55+ Irish Girls Names With Beautiful and Inspiring Meanings

Irish might be one of Europe’s oldest languages still spoken today, but don’t sleep on Irish girl names. 

With 30.5 million Americans claiming Irish ancestry in 2023, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, it’s only a matter of time before we start seeing more Irish names for girls climb the charts. 

I mean, who can say no to a name like Croia (meaning “heart”) or Aisling (meaning “dream”)?

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With that said, we’re already seeing some Irish girl names rise in popularity in the United States today. 

Rowyn, which means “little red one” in Irish, was listed 14th on the Social Security Administration’s list of girl names that saw the biggest increase in popularity in the U.S. from 2023 to 2024.

Rowyn was the 782nd most popular girl’s name in 2024, compared to 1,026th the year before. 

And let’s not forget about Riley, the 42nd most popular girls name in the U.S. in 2024 with 4,644 confirmed births, according to the SSA. It has now been in the top-50 every year since 2008. 

Other Irish baby girl names inside the SSA’s top-100 include Maeve (75), Kennedy (89) and Quinn (96).

If these are the types of names you want for your daughter, then you’ll love the Irish girl names (and meanings) we’ve picked out for you below. 

Aideen

Origin: English; Old Irish

Meaning: Jealousy; Passion

Aideen, pronounced EYE-deen or AY-deen, is the Anglicized form of the Irish names Éadaoin (modern) and Étaín (ancient), which are derived from the Old Irish element ét, meaning “jealousy” or “passion.” 

Aine

Origin: Irish; Mythological

Meaning: Radiance; Brilliance; Goddess of the seasons

Aine, pronounced AWN-yuh, is the unaccented form of Áine, which means “radiance” or “brilliance” in Irish. In Irish mythology, Áine was a goddess of the seasons, wealth, prosperity and sovereignty. 

Aisling

Origin: Irish; Literary

Meaning: Dream; Vision

Aisling, pronounced ASH-ling, comes from an Irish word meaning “dream” or “vision.” In Irish literature, an aisling is a poetic or dramatic representation of a dream or vision, popular in the 17th and 18th centuries.

Colleen

Origin: Irish

Meaning: Girl; Young woman

Colleen, pronounced CAH-leen, derives from the Irish word cailín and caile, meaning “girl” or referring to a “young woman.” It’s not common in Ireland and has never appeared in the top 1,000 in the U.S.

Eileen

Origin: English; Irish

Meaning: Torch; Corposant; Desired; Birdlike

Eileen, pronounced EYE-leen or AY-leen, is the Anglicized form of the Irish name Eibhlín, which is either the Irish form of Helen, meaning “torch” or “corposant,” or Aveline, meaning “desired” or “birdlike.” 

Rowan

Origin: English; Irish

Meaning: Little red one; Rowan tree

Rowan, pronounced ROH-win, is the Anglicized form of Ruadhán, which derives from the Old Irish element rúad, meaning “red.” It can also refer to the rowan tree, known for its distinct red berries. 

Erin

Origin: English; Irish Gaelic

Meaning: From Ireland, Of Irish descent

Erin, pronounced AIR-in, is the Anglicized form of Éireann, which is the genitive case of Éire, meaning “Ireland” in Irish Gaelic. Some parents prefer a more unique spelling, such as Arin, Eryn, Aryn or Erinn. 

Caitlin

Origin: English; Irish; Greek

Meaning: Each of the two; Pure

Caitlin, pronounced KAYT-lin, is the Anglicized form of Caitlín, which is the Irish form of Cateline and, ultimately, Katherine, meaning “each of the two” (from Greek hekateros) or “pure” (from Greek katharos).

Shannon

Origin: English; Irish

Meaning: Long river; Old; Ancient

Shannon, pronounced SHAN-uhn, comes from the name of the longest river in Ireland, known as an tSionainn in Irish. The name is believed to derive from the Old Irish word sen, meaning “old” or “ancient.”

Riley

Origin: Irish; Old English

Meaning: Unknown; Rye clearing

Riley, pronounced RYE-lee, is a variant of Reilly, which is the Anglicized form of the surname Raghailligh and given name Raghailleach, of unknown meaning. In Old English, Riley translates to “rye clearing.” 

Kelly

Origin: Old Irish

Meaning: Bright-headed; War

Kelly, pronounced KEL-ee, is the Anglicized form of Ceallach, which derives from the Old Irish name Cellach, meaning “bright-headed.” Other theories link it to the Old Irish word cellach, meaning “war.”

Fallon

Origin: Irish Gaelic

Meaning: Leader; Superior

Fallon, pronounced FAIL-in or FAH-lin, originated as a surname derived from the Irish Gaelic given name Fallamhán, meaning “leader” or “superior.” It’s most commonly linked to actor and TV host Jimmy Fallon. 

