Traditional Irish Girls’ Names: A-C
Posted in: Irish First Names
While names like Erin, Colleen and Shannon are often thought of as Irish names, they are rarely encountered in Ireland and are not traditional names. They became popular instead in places to which Irish people emigrated, particularly the USA, probably out of nostalgia for the ‘home country’.
The names listed on these pages are mainly of Irish origin, some of them very old and dating back to pre-Christian Celtic times. Others are commonly encountered Irish versions of well known English names. Some are in common use still, although there has been a definite trend towards ‘International’ names in Ireland and a move away from the old ones.
Where meanings are known they are given, but the reality is that many names have been in use for centuries and, in spite of what you may read on other sites, have no clear meaning or definite origin.
Story of a Name: Aoife
The Children of Lir
In Irish legend Aoife was the second wife of King Lir, and was so jealous of his love for the four children of his first marriage (to her sister) that she lured them to a lakeside and turned them into swans.
She placed a curse on them that forced them to spend 300 years at that lake followed by 300 years on a river opening to a stormy sea and 300 years at a frozen lake in the North.
After 900 years, returned to human form, they realised with great sadness that all their beloved father and all their family were long dead.
Except Aoife that is – as punishment for her evil deed she had been turned into a crow, doomed to roam the world in that form eternally.
Irish Girl Names: Afric – Colleen
| Say | English | Origin/History | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Afric | Africk | Though it sounds like it should mean Africa, it doesn’t. It has been recorded as an Irish name as far back as the 11th Century and is still quite popular to-day. | |
| Aibreann | av-rawn | April, Avril | Aibreann is the Irish word for the month April. |
| Aideen | ay-deen | This is a variation of Etain. It is also sometimes used for girls whose fathers are called Aidan – the -een ending is a diminutive. Aidan comes from the old Irish aed which means ‘fire’ with the -een meaning small, so ‘little fire’ | |
| Ailbe | al-vah | Alva | From a translation into Irish of the Latin Alba meaning ‘white’. |
| Aileen | ay-leen | From the old Irish ‘ail’ meaning ‘noble.’. The -een is a diminutive, so little noble one. It is a variation of Eileen. | |
| Ailis Eilis | ay-lish | Alice, Elizabeth | Irish version of both Alice and Elizabeth |
| Aine | awn-ya | Anya Anne | Two origins: 1. An old Gaelic name meaning ‘radiance’ or ‘joy’. 2. Also used as the Irish equivalent of Anne. |
| Alannah | ah-lan-ah | Alana | From ‘leanbh’ the Irish word for child, this is an affectionate usage of ‘child’, often translated as ‘darling child’. |
| Alma | An early Irish name, used for both boys and girls, meaning ‘all good’. | ||
| Aoibheann | eve-een | Eavan | Aoibhinn means ‘lovely’, the name is also sometime a diminutive of Eve – ‘little Eve’. |
| Aoife | ee-fa | Eve | A very old Irish name meaning ‘beautiful or radiant’. May also come from Eve. |
| Ashling Aislinn | ash-ling | In Irish means ‘a vision or dream’. | |
| Aurnia | our-nia | Orla | A variation of Orla, meaning ‘Golden Lady’. The 12th century Irish chieftain Donal Óg MacCarthy had a daughter of this name. |
| Banba | An old name used for Ireland. I have never heard it used as a girls name in Ireland, but it has been suggested as one. | ||
| Betha | bay-thah | From the Irish word for ‘life’. | |
| Bláthnaid, Blánaid, Bláthnat | blaw-nid blaw-nat | Blath means ‘flower’, the name is generally understood to mean ‘little flower’. In Irish legend she was rescued by the hero Cuchulainn from an unhappy marriage but later killed by her husbands servant. | |
| Briana, Brianna | bree-a-nah | The female version of Brian meaning ‘hill’ though often said to be indicative of ‘noble or virtuous’. | |
| Brigid, Bridget | bridge-id | Brigit | The name comes from the Irish ‘brigh’ meaning ‘powerful’ or ‘high one’. While mostly associated with St Brigid, it is actually a much older Celtic name. In fact St Brigid predates Christianity too, and was the most important goddess of Celtic times. The stories told of saint and goddess are so intermingled as to be impossible to separate. Could it be they are one and the same? |
| Bronagh | brone-ah | Brona | ‘bronach ‘ means ’sad or sorrowful’ in Irish. Maudlin name to give a child one would think! |
| Caitlín | kate-lyn | Katherine | Irish versions of the English name. |
| cat-rio-nah | |||
| Caoilfhoinn | key-lin | Keelin | From the Irish words for ’slender’ and ‘fair’. Quite a few Irish saints had this name. |
| Caoimhe | qwee-vuh or key-vuh | Keva | From the Irish word ‘caomh’ which can variously mean ‘gentle, beautiful or graceful’. |
| Cara | car-ah | Kara | In Irish ‘cara’ means ‘friend.’ – Do Chara means Your Friend and thus the name of this site! |
| Cathleen | kath-leen | Kathleen | Irish variant of Katherine. Note that in Irish there is no letter K, so it will always be spelt with a C. |
| Catriona | cat-rio-nah | Katherine | Another Irish variant for Katherine. |
| Ciara | keyrah | Keera | Feminised version of Ciaran, meaning ‘dark’. |
| Cliona Clíodhna | klee-un-ah | From the Irish clodhna meaning ’shapely.’ In Celtic myth Clíodhna was an Irish Goddess who fell in love with Caibhan (Kevin) a mortal. | |
| Clodagh | klodah | Thought to be related to the name of a river in Tipperary (The Clody). Many Irish rivers were named after Celtic Gods and Goddesses, but if there was a Goddess known as Clodagh nothing is known of her. | |
| Colleen | kolleen | A phonetic pronunciation of the Irish word ‘cailín’, meaning girl. Rarely used as a name in Ireland, but popular in Irish communities in the USA and elsewhere. |
My Name Means GIRL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Why is my name not there and my sisters is
that’s all a lie that’s not all the names my name is irish and there are others why can no one on these site’s get facts staright?
My name is Keelyn and my name is also spelled keelin. In irish it is Caolifhoinn. It means fair and slender! Whoot which is just what i am!
Kelsey isn’t an irish name!!!
It’s a good list, no one could make an exhaustive list ffs.
I am the only person I know with my name!
It means Lovely!!
My brothers have just agreed that all web pages lie… aren’t they sweet.
Yeah well Cillian means victorious champion!!
And Tierney means lord of the household!!
So there!!
(Kelsey is not an Irish name..)
Kelsey is not an Irish name; there is no “K” in the Irish language…
I like this list, there are alot more traditional names out there but you’ve collected a nit bunch (especially Bronagh, I’m the only person I know that has this name) Good job.
Thank you so much for the list. I am in the prosses of writing a book that has 200 year old Irish names. I was able to find the right one for the main caracter. Aoife. Thanks again.
My name is Adine im from dubin, Ireland. I dont know anyone else who spells there name in this way. It is another form or at least is pronounced the same as Aideen which is the common english spelling of the name. The irish spelling is Eadaoine.
Kelsey is definetly not an irish name!!
) sorry to disapoint you
Kelsey: perhaps the choice of name by your parents was inspired by “Kells” (literally from “cill” – church – a popular place-name component in Ireland – Kilkenny, Kells – and also the name of the famous manuscript) or “Celts”? Sort of like an adjectival form.
Also: I understand Kelsey is often related to “Casey” (much as many Gaelic names in common practice are anglicised to others in Ireland, even if they are not strictly identical – e.g. Denis and Donnchadh – and vice versa; this has been done for centuries, for simple convenience, phonetic similarity etc.); and Casey is of definite gaelic origin.
Aoibhinn is my name and I just love it. Kelsey is a place in Scotland not usually a name but a nice one all the same.
La Gra
Sorry, but Ciara is not the feminised version of Ciaran.
Clodagh is named after the river clodagh in tipperary not the clody as far as i know there is no such river.
Also Kelsey isnt an irish name.