Find the one.
Every name given to Irish babies since 1964, with pronunciation, meaning and the real CSO numbers.
Fiadh
FEE-a · wild, or deer
#1 girls' name in 2025, spellings combined
Top names in Ireland 2025
Name of the day
Aengus
AYN-gus Means usually explained as "one strength"
Aengus, son of the Dagda and Boann, fell in love with a girl he saw only in his dreams. He found her at last as a swan on a lake, took swan form himself, and flew away with her.
Name of the day
Aidan
AY-dan Means little fire
Aidan, an Irish monk from Iona, was sent to Northumbria in the seventh century. He founded the monastery on Lindisfarne and walked the countryside preaching, earning the title Apostle of Northumbria.
Name of the day
Ailbhe
AL-va Means uncertain
Saint Ailbe was remembered as the first bishop of Emly in Munster and one of the four great patron saints of Ireland. Later Welsh tradition said he baptised Saint David.
Name of the day
Áine
AWN-ya Means radiance
Áine was a goddess of summer and plenty, linked with the hill of Cnoc Áine (Knockainey) in County Limerick. On Saint John's Eve people carried burning bundles of straw around the hill and through the fields for luck.
Name of the day
Andrew
AN-droo Means manly
Andrew was a fisherman on the Sea of Galilee and the brother of Simon Peter, and among the first to follow Jesus. Tradition says he was put to death on an X-shaped cross, the saltire on the flag of Scotland.
Name of the day
Anna
AN-a Means grace, favour
Christian tradition, drawn from writings outside the Bible, names Anna, or Anne, as the mother of the Virgin Mary. She shares a feast day with her husband Joachim on 26 July.
Name of the day
Anthony
AN-tho-nee Means uncertain
Saint Anthony of Padua was a Franciscan friar and preacher of the thirteenth century. He is widely asked for help in finding lost things, a custom well known in Ireland.
Name of the day
Aodhán
AY-dawn Means little fire
Aodhán, an Irish monk of Iona, was sent to Northumbria at King Oswald's request in 635. He founded the monastery on Lindisfarne and walked the countryside preaching until his death in 651.
Name of the day
Aoife
EE-fa Means possibly "beauty, radiance"
In the tale of the Children of Lir, their jealous stepmother Aoife turned the four children into swans, and they spent nine hundred years on the waters of Ireland.
Name of the day
Aonghus
AYN-gus Means usually explained as "one strength"
Aonghus, son of the Dagda and Boann, fell in love with a girl he saw only in his dreams. He found her at last as a swan on a lake, took swan form himself, and flew away with her.
Name of the day
Arianna
ar-ee-AN-a Means usually explained as "most holy"
Ariadne, daughter of King Minos of Crete, gave the hero Theseus a ball of thread so that he could find his way out of the labyrinth after killing the Minotaur.
Name of the day
Arthur
AR-thur Means uncertain, often linked with "bear"
In medieval legend Arthur is the king of the Britons who gathers his knights around the Round Table at Camelot. In many versions he proves his right to rule by drawing a sword from a stone.
Name of the day
Aurora
a-ROR-a Means dawn
Aurora, the Roman goddess of the dawn, drove across the sky each morning to announce the rising sun. Her tears were said to fall as the morning dew.
Name of the day
Barra
BAR-a Means fair head
Saint Finbarr, also called Barra, founded a monastery on a cliff above the River Lee around 606. The settlement that grew around it became the city of Cork.
Name of the day
Béibhinn
BAY-vin Means melodious woman
In Irish myth Béibhinn is a goddess linked with birth, and a sister of Boann, the goddess of the Boyne. In the Fenian tales a tall, beautiful giantess of this name comes to the Fianna asking for their protection.
Name of the day
Bláthnaid
BLAW-nid Means little flower
Bláthnat was carried off by the warrior Cú Roí, though she loved Cú Chulainn. She later betrayed her husband by pouring milk into a river as a signal, and Cú Chulainn came and killed him.
Name of the day
Brendan
BREN-dan Means prince
Saint Brendan and his monks are said to have sailed the Atlantic for seven years in search of the Promised Land of the Saints. On one island they lit a fire, and the island moved: it was a great whale.