Lennon

Origin: Irish

Meaning: Lover

Lennon, pronounced LEN-in, is derived from the Irish byname Leannán, meaning “lover.” The name gained worldwide recognition through musician and former “The Beatles” member John Lennon.

Collins

Origin: English; Irish; Gaelic

Meaning: Young dog; Whelp

Collins, pronounced KOL-inz, is derived from the Anglicized form of the Irish surname Ó Coileáin, which comes from the Gaelic name Coileán and Gaelic root cuilén, meaning "young dog" or "whelp."

Rory

Origin: Old Irish

Meaning: Red-haired king

Rory, pronounced ROR-ee, is the Anglicized form of the Irish name Ruaidhrí, which is composed of the Old Irish elements rúad, meaning “red,” and rí, meaning “king.” Together, it means “red-haired king.” 

Sloane

Origin: English; Irish

Meaning: Raider; Warrior

Sloane, pronounced SLOHN, is the Anglicized form of Sluaghadhán, derived from the Irish sluaghadh, meaning “raid” or “mobilization.” It was popularized in the U.S. by tennis player Sloane Stephens.

Ronan

Origin: Old Irish

Meaning: Little seal

Ronan, pronounced ROH-nin, comes from the Old Irish word rón, meaning “seal.” It’s most commonly used as a boy’s name, evidenced by the 1,370 baby boys given this name in 2024, compared to 17 girls. 

Saoirse

Origin: Irish Gaelic; Old Irish

Meaning: Freedom

Saoirse, pronounced SIR-shuh, means “freedom” in Irish Gaelic and is derived from the Old Irish word sóer, meaning “free.” It first appeared in the SSA’s top 1,000 in 2016 and was given to 242 baby girls in 2024.

Una

Origin: Old Irish

Meaning: Little lamb

Una, pronounced OO-nuh or OO-nah, is the Anglicized form of Úna, which derives from the Old Irish word úan, meaning “lamb.” Some parents today, including Amber Heard, prefer the variant spelling Oonagh. 

Siobhan

Origin: Irish; French; Hebrew

Meaning: God is gracious

Siobhan, pronounced shi-VAWN, is the Irish form of Jehanne and Jeanne (French), which come from the Hebrew name Yohanan (John) and is composed of yo, meaning “God,” and hanan, meaning “gracious.”

Eabha

Origin: Irish; Hebrew

Meaning: Breathing; Full of life

Eabha, pronounced EE-vuh or AY-vuh, is the Irish form of Eve, which comes from the Hebrew name Ḥawwa and derives from the Hebrew word ḥawa, meaning “to breathe,” or ḥaya, meaning “to live.” 

Fiadh

Origin: Irish

Meaning: Wild animal; Deer; Respect

Fiadh, pronounced FEE-uh or FEE-ah, derives from the Irish word fia, meaning “wild animal,” “deer” or “respect.” It was the fifth most popular girls name in Ireland in 2024, per Ireland’s Central Statistics Office. 

Croia

Origin: Irish

Meaning: Heart

Croia, pronounced KROY-uh, comes directly from the Irish word croí, meaning “heart.” It was the 16th most popular girls name in Ireland in 2024 and is the name of Conor McGregor’s daughter, born in 2019.

Roisin

Origin: Irish

Meaning: Rose; Red flower

Roisin, pronounced ROH-sheen, is the Anglicized form of Róisín, which comes from the Irish word rós, meaning “rose flower.” It was the 33rd most popular girls name in Ireland in 2024, per Ireland’s CSO. 

Rylee

Origin: Irish; Old English

Meaning: Unknown; Rye clearing

Rylee, pronounced RYE-lee, is a variant of Riley, which is the Anglicized form of the surname Raghailligh and given name Raghailleach, of unknown meaning. In Old English, Riley translates to “rye clearing.” 

Rowyn

Origin: English; Irish

Meaning: Little red one; Rowan tree

Rowyn, pronounced ROH-win, is a variant of Rowan, the Anglicized form of Ruadhán that derives from the Old Irish element rúad, meaning “red.” It also refers to the rowan tree, known for its bright red berries.

Kennedy

Origin: Gaelic; Old Irish

Meaning: Armoured head; Misshapen head

Kennedy, pronounced KEH-nih-dee, derives from the Gaelic surname Ó Cinnéidigh and Old Irish byname Cennétig, itself composed of Irish elements cenn (“head) and étig (“misshapen”) or étiud (“armor”). 

Maeve

Origin: English; Irish

Meaning: Intoxicating; Warrior queen

Maeve, pronounced MAYV, is the Anglicized form of the Irish name Medb, meaning “intoxicating.” In Irish legend, Medb was a warrior queen of Connacht and the primary antagonist in “The Cattle Raid of Cooley.”

