Ailbhe

Ailbhe for girls

Pronounced (rouhgly) as AL-vuh, the name may come from the Irish ail meaning "rock" or the Celtic albiyo meaning "world, light, white", though aith-bhric meaning "speckled, freckled" is sometimes listed as another source.

Currently in the Irish Top 100, notable bearers is the social media influencer Ailbhe Garrihy, cellist and composer Ailbhe McDonagh, and activist and accademic Ailbhe Smyth.

Ailbhe for boys

While Ailbhe is predominantly used for girls today, it has a long history as a unisex name, borne by a female warrior in Irish legend and by a 6th-century Irish saint, patron of wolves, Munster, and Emly. It was sometimes Anglicized as Alby or Albert, possibly owing to the similarity between the letters

Pronounced as AL-vuh, it may derive from the Irish ail meaning "rock" or the Celtic albiyo meaning "world, light, white", though aith-bhric meaning "speckled, freckled" is sometimes listed as an alternative meaning.

Currently in the Irish Top 100 for girls, the alternative Ailbe spelling was still given to five boys in Ireland.