Name of the day
Bríd
BREED Means high, exalted
St Brigid asked the king of Leinster for land for her monastery at Kildare, and he offered as much as her cloak would cover. When her companions spread it out, the cloak grew until it covered acres of ground.
Name of the day
Bridget
BRIJ-it Means usually explained as "strength" or "exalted one"
Saint Brigid asked the king of Leinster for land to build her church in Kildare. He offered as much as her cloak would cover, and the cloak spread out across the whole Curragh.
Name of the day
Bronagh
BROH-na Means usually linked to brónach, "sorrowful"
Saint Brónach founded a church at Kilbroney, near Rostrevor in County Down, and her bell is said to have warned sailors of storms on Carlingford Lough. An old bell was later found in the branches of a fallen oak in the churchyard.
Name of the day
Callum
KAL-um Means dove
Colm Cille, born in Tír Chonaill in the north-west of Ireland, sailed with twelve companions to Iona around 563 and founded an abbey there. From Iona his monks carried Christianity into what became Scotland.
Name of the day
Calum
KAL-um Means dove
St Columba, Colm Cille in Irish, sailed from Ireland in 563 and founded a monastery on the island of Iona. From there his monks carried Christianity across Scotland.
Name of the day
Caoimhín
KEE-veen Means usually explained as "gentle birth" or "dear one"
Saint Kevin was praying at Glendalough with his arms outstretched when a blackbird built her nest in his open hand. He held still until the eggs had hatched and the chicks had flown.
Name of the day
Catherine
KATH-rin Means uncertain, long linked with "pure"
Saint Catherine of Alexandria was an early Christian martyr. The spiked wheel she was sentenced to gave its name to the Catherine wheel firework.
Name of the day
Cecilia
sih-SEE-lee-a Means from a roman family name, possibly linked to caecus (blind)
Saint Cecilia was a Roman martyr of the early church. The story goes that at her wedding, while the musicians played, she sang to God in her heart, and so she became the patron saint of music.
Name of the day
Christopher
KRIS-ta-fer Means bearer of christ
Legend tells of a giant who carried travellers across a dangerous river. One night a small child grew so heavy on his shoulders that he barely reached the far bank, and the child revealed himself as Christ.
Name of the day
Cian
KEE-an Means ancient, enduring
Cian of the Tuatha Dé Danann was the father of the hero Lugh. When the sons of Tuireann killed him, Lugh demanded a string of near-impossible treasures from them as the price of his father's death.
Name of the day
Ciarán
KEER-awn Means little dark one
Saint Ciarán founded the monastery of Clonmacnoise on the River Shannon in 544 and died of plague only months later. Tradition says the hide of his dun cow was used for the Book of the Dun Cow.
Name of the day
Cillian
KILL-ee-un Means uncertain, perhaps "church" or "strife"
Kilian, an Irish monk, went as a missionary bishop to Franconia, in what is now Germany, in the later 600s. He is honoured there as the Apostle of Franconia, with a feast day on 8 July.
Name of the day
Clara
KLAR-a Means bright, clear
Saint Clare of Assisi, a follower of Saint Francis, gave up a privileged background to live in poverty. She founded the order of nuns known as the Poor Clares.
Name of the day
Clíodhna
KLEE-uh-na Means uncertain
Clíodhna left the otherworld with a mortal lover, Ciabhán, and was swept away by a great wave. The waves near Glandore in west Cork are still called Tonn Chlíodhna, Clíodhna's Wave.
Name of the day
Colm
KUL-um Means dove
Colm Cille, born in Donegal in 521, sailed to Scotland and founded the monastery of Iona around 563. Tradition links his leaving Ireland to a quarrel over a book of psalms he had copied.
Name of the day
Conall
KON-al Means from old celtic words for "hound" and "chief"
Conall Cernach was a hero of the Ulster Cycle and Cú Chulainn's sworn companion. When Cú Chulainn was killed, Conall hunted down his killers and took their heads.
