irish girls names

Nora

Diminutive of Honora or Eleonora, Latin

"honor or meaning unknown"

Nora is a lovely, refined name that conjures up images of Belle Epoch ladies in fur-trimmed coats skating in Central Park. Long seen as a quintessentially Irish name though its roots are not in…

Lila

Arabic, Sanskrit

"night; play"

Lila is one of the girl names with a double l sound — Lila, Lola, Layla, Leila, Lily et al — that have caught on in a major way., Delicate yet dynamic, Lila has a slightly international flair. The…

Alanna

Variation of Alana

"handsome, cheerful"

The extra n makes it feel less like an feminization of Alan and more like a name unto itself. Alanna is more common in Puerto Rico than the original Alana.

Beatha

Irish

"life, livelihood"

Another candidate for mispronunciation.

Étaoin

Irish

"jealousy"

This name of a mythical beauty transformed into a scarlet fly by a jealous wife is popular in its native land; here, while pleasant to the ear, it's bewildering on paper.

Fia

Irish, Portuguese, Italian

"wild, weaver"

Fia may be most notable at this moment as the Anglicized version of the Irish Fiadh, one of the fastest-rising names in the Republic of Ireland. The meaning of Fia or Fiadh is sometimes given as…

Caoimhe

Irish, Scottish

"beautiful"

Caoimhe, pronounced (more properly) kwee-va or kee-va, is a pretty and distinctive Gaelic name but one that could well lead to no end of confusion outside the Irish community. Even in its native…

Treasa

Treasa is a feminine name with Irish Gaelic origins, serving as the Irish variant of Teresa or Theresa. The original Greek name Therasia means 'harvester' or 'from Thera' (an island), though the name…

Doireann

Irish

"blessed, fair daughter; sullen, tempetsuous"

While Doireann may look like a form of Doreen (a diminutive of Dora or Dorothy), it is in fact a name of Old Irish origin, appearing in Irish legend. Usually pronounced as DEH-ruhn (though DIR-an and…

Dara

Hebrew, Slavic or Irish

"pearl of wisdom; gift; or oak tree"

Though Dara was an (extremely wise) male figure in the Bible, this name feels mostly feminine to modern Americans. The Irish Gaelic version, Darragh, is well-used in contemporary times for boys.…

Anu

Finnish and Estonian diminutive of Anna, Sanskrit diminutive of Anuradha, Yoruba, Celtic

"grace; causing success; mercy"

A multicultural mini name with roots in three continents. Anu is also Celtic goddess considered the mother of the gods of Ireland. In parts of Britain, the goddess is referred to as "Gentle Annie".

Danu

Irish and Hindu mythology name; Sanskrit

"rain"

Danu is a name from Irish mythology without many details attached. Some say she's a goddess of agriculture and/or of women, but that does not appear in ancient texts. In Hindu mythology, Danu is a…

Betha

Betha is a feminine name that originated as a medieval diminutive form of Elizabeth, which derives from Hebrew meaning 'God is my oath.' Less common than other Elizabeth variants like Beth or Betsy,…