Irish boy names
Irish names run from world-beating Liam to quietly mythological Oisín. This page covers the names inside the current U.S. top 100, the near misses, the traditional Gaelic spellings, and the anglicised classics — with honest pronunciation for all of them.
Irish names in the U.S. top 100
- #1LiamLEE-umIrish
Resolute protector. Short for Uilliam (William); the #1 boy name in the U.S.
- #59RowanROH-ənIrish
Little red one; also the rowan tree. Gender-neutral and rising.
- #62AidenAY-denIrish
Little fire, from Aodhán. This respelling now outranks the traditional Aidan in the U.S.
- #65NolanNOH-lənIrish
Descendant of the champion. A surname name that outgrew its surname.
- #99RyanRY-ənIrish
Little king (traditional gloss). From the surname Ó Riain — an Irish import that has been an American staple for decades.
Just outside the U.S. top 100
Three names Americans know well that sit outside the current U.S. top 100 — each of them far better established in Ireland than its American showing suggests.
- FinnFINIrish
Fair, white. The legendary hero Fionn mac Cumhaill, leader of the Fianna.
- DeclanDEK-lənIrish
Man of prayer (traditional gloss). A 5th-century saint of Ardmore, and a fixture of the Irish top 50.
- RoryROR-eeIrish
Red king. From Ruairí, the name of Ireland's last High King.
Traditional Gaelic names
These use Irish spelling conventions — worth learning, because the sound is often simpler than the spelling. Tadhg is one syllable; Oisín is two.
- CillianKIL-ee-ənIrish
Little church; bright-headed. Actor Cillian Murphy made the Irish spelling mainstream.
- CianKEE-ənIrish
Ancient, enduring. A hero of the mythological Tuatha Dé Danann.
- EoinOH-inIrish
God is gracious. The Irish form of John; Owen is the anglicised twin.
- Oisínuh-SHEENIrish
Little deer. The warrior-poet son of Fionn in Irish legend.
- TadhgTYGIrish
Poet, philosopher. So common historically that 'Tadhg' meant 'the man in the street'.
- CormacKOR-məkIrish
Charioteer (traditional gloss). Cormac mac Airt was Ireland's wisest legendary king.
- NiallNEE-əlIrish
Champion; cloud. Niall of the Nine Hostages, ancestor of the O'Neills.
- LorcanLOR-kənIrish
Little fierce one. A saint's name with real bite.
- SéamusSHAY-məsIrish
Supplanter. The Irish form of James; poet Séamus Heaney's name.
- RuairíROR-eeIrish
Red king. The original spelling behind Rory.
Anglicised Irish classics
- AidanAY-dənIrish
Little fire. From Aodhán; the saint who founded Lindisfarne.
- BrendanBREN-dənIrish
Prince. St Brendan the Navigator, said to have sailed to America.
- ConorKON-ərIrish
Lover of hounds. The most popular boy's name in Ireland for much of the 1990s.
- KevinKEV-inIrish
Handsome birth. From Caoimhín, the hermit-saint of Glendalough.
- OwenOH-ənIrish
Well-born; the anglicised Eoin/Eoghan.
- PatrickPAT-rikIrish
Nobleman (from Latin Patricius). Ireland's patron saint — actually born in Britain.
- RonanROH-nənIrish
Little seal. Borne by twelve Irish saints.
- SeanSHAWNIrish
God is gracious. The Irish John, via Norman French Jehan.
- ShaneSHAYNIrish
An anglicised form of Seán with a cowboy-film résumé.
- FergusFUR-gəsIrish
Man of vigour. A king's name in the Ulster Cycle.
How Irish naming works
Traditional Irish families followed a strict pattern: the first son took the father's father's name, the second son the mother's father's, the third the father's own. That's why the same names — Patrick, Séamus, Seán — recur down generations of one family.
Modern Irish parents increasingly choose the Gaelic spelling (Cillian over Killian, Eoin over Owen) as a statement of heritage. Both work internationally; the Gaelic form just takes one extra explanation at passport control.