Name of the day
Conan
KOH-nan Means usually explained as "little hound"
Conán Maol, "the bald", was the loud, greedy troublemaker of the Fianna, always picking quarrels. For all that, he stayed loyal to Fionn mac Cumhaill and fought bravely.
Name of the day
Conn
KON Means uncertain
Conn of the Hundred Battles is a half-legendary High King of Ireland. Tradition says he gave his name to Leth Cuinn, the northern half of Ireland.
Name of the day
Connor
KON-or Means usually explained as "lover of hounds"
Conchobar mac Nessa was king of Ulster at Emain Macha in the Ulster Cycle. Deirdre, promised to him as a bride, fled to Scotland with Naoise, and the tale of her sorrow is one of the best known in Irish legend.
Name of the day
Conor
KON-ur Means usually explained as "lover of hounds"
Conchobar mac Nessa, king of Ulster, raised Deirdre in secret to be his bride. She ran away with the young warrior Naoise instead, and the king's revenge makes hers one of the saddest tales in Irish legend.
Name of the day
Cormac
KOR-mak Means possibly "son of the chariot"
Cormac mac Airt is the most famous High King of Irish legend. He ruled from Tara and was remembered above all for his wisdom and fair judgements.
Name of the day
Culann
KUL-an Means uncertain
The boy Sétanta killed the fierce hound of Culann the smith when it attacked him. He offered to guard Culann's house in its place until a new dog was reared, and so he was named Cú Chulainn, the hound of Culann.
Name of the day
Dáire
DAW-ra Means uncertain
Dáire mac Fiachna owned the Brown Bull of Cooley. He agreed to lend it to Queen Medb, but changed his mind when her messenger boasted the bull would have been taken anyway, and the Táin began.
Name of the day
Daithí
DAH-hee Means swiftness, nimbleness
Legend says Dathí, a fifth-century king, was killed by lightning while campaigning in the Alps. Historians suspect the story was borrowed from an older tale.
Name of the day
Deaglan
DAG-lawn Means uncertain, sometimes given as "full of goodness"
St Declan is said to have preached in Munster before St Patrick arrived, and he founded the monastery at Ardmore in Co. Waterford. Tradition says a boulder on the beach there carried his bell across the sea.
Name of the day
Declan
DEK-lan Means uncertain, sometimes given as "full of goodness"
St Declan founded a monastery at Ardmore in Co. Waterford and is said to have preached in Munster before St Patrick came. A boulder on the beach there, St Declan's Stone, is said to have carried his bell across the sea.
Name of the day
Deirdre
DAIR-dra Means uncertain
Before Deirdre was born, the druid Cathbad foretold that she would bring bloodshed to Ulster. King Conchobar raised her to be his bride, but she fled to Scotland with the young warrior Naoise, and his killing on their return led to her own death.
Name of the day
Diana
dye-AN-a Means divine
Diana was the Roman goddess of the hunt, the moon and wild places, and the twin sister of Apollo. The Greeks knew her as Artemis.
Name of the day
Diarmuid
DEER-mid Means uncertain, perhaps "without envy"
Diarmuid of the Fianna carried a love spot that no woman could resist. Gráinne, promised to Fionn mac Cumhaill, bound him to run away with her, and Fionn hunted them across Ireland for years.
Name of the day
Dominic
DOM-in-ik Means of the lord
Saint Dominic, a Spanish priest of the early 1200s, founded the Order of Preachers, known as the Dominicans, to preach and teach across Europe.
Name of the day
Dylan
DIL-an Means uncertain, often linked with the sea
In the Welsh Mabinogi, Dylan, son of Arianrhod, plunged into the sea as soon as he was baptised and swam like a fish. He was later killed by a blow from his uncle Gofannon.
Name of the day
Éadaoin
AY-deen Means usually explained as a pet form of ét (passion, jealousy)
Étaín, wife of Midir, was turned into a scarlet fly by his jealous first wife. She fell into a cup of wine, was swallowed, and was born again a thousand years later.
Name of the day
Éanna
AY-na Means uncertain
Tradition says Éanna was a warrior until his sister Fanchea, an abbess, turned him to the religious life. He went on to found a monastery on Inis Mór, in the Aran Islands, around 484.