Quinn

Origin: Irish Gaelic; Old Irish

Meaning: Sensical; Reasonable; Chief; Leader

Quinn, pronounced KWIN, comes from the Irish Gaelic surname Ó Cuinn, which derives from the Old Irish given name Conn and word conn, meaning “sense” or “reason,” or cenn, meaning “head” or “chief.” 

Reagan

Origin: Old Irish

Meaning: Little king

Reagan, pronounced RAY-gin, derives from the Irish surname Ó Riagáin and given name Riagán, which comes from the Old Irish name Riacán and is possibly derived from the Old Irish word rí, meaning “king.”

Murphy

Origin: Irish

Meaning: Sea warrior; Descendant of Murchadh

Murphy, pronounced MUR-fee, comes from the Irish surname Ó Murchadha, meaning "descendant of Murchadh.” Murchadh is composed of the Old Irish elements muir, meaning “sea,” and cath, meaning “battle.” 

Delaney

Origin: Irish

Meaning: Dark challenger 

Delaney, pronounced duh-LAY-nee, is the Anglicized form of the Irish surname Ó Dubhshláine, meaning “descendant of Dubhshláine,” composed of the Irish elements dub (dark/black) and slán (challenger). 

Cadhla

Origin: Irish

Meaning: Beautiful

Cadhla, pronounced KYE-luh, derives from an Irish word meaning “beautiful.” It was the 116th most popular girls name in Ireland in 2024, but was given to less than five baby girls in the U.S. that same year.

Neasa

Origin: Old Irish

Meaning: Not nice

Neasa, pronounced NEE-suh, comes from the Old Irish name Ness. In Irish legend, Ness was the mother of Conchobar who was believed to be named Ní-assa, meaning “not nice,” for wanting to seek revenge. 

Oonagh

Origin: Old Irish

Meaning: Little lamb

Oonagh, pronounced OO-nah, is a variant of Una, which derives from the Old Irish word úan, meaning “lamb.” This is the name actress Amber Heard gave her first daughter Oonagh Paige, born in 2021. 

Nuala

Origin: Old Irish

Meaning: Blessed shoulder; Fair shoulder; Swan

Nuala, pronounced NEW-uh-lah or NWAH-luh, is a shortened form of Fionnuala, which is composed of the Old Irish elements finn, meaning “fair” or “blessed,” and gúala, meaning “shoulder.” In Irish legend, Fionnuala was one of four daughters who were transformed into swans. 

Orla

Origin: Old Irish

Meaning: Golden princess; Golden ruler

Orla, pronounced OHR-luh, is the Anglicized form of Órlaith, which is composed of the Old Irish elements ór, meaning “gold,” and flaith, meaning “ruler” or “princess.” Therefore, Orla means “golden princess.” 

Sorcha

Origin: Irish; Scottish Gaelic

Meaning: Radiant; Bright

Sorcha, pronounced SUR-kuh, comes from an Irish and Scottish Gaelic word meaning “radiant” and “bright.” It is also sometimes Anglicized as Sarah (moreso in Ireland) and Clara (moreso in Scotland).

Bridget

Origin: Old Irish

Meaning: The exalted one

Bridget, pronounced BRIH-jit, is the Anglicized form of the Irish name Brighid and Old Irish name Brigit, meaning “the exalted one.” In Irish mythology, Brighid is the goddess of fire, poetry and wisdom. 

Bevyn

Origin: English; Irish

Meaning: White woman

Bevyn, pronounced BEH-vin, is a variant of Bevin, which is the Anglicized form of Bébinn and derives from the Old Irish elements bé, meaning “woman,” and finn, meaning “fair,” “white” or “blessed.” 

Cliona

Origin: Irish

Meaning: Unknown; Beautiful goddess

Cliona, pronounced clee-OH-nuh, is a modern variant of Clíodhna, which is of Irish origin but of unknown meaning. In Irish legend, Cliodhna is a beautiful goddess who is swept to sea by a great wave. 

Deirdre

Origin: Old Irish

Meaning: Daughter; Broken-hearted

Deirdre, pronounced DEER-dree, comes from the Old Irish name Derdriu, believed to derive from the Old Irish word der, meaning “daughter.” In Irish legend, Deirdre was the wife of Conchobar who died of a broken heart. 

Eryn

Origin: Irish Gaelic

Meaning: Ireland; From Ireland; Of Irish descent

Eryn, pronounced AIR-in, is an Anglicized form of Éireann, which comes from the genitive case of Irish Gaelic Éire, meaning "Ireland.” It’s not to be confused with the Hebrew name Aaron, meaning “exalted.”

Fiona

Origin: Old Irish

Meaning: Fair; White; Blessed

Fiona, pronounced fee-OH-nuh, is the feminine form of Fionn, which comes from the Old Irish name Finn and the Old Irish word finn, meaning "white” or “blessed.” It was popularized by Princess Fiona in “Shrek.” 

