Irish Names that Start With D

Much fresher Irish imports available for colleens now.

This Irish surname packs a lot of attitude, projecting an image of spunk and sass. The Welsh singer Duffy, born Aimee Anne Duffy, is best known for her songs Mercy and Warwick Avenue.

A name with a bit of glamor but also cowgirl vibes, Dallas entered the US Top 1000 for girls in 1992. It fell out of style during noughties, but reappeared in 2012 when other gender neutral names like River, Sawyer, Rowan, and Blake were also climbing fast.

Tongue twister of a name common in Ireland in both its Gaelic and its Anglicized forms. American or British parents looking for an Irish name that's still largely unknown in the outside world might consider this.

Much stronger than Dale for a boy.

Strong but gentle Irish last-name-first. Could bring to mind long-running rock group Duran Duran.

A very popular name for boys in Ireland that's well-used throughout the British Isles, Darragh is also occasionally used for girls and certainly sounds feminine or at least unisex to the American ear. Simplified form Dara pushes it further toward the girls' side.

This Irish Gaelic name would be more accessible in other cultures in its modern Dervla form.

With the fashions for tree names, place names, and nickname names, Derry is a three-way winner.

Dearbhla along with its Anglicized form Dervla are both well-used in modern Ireland. There was a medieval Saint Dearbhla. The spelling Deirbhile is also used.

Donnelly is among the more appealing Irish surname names, less well used than Donovan. Related options include the place name Donegal and the mythological god name Donegan.

An old Irish surname that was big in the 1960s, but would be an unexpected choice for a child now.

Dacey is a delicate and lacy Irish name with real possibilities.

Once-popular boys' name works better now for girls, as a kind of Dara/Karen blend.

Daire, along with brother names Dara and Darragh, is among the Top 100 boys' names in Ireland today. An ancient name with an inspirational meaning, pronunciation could prove confusing to Americans.

Donal is, yes, just Donald with the final d cut off, but that somehow gives it a jauntier, fresher feel. Donal Logue is a Canadian actor and Donal Skehan is an Irish cookbook author.

This somewhat boisterous Celtic name would be at home in a noisy pub or out walking on the moors. In Scotland, it was originally a nickname for someone with dark hair or a swarthy complexion.

Has an incomplete feeling....

Somewhat gruff name that might be better feminized as Duffy.

This genial Irish surname feels much more current than Donald.