Name of the day
Eimear
EE-mer Means uncertain
Emer would not marry Cú Chulainn until his deeds were worthy of her. Her father sent him to train with the warrior woman Scáthach, hoping he would not return, but he came back and won her.
Name of the day
Eithne
EN-ya Means traditionally "kernel" or "grain"
In Irish myth Eithne is the daughter of Balor, king of the Fomorians. Her son Lugh grew up to kill his grandfather Balor in battle.
Name of the day
Emer
EE-mer Means uncertain
Cú Chulainn courted Emer with riddles, and her father Forgall sent him to train with the warrior woman Scáthach, hoping he would not come back. He returned a great warrior, stormed Forgall's fortress and carried Emer away.
Name of the day
Ferdia
FER-dee-a Means uncertain
Ferdia and Cú Chulainn trained together under the warrior woman Scáthach and were as close as brothers. In the Táin they were set against each other at a ford, and after days of combat Cú Chulainn killed him with the barbed spear, the Gáe Bolga.
Name of the day
Fiachra
FEE-akh-ra Means usually explained as "fighting king"
Fiachra is one of the four Children of Lir, turned into swans by their jealous stepmother Aoife. They spent nine hundred years on the lakes and seas of Ireland before the spell was broken.
Name of the day
Finn
FIN Means fair, bright, as the old spelling of fionn
Finn McCool is said to have built the Giant's Causeway to reach Scotland and fight the giant Benandonner. When he saw how big his rival was, his wife Oonagh hid him in a cradle, and the Scottish giant fled at the size of the 'baby'.
Name of the day
Fionn
FYUN Means fair, bright
Fionn mac Cumhaill burned his thumb cooking the Salmon of Knowledge, sucked it, and gained all the wisdom of the world.
Name of the day
Fionnán
FIN-awn Means usually explained as "little fair one"
Finnian of Clonard, one of the saints whose name is written Fionnán in Irish, founded a great monastery at Clonard in the sixth century, and many later saints are said to have studied there.
Name of the day
Fionnuala
fin-OO-la Means fair shoulder
Fionnuala and her three brothers, the children of Lir, were turned into swans by their jealous stepmother Aoife. They spent 900 years on the lakes and seas of Ireland before the spell was broken.
Name of the day
Fódhla
FOH-la Means a goddess of ireland, and a poetic name for ireland itself
Fódla and her sisters Ériu and Banba each asked the Milesian poet Amergin to name Ireland after her. Ériu won, but the poets say all three were granted their wish.
Name of the day
Francis
FRAN-sis Means a frank, or frenchman
Saint Francis of Assisi gave up a rich merchant's life to live in poverty. He is remembered for his love of animals and for preaching to the birds.
Name of the day
Freya
FRAY-a Means lady
In Norse myth the goddess Freyja rides in a chariot drawn by two cats and owns the necklace Brísingamen. When her husband Óðr is away, she weeps tears of red gold.
Name of the day
Gabriel
GAY-bree-el Means usually explained as "god is my strength"
The angel Gabriel was sent to Nazareth to tell Mary she would bear a son. In Luke's gospel he also tells the priest Zechariah that his wife will give birth to John the Baptist.
Name of the day
George
JORJ Means farmer
Saint George was a soldier martyred in the early fourth century. Medieval storytellers added the famous tale of him killing a dragon.
Name of the day
Gerard
JER-ard Means brave spear
Saint Gerard Majella was an Italian lay brother of the 1700s, remembered for his care of the poor and the sick. He is the patron saint of mothers and expectant mothers.
Name of the day
Gráinne
GRAWN-ya Means uncertain
Gráinne, daughter of the high king Cormac mac Airt, was promised to the ageing Fionn mac Cumhaill. At the feast she put a geis on the young warrior Diarmuid, and the pair fled with Fionn in pursuit.
Name of the day
Helen
HEL-en Means uncertain, from the greek helenē
In Greek legend Helen, daughter of Zeus and Leda, was said to be the most beautiful woman in the world. When Paris carried her off to Troy, the Greeks went to war to bring her back.
