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Irish names

74 replies

Invisiblewoman1 · 25/01/2022 15:15

Hi all,
Can you hit me with a list of good Irish names for boys and girls please
Thanks

OP posts:
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CrimbleCrumble1 · 25/01/2022 15:17

Ursula
Mary
Patrick
Seamus
Jack

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Dubgirl1212 · 25/01/2022 15:26

Sadhbh
Moya
Niamh
Ciara
Aoife
Aoibheann
Doireann
Ceadaoin
Erin
Beibhinn
Caoimhe


Rian
Senan
Donnacha
Sean
Odhran
Tadhg
Cillian

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Tullig · 26/01/2022 11:23

Attracta, Assumpta, Concepta, and Gobnait.

Come on, OP. You’ll need to say a bit more about what you like to get useful responses.

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Bluemamma · 26/01/2022 11:44

I have a Sean so obviously love that name. I do also live Conor and Cillian

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Leslienope · 26/01/2022 11:46

Maeve and Aoife. LOVE them both

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miltonj · 26/01/2022 11:49

Sean
Liam
Seamus
Patrick
Ciaren
Ciara
Niamh
Aoife

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chaos76 · 26/01/2022 11:56
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whosaidtha · 26/01/2022 11:59

Ireland is a whole country with a wide and varied amount of names.
Are you Irish? In which case you should know a lot of Irish names. If not Why do you want an Irish name?

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airedailleurs · 26/01/2022 12:01
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Invisiblewoman1 · 26/01/2022 12:37

My partners mother was Irish. She has passed away and he’s not in touch with any of her family. So we would like an Irish name but no family to talk to about it

OP posts:
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MindyStClaire · 26/01/2022 12:43

There's loads of lovely Irish names. I presume in the circumstances you want something that's not too difficult for people who don't speak Irish?

I like:

Aoife (ee-fa)
Niamh (need, nee-uv or somewhere in between)
Aisling (ash ling)


Cormac
Conor
Lorcan
Seán

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Ballcactus · 26/01/2022 12:49

I have an Aoife and a Daragh

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yodaforpresident · 26/01/2022 12:56

Are there regional variations?

I have only ever heard Niamh as neve and Aisling as Ashlean.

Dolores? Maire? Sibheil? Roisin?

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irishfarmer · 26/01/2022 12:58

@airedailleurs this might give you a laugh

@Tullig I was like where is she going with those names are your 80 year old Gran Aunt

@Invisiblewoman1 I think it's nice you want to honour your MIL.
I would be thinking the easier Irish names or ones that have gained popularity outside Ireland in recent years so that people can say them easily, if not always spell them correctly:

Sean
Eoin
Patrick
Tadhg
Finn
Flynn
Oscar
Liam
Ciaran
Cillian


Ciara
Niamh
Cara
Saoirse - is it known enough from Saoirse Ronan?
Enya
Alanna
Shauna
Orla

If you like the sound of any of those, google their meaning, most have lovely meaning

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irishfarmer · 26/01/2022 13:02

@yodaforpresident I'm not the best person to ask as I am not an Irish speaker. But there wouldn't imo be massive variations from different regions, more so accents/ dialects. One I can think that stands out is Saoirse, some say Seer-sha, some say Sore-sha

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Tullig · 26/01/2022 13:09

[quote irishfarmer]@yodaforpresident I'm not the best person to ask as I am not an Irish speaker. But there wouldn't imo be massive variations from different regions, more so accents/ dialects. One I can think that stands out is Saoirse, some say Seer-sha, some say Sore-sha[/quote]
That’s a mistake, though, @irishfarmer, though you’re entirely right that there are people who’ve done it. Aoi is always (roughly — it doesn’t really map into English) ee— as in Aoife, Caoimhe, Laois.

They’re confusing Saoirse with Seoirse (George).

I think Attracta is due a revival. I actually have a 40 something friend who says she’s ‘the last of the Conceptas’, because the rest are all 70+.

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airedailleurs · 26/01/2022 13:14

[quote irishfarmer]@airedailleurs this might give you a laugh

@Tullig I was like where is she going with those names are your 80 year old Gran Aunt

@Invisiblewoman1 I think it's nice you want to honour your MIL.
I would be thinking the easier Irish names or ones that have gained popularity outside Ireland in recent years so that people can say them easily, if not always spell them correctly:

Sean
Eoin
Patrick
Tadhg
Finn
Flynn
Oscar
Liam
Ciaran
Cillian

Ciara
Niamh
Cara
Saoirse - is it known enough from Saoirse Ronan?
Enya
Alanna
Shauna
Orla

If you like the sound of any of those, google their meaning, most have lovely meaning[/quote]
Excellent!

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eggandonion · 26/01/2022 13:19

What was mils name, or her parents names? There might be Irish versions.
Pronunciation varies a lot! Even Jack is pronounced differently in Cork and Belfast!

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MindyStClaire · 26/01/2022 18:26

@yodaforpresident

Are there regional variations?

I have only ever heard Niamh as neve and Aisling as Ashlean.

Dolores? Maire? Sibheil? Roisin?

Huge regional variations. I hear both for Niamh (and it's subtle in fairness).

For Aisling, I say Ashling, I live in NI now and lots of people say Ashleen, but then that's how they pronounce lots of English words ending in een too.

See also Caoimhe as queeva Vs keeva. Both correct, and both lovely (if possibly not what OP is after).

Then there's the widespread mispronunciations (Sorcha, Saoirse, Seoirse, Aoibheann).

Not to mention anglicisations both old (Maeve, Shaun) and more recent (Caitlin).
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eggandonion · 26/01/2022 19:05

If you do leaving certificate irish, the listening part has assorted accents. Where I live Niamh is more nave than neev. So my kids have a cousin pronounced in one way and a friend pronounced differently.

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SoLongDarla · 26/01/2022 19:13

@Invisiblewoman1

My partners mother was Irish. She has passed away and he’s not in touch with any of her family. So we would like an Irish name but no family to talk to about it

If not based in Ireland I'd go for one of the ones that is easier to pronounce/spell.

  • Clodagh
  • Cara
  • Aisling
  • Orlagh
  • Sinead
  • Emer
  • Erin
  • Oonagh/Una


  • Conor
  • Sean
  • Seamus
  • Liam
  • Darragh
  • Ronan
  • Cormac
  • Ciaran
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Classica · 26/01/2022 20:13

Emer (rhymes with lemur) is a good one as it's simple but not the usual Aoife/Niamh that you find in the UK.

I love Ferdia for a boy. An easy one for people to pronounce too even if they've never seen it before.

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RogerDodger · 26/01/2022 20:20

What Irish names have you heard and liked OP?

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Tullig · 26/01/2022 20:28

@Classica

Emer (rhymes with lemur) is a good one as it's simple but not the usual Aoife/Niamh that you find in the UK.

I love Ferdia for a boy. An easy one for people to pronounce too even if they've never seen it before.

DS was nearly Ferdia. I love it.
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