of Kieran
"little dark one"
While Kieran is the class and most-used male form of this name, some people spell it Keiran in keeping with the female Keira, the version popularized by the gorgeous Ms. Knightley.
Kellan
Spelling variation of Kellen
"swamp; slender"
Kellan Lutz is the attractive young actor who plays Emmett Cullen in the Twilight series.
Kelly
Irish
"war"
A predominantly male name in the US until the late 1950s, the name continued to rise for both sexes for both sexes for a further decade, before starting to decline for boys. Despite dropping out of…
Kennedy
Irish
"misshapen head"
This attractive surname name still projects that Kennedy family charisma. While it didn't come into widespread use until long after the deaths of martyred heroes President John F. or Senator Robert…
Kermit
Irish, variant of Diarmaid/Dermot
"without injunction, without envy"
Kermit was a Top 500 name until the 1960s, not coincidentally the decade in which Kermit the Frog made it a one-person (well, one-frog) name. Derived from the Irish surname Mac Diamada, itself from…
Kesey
Irish literary name, variation of Casey
Kesey is a possible literary hero name honoring Merry Prankster Ken Kesey, whose characters flew over the cuckoo's nest. Kesey rhymes with easy.
Larkin
Irish
"rough, fierce"
The additional syllable makes Lark a masculine surname name, borne by poet Philip Larkin.
Laughlin
Irish
"dweller at the fjord-land"
First used for Norse invaders, this name, along with the similar Lachlan, is an attractive, worldly, and unusual choice — despite connections to the Nevada gambling resort.
Lorcan
Irish
"little, fierce"
Lorcan is a name rich in Irish history as belonging to several kings, including the grandfather of the most famous high king of Ireland, Brian Boru. Lorcan O'Toole, known in English as Laurence…
Lochlann
Lochlann is a masculine name of Gaelic origin with deep roots in Irish and Scottish history. Traditionally, it referred to Scandinavia or Norway, literally meaning "land of the lochs" or "land of…
Labhras
Labhras is a traditional Irish masculine name pronounced roughly as 'LOW-russ' or 'LAW-rass.' It is the Irish Gaelic form of Lawrence, which derives from the Latin 'Laurentius,' meaning 'from…
Leary
Irish, Anglicization of Laoghaire
"herder"
We'd be leery of this one.
Lochlainn
Irish
"land of the Vikings"
Conjures up pleasant images of lakes, but the pronunciation challenge makes the Anglicized Loughlin preferable.
Loman
Irish or Serbo-Croatian
"small bare one or delicate"
Loman is one of those rare names that is at once simple and very unusual, with fewer than five baby boys given the name in the US in the most recent year. But Loman does carry a few less-than-optimal…
Lonan
Manx, Irish
"little blackbird"
Typically spelled as Lonán in Ireland, Lonan is its Manx form, though it could also be considered the anglicized form too. The name comes from the Irish lon meaning "blackbird", paired with a…
Lughaidh
Lughaidh is an ancient Irish masculine name derived from the Celtic god Lugh, a deity associated with skill, crafts, and light in Irish mythology. Pronounced approximately as 'LOO-ee' or 'LOO-ay,'…
Lucan
Irish variation of Luke
Lucan is a rarely heard Irish name, a Luke form with the trendy an ending.
Lynch
Irish
"mariner"
One Irish surname that will never make it as a first.