Name of the day
Helena
HEL-e-na Means a form of helen, whose meaning is uncertain
Saint Helena was the mother of the Roman emperor Constantine. Tradition says that on a journey to Jerusalem she found the cross on which Jesus was crucified.
Name of the day
Iarlaith
EER-la Means uncertain
Saint Brendan is said to have told the ageing Iarlaith to travel until a wheel of his chariot broke, and to settle there. It broke at Tuam, where he founded his church and school.
Name of the day
Íde
EE-da Means traditionally explained as "thirst for holiness"
Saint Íde founded a community at Killeedy in County Limerick. She is said to have fostered the infant Brendan, later Brendan the Navigator, and raised him until he was six.
Name of the day
Iris
EYE-ris Means rainbow
In Greek myth Iris was the goddess of the rainbow and a messenger who carried word from the gods to the world below.
Name of the day
James
JAYMZ Means the same name as jacob, tied to the hebrew word for "heel"
James the Greater was one of the twelve apostles and the first of them to die as a martyr. Tradition holds that his remains lie at Santiago de Compostela in Spain, the goal of the Camino pilgrimage.
Name of the day
Jason
JAY-sun Means healer
Jason led the Argonauts on a voyage to Colchis to win the Golden Fleece from King Aeëtes and bring it home for his uncle Pelias.
Name of the day
John
JON Means usually explained as "god is gracious"
John the Baptist preached by the river Jordan and baptised Jesus there. Another John, one of the twelve apostles, is traditionally held to be the author of the fourth Gospel.
Name of the day
Joseph
JOE-sef Means god shall add
Saint Joseph was the carpenter of Nazareth and husband of Mary, the mother of Jesus. In the Gospel of Matthew he is warned in a dream and takes his family to safety in Egypt.
Name of the day
Jude
JOOD Means usually explained as "praised"
Saint Jude, also called Thaddeus, was one of the twelve apostles. He is known as the patron saint of lost and desperate causes.
Name of the day
Kevin
KEV-in Means usually explained as "dear birth"
Saint Kevin of Glendalough was praying with his arms outstretched when a blackbird laid her eggs in his open hand. He is said to have stayed still until the chicks had hatched.
Name of the day
Kieran
KEER-an Means little dark one
Saint Ciarán founded the great monastery of Clonmacnoise, beside the Shannon, in the sixth century. It became one of the most important centres of learning in early Ireland.
Name of the day
Killian
KIL-ee-an Means uncertain, possibly "strife" or "church"
Saint Kilian was an Irish missionary bishop who went to Würzburg in Franconia. Tradition says he was killed there around 689 after telling the local duke that his marriage was unlawful.
Name of the day
Lorcan
LOR-kan Means often explained as "little fierce one"
Lorcán Ua Tuathail, Archbishop of Dublin, worked as a peacemaker between the Irish, the Norse of Dublin and the Normans in the 1170s. He died in Normandy in 1180, and his heart is kept in Christ Church Cathedral.
Name of the day
Lucia
loo-SEE-a Means usually linked to latin lux (light)
Saint Lucy was a young Christian of Syracuse in Sicily, martyred in the early fourth century. Her feast on 13 December falls in the dark of winter, and in Sweden it is marked by girls wearing crowns of candles.
Name of the day
Lucy
LOO-see Means usually linked to latin lux, "light"
Lucy of Syracuse was a Christian martyr who died in Sicily during the persecution under the emperor Diocletian. Her feast on 13 December is kept across Europe as Saint Lucy's Day.
Name of the day
Luke
LUKE Means uncertain
Saint Luke is traditionally named as the author of the third Gospel and the Acts of the Apostles. A New Testament letter calls him a physician, and he is a patron saint of doctors and artists.
Name of the day
Luna
LOO-na Means moon
Luna was the moon itself worshipped as a Roman goddess, the counterpart of the Greek Selene. Poets kept her name alive as a word for the moon.
