Irish Baby Girl Names

From LoveToKnow Baby

Choosing from a selection of Irish baby girl names can pose some challenges. Many lovely designations from this rich culture have endured for many centuries while others have virtually disappeared. Irish baby names have become a source of great inspiration for many new parents who want to embrace old traditions.

New Traditions

It is never too late to start a new tradition and this includes selecting a meaningful name for your little girl. Many Celtic baby names hearken back to generations past, and some go back for many centuries. Introducing a new family tradition that is reminiscent of Irish culture takes some consideration.

History

Irish settlers spoke Gaelic, which is a division of the Celtic language. Many people migrated from various regions including France (formerly Gaul) and Spain. Other cultures settling in the region included English, Viking, Norman and Celtic.

Since so many different cultures were coming together in this region, many Irish names related to physical appearance. Other themes included nature, magic, fairies, war, sun worship, animals and Irish folklore.

Contemporary Twists

No one speaks the Irish language exclusively anymore, and the decline of this language is evident in the Anglicized versions of traditional Irish names. It is important to note that many people are fluent in Irish today.

You may want to consider embracing an old Celtic name rather than a translated version. For example, Ann is often used to replace the traditional name Aine. However, they are two completely different names with two completely different meanings.

Gaelic or Anglican

One of the toughest decisions to make is whether to select a name that stays true to Gaelic tradition, or to select one that has been altered to Anglican form. You can create a new tradition by selecting an unusual Irish girl name carefully paired with a meaningful middle name. Add a piece of Celtic jewelry as a gift for your little one to pass down to her children.

Pronunciation and spelling are considerations that should be taken seriously. Traditional baby girl names have unusual spellings and pronunciations. For example, Aibreann is pronounced av-rawn.

Classic Irish Baby Girl Names

Following is a chart of classic Irish names for girls. The list is by no way comprehensive but it may provide some inspiration.

**Suggested Irish Baby Girl Names**
Traditional	Pronunciation	Anglicized	Meaning
Afric	africk	none	11th century Irish name
Aibreann	av-rawn	April	Month of April
Aine	awn-ya	Ann, Anne	Radiance or joy
Aoibheann	eve-een	Eavan	Lovely
Aoife	ee-fa	Eve	Beautiful or radiant
Bláthnaid	blaw-nid	none	Little flower
Briana	bree-a-nah	none	Hill
Brigid	bridge-id	Bridget	Powerful
Caitlín	kate-lyn	Katherine	Pure
Ciara	keyrah	Keera	Dark
Doireann	dirren	Darina	Fruitful or sullen
Dubheasa	duv-eesa	None	Dark beauty
Eilís	isle-esh	Elizabeth	“My God is a vow”
Ethna	eth-nah	Annie	Little Fire
Isolde	ee-solde	none	May refer to the Celtic Goddess Adsulata
Maebh	may-vuh	Maeve	Bringer of great joy
Muadnait	mwa-naht	Monica	Little noble one
Niamh	neev	Neve	Radiance or brilliance
Orlaith	or-la	Orla	Gold
Rionach	ria-nock	Riona	Regal
Róisín	roe-sheen	Rosaleen	Little rose
Saoirse	seersha	none	Freedom
Sinéad	shin-aid	none	Unknown
Sorcha	sork-ah	none	Medieval Irish name
Talulla	ta-lu-lah	Tallulah	Prosperous lady, abundance
Una	oona	Winifred	Lamb or one
Zaira	zai-ra	Sara	Radiance

More Information

More information about traditional Irish baby girl names is available online. Whether you are searching for an unusual designation for your child or a meaningful middle name, old Irish names are wonderful selections. Sources for more names and background information are available on the following sites: