Irish Names for Boys (with Meanings and Popularity)

Flannery

Irish

"descendant of Flannghal"

Flann variation that's most familiar as the name of writer Flannery O'Connor. It derives from the Irish surname Ó Flannghaile , meaning "descendant of Flannghal".

Gallagher

Irish

"descendant of foreign helper"

Gallagher is, like so many of its genre, friendly, open, and optimistic. Some might associate it with the fraternal members of the band Oasis, Noel and Liam Gallagher.

Galway

Place-name

Associated with the poet and novelist Galway Kinnell, this name of an Irish city, county, and bay would make an evocative choice. For further literary cred, writers Liam O'Flaherty and Frank Harris…

Gandy

Irish surname, derivation unknown.

A dandy, bouncy family name with tap shoes, high hat, and cane. There are several theories of its derivation, including as a nickname from the word 'ganty,' for a person who commonly wore gloves, or…

Garvan

Irish

"rough little one"

Irish surname derived from the name Gairbhín, a diminutive of garbh , "rough". It's barely been used as a first name, but could be a similar-yet-different alternative to names like Nolan and Sullivan.

Gehry

Variation of Geary, Irish or English

"spear or fickle"

You might want to honor premier U.S. architect Frank Gehry--even though he was born Ephraim Goldberg. Gehry, pronounced like the more common surname Geary, may be a spin on the name Gary, which means…

Gulliver

Irish

"glutton"

Gulliver is an obscure Gaelic surname known almost solely through its literary Travels until actor Gary Oldman used it for his son, instantly transforming it into a lively option. British actors…

Hartigan

Irish

"descendant of Arthur"

In Cool Names, we cite this as an "Artist Name," for twentieth-century abstract painter Grace Hartigan, though for you it may just be an upbeat Irish surname.

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.

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…

Madigan

Irish

"little dog"

A jovial and jaunty Irish name, the title of a long-gone TV crime drama, this would make an appealing choice. Slight downside: Maddy is already a mega-popular nickname for Madeline/Madelyn and…

Magee

Irish

"son of Hugh"

Magee has a broad and bouncy appeal for the sons of anyone from Adam to Zachary.

Maguire

Irish

"son of the beige one"

Although Maguire is such a prominent Irish surname —it ranks in the Top 40 in the Emerald Isle —this lively and cheerful family name has rarely been used as a first, unlike more familiar…

Maloney

Irish

"devotee of the church"

Too close to baloney.

O'brien

Irish

"descendant of Brian"

The use of O -prefixes could create the next wave of Irish-inflected names, offering an innovative way of honoring a relative with the old-fashioned moniker Brian. On Downton Abbey , the surname…

Paddy

Diminutive of Patrick, Irish

"noble, patrician"

Because it's a generic (and often derogatory) term for an Irishman, Paddy fell out of use as a diminutive or given name, though actress Mare Winningham used it not long ago.

Parthalan

Irish variation of Bartholomew, Aramaic

"son of the furrow"

Pathalan is a rare Irish name derived from the somewhat-less-rare Bartholomew. Nearly 30 baby boys were named Bartholomew in the US last year, but none were named Parthalan.

Pat

Diminutive of Patrick

"noble, patrician"

As seen on SNL, Pat is the ultimate androgynous name . Stick with long form Patrick, and make sure everyone calls him Patrick.

Patsy

English and Irish, diminutive of Patrick

"noble, patrician."

Patsy has been rarely heard for half a century, for either gender, and we're not expecting that to change in the near future..