Name of the day
Maeve
MAYV Means usually explained as "she who intoxicates"
Queen Medb of Connacht found her husband Ailill owned a finer bull than anything she had. To match him she set out to take the Brown Bull of Cooley, and so began the Táin Bó Cúailnge.
Name of the day
Maia
MY-a Means the name of a greek and roman goddess
In Greek myth Maia was a daughter of Atlas and the mother of Hermes. The Romans had a goddess of growth called Maia, and the month of May is named after her.
Name of the day
Malachy
MAL-a-kee Means usually explained as "devotee of st máedóc"
St Malachy was Archbishop of Armagh in the twelfth century and worked to reform the Irish Church. He died in 1148 at Clairvaux in France, beside his friend St Bernard, who wrote his life.
Name of the day
Margaret
MAR-gret Means pearl
Saint Margaret the Virgin, also called Margaret of Antioch, was an early Christian martyr. Medieval legend says she was swallowed by a dragon and burst out of it unharmed.
Name of the day
Mark
MARK Means probably linked to mars, the roman god of war
Saint Mark, also called John Mark, is traditionally credited with writing the second gospel in the New Testament. Tradition also makes him the first leader of the church in Alexandria.
Name of the day
Martha
MAR-tha Means usually explained as "lady" or "mistress"
When Jesus visited the house at Bethany, Martha rushed about serving while her sister Mary sat listening at his feet. Martha complained, and Jesus gently told her Mary had chosen well.
Name of the day
Martin
MAR-tin Means of mars
Saint Martin of Tours was a Roman soldier who cut his cloak in two to share it with a freezing beggar. He later became a monk and a bishop in Gaul.
Name of the day
Mary
MAIR-ee Means uncertain
The angel Gabriel came to Mary in Nazareth and told her she would give birth to a son, to be named Jesus. Christians remember the visit as the Annunciation, on 25 March.
Name of the day
Matthew
MATH-yoo Means usually explained as "gift of god"
Matthew was a tax collector at Capernaum who left his post to follow Jesus. Christian tradition counts him among the twelve apostles and credits him with the first gospel.
Name of the day
Méabh
MAYV Means usually explained as "intoxicating"
Medb, the warrior queen of Connacht, led her army into Ulster to carry off the Brown Bull of Cooley. The war that followed is the story of the Táin Bó Cúailnge.
Name of the day
Michael
MY-kul Means who is like god?
In the Book of Revelation the archangel Michael leads the fight in heaven against Satan, pictured as a dragon. Skellig Michael, the rocky island off the Kerry coast, is named after him.
Name of the day
Naoise
NEE-sha Means uncertain
Deirdre, raised to be the bride of King Conchobar of Ulster, ran away to Scotland with the young warrior Naoise. The king lured them home with a promise of safety, then had Naoise killed.
Name of the day
Neasa
NASS-a Means said in the legend to mean "not gentle"
Neasa, a princess of Ulster, agreed to marry King Fergus mac Róich only if he gave up his throne for a year to her young son Conchobar. The boy ruled so well that the Ulstermen kept him as king.
Name of the day
Nessa
NESS-a Means uncertain; one old tale explains it as "not gentle"
Ness, a princess of Ulster, won the kingship for her young son Conchobar by persuading King Fergus mac Róich to give it up to him for a year.
Name of the day
Niall
NY-al Means uncertain, perhaps "champion" or "cloud"
Niall of the Nine Hostages met a hideous old woman guarding a well and, where others refused, he kissed her. She became a beautiful young woman, the Sovereignty of Ireland, and promised the kingship to him and his descendants.
Name of the day
Niamh
NEEV Means bright, radiant
Niamh of the Golden Hair rode a white horse across the sea to bring Oisín to Tír na nÓg, the land of eternal youth.
Name of the day
Nicholas
NIK-o-las Means victory of the people
Saint Nicholas was a bishop of Myra, in what is now Turkey. Stories of his secret gifts to the poor grew over the centuries into Father Christmas and Santa Claus.
Name of the day
Nicolas
NIK-o-las Means victory of the people
Saint Nicholas was a 4th-century bishop of Myra, in what is now Turkey. Stories of his secret gifts to the poor grew into the legend of Santa Claus.