Niamh

Origin: Old Irish

Meaning: Bright

Niamh, pronounced NEEV, comes directly from an Irish word meaning “bright.” In Irish legend, Niamh was the daughter of a sea god who fell in love with the poet Oisín, the son of legendary Fionn mac Cumhaill. 

Riona

Origin: Irish

Meaning: Queen; Queenly

Riona, pronounced ree-OH-nuh, is believed to mean “queenly,” possibly derived from the Irish word rí, meaning “king” or “kingly.” It can also be a shortened form of Catríona, the Irish form of Katherine. 

Shea

Origin: Old Irish

Meaning: Fine; Good; Favorable; Learned

Shea, pronounced SHAY, is the Anglicized form of Séaghdha, which comes from the Old Irish name Ségdae and is believed to derive from the Old Irish word ségda, meaning “fine,” “good” or “favorable.” 

Talulla

Origin: Old Irish

Meaning: Abundant princess

Talulla, pronounced tuh-LOO-luh, is the Anglicized form of the Old Irish name Taileflaith, which is believed to be composed of the Old Irish elements tuile, meaning “abundance,” and flaith, meaning “princess.” 

Triona

Origin: Irish; Greek

Meaning: Each of the two; Pure

Triona, pronounced TREE-nuh, is a shortened form of Caitríona, which is the Irish form of Katherine, meaning “each of the two” or “pure” in Greek. You could also pronounce it tree-OH-nuh for extra flare. 

Ciara

Origin: Old Irish

Meaning: Black

Ciara, pronounced KEE-ruh, is the feminine form of Ciar, which comes from the Irish word ciar, meaning “black.” Saint Ciara (also known as Ciera, Kiara and Ceara) was a holy woman and abbess in 7th-century Ireland.

Kiera

Origin: English; Old Irish

Meaning: Black

Kiera, pronounced KEE-ruh, is the Anglicized form of Ciara, which derives from the Irish word ciar, meaning “black.” Other variations of this name include Kira, Kiara, Keara, Ceara, Ciera and Cierra. 

Grania

Origin: Latin; Old Irish

Meaning: Grain; Hatred; Fear

Grania, pronounced GRAY-nee-uh, is a variant of Gráinne, which is believed to derive from the Old Irish word grán, meaning “grain,” or gráin, meaning “hatred” or “fear.” This name appears in Irish legend. 

Mairin

Origin: Irish; Hebrew

Meaning: Sea of bitterness; Wished for child

Mairin, pronounced MOHR-een, is an Irish diminutive of Mary, which comes from the Hebrew name Miryam, meaning “sea of bitterness” or “wished for child.” The English spelling of Mairin is Maureen. 

Fia

Origin: Old Irish

Meaning: Deer; Wild animal

Fia, pronounced FEE-uh or FEE-ah, comes directly from the Irish word fia, meaning “deer,” which is ultimately derived from the Old Irish word fiad, meaning “wild animal.” It can also be a short form of Sofia.

Aoife

Origin: Old Irish

Meaning: Beauty

Aoife, pronounced EE-fuh or EE-fah, comes from the Old Irish name Aífe and Old Irish word oíph, meaning “beauty.” This name is sometimes Anglicized as Eva and can be considered a variant of Eve. 

Neve

Origin: Old Irish

Meaning: Bright

Neve, pronounced NEEV, is the Anglicized form of Niamh, which comes from an Irish word meaning “bright.” In Irish legend, Niamh was the daughter of a sea god who fell in love with the poet Oisín.

Most Popular Irish Girl Names in Ireland

The names listed above are perfect examples of Irish girl names that would work in the United States. 

But have you ever wondered which names Irish parents prefer today? Don’t worry, that data exists!

Much like the Social Security Administration (SSA) records baby name data in the United States, the Central Statistics Office (CSO) maintains similar records for baby names in Ireland. 

For example, Irish girls names like Eabha, Fiadh and Croia all cracked the top-20 in Ireland in 2024. 

Other names (albeit not Irish girl names) listed in the top-20 in Ireland include Sophie, Grace, Emily, Lily, Olivia, Amelia, Mia, Isla, Ella and Emma — all of which also perform well in the United States. 

Here’s a full look at the top-20 most popular girl names in Ireland in 2024: 

As you can see, American parents don’t necessarily have to pick a name of Irish origin to fall in line with the names most Irish parents are giving their daughters today. 

But if you do, then names like Eabha, Fiadh and Croia are three of the most popular. 

ALSO ON MOD MOMS CLUB: 1000+ Baby Girl Names From Around the World

And if you need some extra inspiration when choosing a baby name for your daughter, then don’t hesitate to give our baby name generator a try. The right name is out there — and we can help you find it!