Top Celtic Names

  1. Bryn
    • Origin:

      Welsh
    • Meaning:

      "hill"
    • Description:

      The simple and attractive Bryn is well used for boys in Wales, and does have a history as a male name in the US, although both Bryn and Brynn are currently far more popular for girls.
  2. Carys
    • Origin:

      Welsh
    • Meaning:

      "love"
    • Description:

      Familiar in Wales and England, this name was introduced to America when Welsh-born Catherine Zeta-Jones and husband Michael Douglas chose it for their daughter in 2003. Light, pretty, and distinctive in appearance, it didn't catch on in the US, where it was only given to 22 girls in 2023.
  3. Cerys
    • Origin:

      Welsh
    • Meaning:

      "love"
    • Description:

      Common name in Wales that's all but unknown in the U.S. Certainly an attractive choice ripe for export. In the UK it sits at Number 330.
  4. Eoin
    • Origin:

      Irish, variation of John
    • Meaning:

      "God is gracious"
    • Description:

      Though Eoin is a Gaelic form of John, its Anglicized pronunciation links it directly to Owen. Eoin is currently a Top 30 name in Ireland. Other variations: Ewan, Ewen, Evan and Eoghan (pronounced as Owen but also translated as Eugene).
  5. Jago
    • Origin:

      Spanish and Cornish variation of Jacob
    • Meaning:

      "supplanter"
    • Description:

      Jago is a dashing alternative to overused favorite Jacob.
  6. Kerensa
    • Origin:

      Cornish
    • Meaning:

      "love"
    • Description:

      Kerensa, forever romantic, is a rare Cornish name spelled with an 's' or 'z', the most modern of the Karen family. Kerensa (or Kerenza) has ties to the Welsh Cerys.
  7. Maeve
    • Origin:

      Irish
    • Meaning:

      "she who intoxicates"
    • Description:

      Maeve is a short and sweet name that has become one of the most stylish Irish names for girls in the modern US. Maeve would make an excellent first or middle name choice, with more heft than Mae/May and more modern charm than Mavis.
  8. Macsen
    • Niamh
      • Origin:

        Irish Gaelic
      • Meaning:

        "bright"
      • Description:

        Niamh, derived from the Old Irish Niam, is an ancient Irish name that was originally a term for a goddess. In Irish myth, one who bore it was Niamh of the Golden Hair, daughter of the sea god, who falls in love with Finn's son Oisin and takes him to the Land of Promise, where they stayed for three hundred years. Niamh can be Anglicized as Neve, Nieve, or Neave.
    • Owen
      • Origin:

        Welsh
      • Meaning:

        "young warrior; well-born"
      • Description:

        Owen, a resonant Celtic name, has ranked among the Top 100 boys' names in the US for 20 years and is now at its highest point ever.
    • Rhys
      • Origin:

        Welsh
      • Meaning:

        "ardor"
      • Description:

        There's Rhys and there's Reese (now more popular for girls) and there's Reece, and we particularly like the traditional Welsh spelling, which entered the list in 2004, possibly influenced by Jonathan Rhys Meyers, of The Tudors, and Welsh-born actor Rhys Ifans.
    • Saoirse
      • Origin:

        Irish
      • Meaning:

        "liberty"
      • Description:

        Before the young Irish actress Saoirse Ronan made her mark in the films Ladybird and The Lovely Bones, few of us had heard this name, let alone known how to pronounce it. But now it is slowly way edging its way into the mainstream, particularly, of course, with parents who have Irish roots. It made its first appearance in the US Top 1000 in 2016, when it was the third-fastest-rising girls' name.
    • Seren
      • Origin:

        Welsh, Turkish
      • Meaning:

        "star or sail mast"
      • Description:

        Seren is a top girls' name in Wales – and a lovely choice almost unknown elsewhere. Seren, in the Sirona form, was an ancient goddess of the hot springs.