Name of the day
Nuala
NOO-la Means fair shoulder, through fionnuala
In Irish folklore Nuala is named as the wife of Finvarra, king of the fairies, though other tellings give that part to Úna.
Name of the day
Odhrán
OH-rawn Means little dun-coloured one
Odhrán was Saint Patrick's charioteer, and tradition remembers him as the first Christian martyr in Ireland. Another Odhrán went with Colm Cille to Iona and is said to be the first Christian buried there.
Name of the day
Oisín
uh-SHEEN Means little deer
Oisín, son of Fionn mac Cumhaill, rode with Niamh of the Golden Hair to Tír na nÓg. When he came home, three hundred years had passed in Ireland.
Name of the day
Oliver
OL-iv-er Means uncertain, often linked to the olive tree
Oliver Plunkett, Archbishop of Armagh, was executed in London in 1681. He was made a saint in 1975, the first new Irish saint in almost seven hundred years.
Name of the day
Oscar
OS-kar Means traditionally "deer friend", though the origin is uncertain
Oscar, son of Oisín and grandson of Fionn mac Cumhaill, fell at the Battle of Gabhra after dealing a fatal blow to the High King Cairbre. It is said to be the only time Fionn wept.
Name of the day
Pádraig
PAW-drig Means of the patrician (noble) class
Patrick was taken from Britain by Irish raiders at sixteen and kept as a slave for six years. He escaped, but later came back to Ireland of his own accord as a missionary bishop.
Name of the day
Patrick
PAT-rick Means patrician, or nobleman
Patrick wrote that Irish raiders carried him off from Britain at sixteen and kept him as a herder for six years. He escaped home, and later came back to Ireland as a bishop.
Name of the day
Paul
PAWL Means small
Saul of Tarsus hunted down the first Christians until a blinding light stopped him on the road to Damascus. He became Paul, the great traveller and letter-writer of the early Church.
Name of the day
Penelope
peh-NEL-o-pee Means uncertain, possibly "duck" or "weaver"
In Homer's Odyssey, Penelope waited twenty years for Odysseus to come home. She held off her suitors by weaving a shroud each day and secretly unpicking it each night.
Name of the day
Peter
PEE-ter Means stone, rock
Jesus gave the fisherman Simon a new name, Cephas, meaning "rock", which became Petros in Greek. Tradition holds that Peter died in Rome, where St Peter's Basilica was later built over his burial place.
Name of the day
Philip
FIL-ip Means fond of horses
Philip was one of the twelve apostles. In the Gospel of John he brings his friend Nathanael to meet Jesus, saying simply "Come and see".
Name of the day
Phoebe
FEE-bee Means bright
In Greek myth Phoebe was a Titan, a daughter of Uranus and Gaia. Through her daughter Leto she was grandmother to Apollo and Artemis.
Name of the day
Phoenix
FEE-nix Means the phoenix, the mythical bird reborn from its ashes
The phoenix was a sacred bird of ancient legend that lived for hundreds of years. At the end of its life it burst into flames, and a young phoenix rose from the ashes.
Name of the day
Raphael
RAF-ay-el Means god has healed
In the Book of Tobit the archangel Raphael travels in disguise with young Tobias, protects him on his journey, and shows him how to cure his father Tobit's blindness.
Name of the day
Rhea
REE-a Means uncertain, perhaps "earth" or "flowing"
Rhea's husband Cronus swallowed each of their children at birth, afraid one would overthrow him. When Zeus was born, Rhea handed Cronus a stone wrapped in baby clothes and hid the infant away.
Name of the day
Rocco
ROCK-oh Means uncertain; the name of saint roch
Saint Roch, San Rocco in Italy, nursed plague victims on his travels. When he caught the plague himself, the story goes, a nobleman's dog kept him alive by bringing him bread.
Name of the day
Ruadhán
ROO-awn Means little red one
Saint Ruadhán founded a monastery at Lorrha in County Tipperary in the sixth century. He was known for his prophecies and was later counted among the Twelve Apostles of Ireland.
