210+ Irish Girl Names (with Meanings and Popularity)
- Tulla
Description:
Tulla is a feminine name with multiple cultural origins, appearing in Scandinavian, German, and Irish naming traditions. In Scandinavian contexts, it may derive from the Old Norse name Þórhildr, meaning "Thor's battle." In Irish usage, it can be a diminutive of Seathrún (meaning "sea") or related to Tuile, meaning "flood." Tulla has a gentle, flowing quality with its soft consonants and open ending. Despite its long history, the name remains uncommon in English-speaking countries, giving it a distinctive quality. Tulla carries an air of quiet strength and natural simplicity. The name's brevity and melodic sound make it accessible across languages while maintaining a touch of the exotic for English speakers. In some regions, Tulla may also appear as a surname or place name.
- Eithne
Origin:
GaelicMeaning:
"nut kernel"Description:
Pretty and soulful name of a goddess from Irish mythology and several Irish saints. Singer Enya, born Eithne Ní Bhraonáin, has made the Anglicized spelling familiar. Eithne comes from the vocabulary word "kernel", which was used as a term of praise in old bardic poetry.
- Kiernan
Origin:
IrishMeaning:
"little dark one"Description:
Kiernan Shipka, aka Sally Draper on Mad Men, brings this Irish surname into the girls' column. And, like Kieran and Tierney and Tiernan, it's one of the perfectly unisex baby names. Only 14 girls were named Kiernan in the US in a recent year...and three times as many boys. If you want to move beyond Riley and Kennedy to one of the more unusual surname-based Irish names for girls, this may be a good choice.
- Maire
Origin:
Finnish, Irish variation of MaryMeaning:
"sweet; drop of the sea, bitter"Description:
Both Maire and Mare have begun making inroads with parents seeking novel yet authentic ways of honoring an ancestral Mary. The Finnish variation derives from the word mairea, meaning "sweet."
- Kieran
Origin:
IrishMeaning:
"little black-haired one"Description:
Kieran is a boys' name that could cross over, as an update of outmoded Karen or a variation on trendy Kiera (or Keira or Kyra). Keren Ann is an Israeli-born singer. The proportion of babies named Kieran who are girls is less than ten percent, but is slowly growing. Kieran had an increase in use for girls in 2022.
- Meara
Origin:
IrishMeaning:
"pool, lake"Description:
A name that has many close, more familiar relatives, like Mira and Myra.
- Mab
Origin:
Irish, EnglishMeaning:
"intoxicating"Description:
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.
- Yseult
Origin:
French variation of Iseult, CelticMeaning:
"fair, light-skinned"Description:
Variation of Isolde, the name of a great Celtic heroine. The mononymous French singer Yseult is the most notable bearer today.
- Aithne
Origin:
IrishMeaning:
"fire"Description:
This soundalike for the famous volcano, Mount Etna, is a fiery Irish choice that could be perfect for a red-haired baby girl.
- Devin
Origin:
IrishMeaning:
"poet"Description:
Used far more for boys with this spelling, but still has a nice impish Irish feel for a girl.
- Reilly
Origin:
IrishMeaning:
"courageous"Description:
Riley is the spelling of this lively Irish name most often picked for girls, but this version is occasionally used.
- Sadbh
Origin:
IrishMeaning:
"sweet; goodly"Description:
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.
- Ethne
Origin:
Variation of Eithne, IrishMeaning:
"kernel"Description:
Ethne is one of the many Irish Gaelic names whose spelling and pronunciation -- it's en-ya -- will prove endlessly confusing to English speakers.
- Dillon
Origin:
IrishMeaning:
"loyal"Description:
With both the Dillon and Dylan spellings, usage of this gender-neutral names runs about ten to one boys to girls. But Dylan is used about 20 times as often as Dillon for both genders. Which might be a vote in favor of Dillon, though for better or worse, this spellings distances the name from singer Bob and poet Thomas.
- Bronagh
Origin:
IrishMeaning:
"sorrow"Description:
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.
- Channing
Origin:
English or IrishMeaning:
"people of Cana or wolf cub"Description:
While the most famous Channing is the very male Channing Tatum, the name is now given about a third of the time for girls. Television executive Channing Dungey is a well-know example of a female Channing. It makes an attractive surname-name for either gender.
- Glenna
Origin:
IrishMeaning:
"glen"Description:
Honoring a male relative. Be bold and go with Glenn.
- Aoibheann
Origin:
IrishMeaning:
"beautiful sheen"Description:
An ancient Aoibheann was the mother of Saint Enda, and Aoibheann remains popular in Ireland today, sometimes with its Anglicized spelling Eavan.
- Bedelia
Origin:
IrishMeaning:
"strength or exalted one"Description:
This fanciful Irish extension of Bridget is known here through the wacky Amelia Bedelia books for kids -- an association your child may or may not like.
- Bedelia
Origin:
IrishMeaning:
"strength or exalted one"Description:
This fanciful Irish extension of Bridget is known here through the wacky Amelia Bedelia books for kids -- an association your child may or may not like.