Name of the day
Ruán
ROO-awn Means little red one
Saint Ruadhán of Lorrha is said to have cursed the royal seat of Tara after the high king Diarmait mac Cerbaill broke the right of sanctuary, and to have foretold the king's death.
Name of the day
Sadhbh
SIVE Means probably "sweet"; also explained as "goodness"
Sadhbh was turned into a deer by a druid whose love she refused. Freed at Fionn mac Cumhaill's fort, she became his wife, but the druid lured her away, and years later Fionn found their son Oisín in the forest.
Name of the day
Sebastian
seh-BAS-tee-an Means from sebaste, a city named for the greek "venerable"
Saint Sebastian was a Roman soldier who, the story goes, was tied up and shot with arrows for his Christian faith. He survived, recovered, and was later put to death on the emperor's orders.
Name of the day
Senan
SEN-an Means usually linked to sean, "old"
Saint Senan founded a monastery on Scattery Island in the Shannon estuary. Legend says he allowed no woman to land there, so a holy woman who wished to lie near him was buried on the shore below the tide line.
Name of the day
Setanta
seh-TAN-ta Means uncertain
As a boy, Sétanta arrived late to a feast at the house of Culann the smith and killed the fierce hound that guarded it. He offered to guard the house himself until a new hound could be reared, and so he became Cú Chulainn, the hound of Culann.
Name of the day
Simon
SY-mon Means usually explained as "hearing" or "listening"
Simon was a fisherman on the Sea of Galilee when Jesus called him to follow. Jesus gave him the new name Peter, and he became the leader of the apostles.
Name of the day
Stephen
STEE-ven Means crown or wreath
Stephen was one of the first deacons of the early Church in Jerusalem. The Book of Acts tells how he was stoned to death, and he is remembered as the first Christian martyr, on 26 December.
Name of the day
Thomas
TOM-us Means twin
Thomas the Apostle would not believe that Jesus had risen until he saw the wounds for himself, which is why a sceptic is still called a doubting Thomas.
Name of the day
Timothy
TIM-uh-thee Means honouring god
Saint Timothy was a young companion of Saint Paul on his travels. Two letters in the New Testament are addressed to him.
Name of the day
Tristan
TRISS-tan Means uncertain, often linked with french triste (sad)
The knight Tristan was sent to Ireland to bring back the princess Iseult as a bride for his uncle, King Mark of Cornwall. On the voyage the two drank a love potion by mistake, and their doomed love became one of the great medieval romances.
Name of the day
Ultan
UL-tan Means ulsterman
When the Yellow Plague of the 7th century left many babies orphaned, St Ultan of Ardbraccan took them into his monastery, reportedly as many as 150 at a time. He is said to have fed them milk through cows' teats.
Name of the day
Úna
OO-na Means uncertain, possibly "lamb"
In Irish folklore Úna, often written Oonagh, is queen of the fairies. She is usually named as the wife of Finvarra, though some stories marry her to Fionn mac Cumhaill.
Name of the day
Vincent
VIN-sent Means conquering
Saint Vincent de Paul was a French priest of the 1600s who gave his life to caring for the poor. The Society of Saint Vincent de Paul, named after him, is one of the best-known charities in Ireland.
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Did you know?
In 1975, the year Oliver Plunkett was made a saint, 537 boys were named Oliver, up from 78 the year before. Olivia jumped from 130 to 618 girls.
Oliver →
The CSO counts each spelling separately, so Fiadh is officially number 3 for girls in 2025. Add in Fíadh and Fiádh and it's number 1.
Fiadh →
Mary was the top girls' name in 1964, with 3,471 babies. In 2025 it was given to 41, at number 114.
Mary →
John was the top boys' name in 1964, with 3,696 babies. In 2025 it was given to 164, at number 31.
John →
Croía first reached the CSO lists in 2010, with 4 babies. By 2025 it was in the girls' top 10.
Croía →
Noah first reached the CSO lists in 1996, with 5 babies. By 2025 it was in the boys' top 10.
Noah →
James has been in the boys' top 10 every year since 1964, the only name to manage it.
James →
Emma has been in the girls' top 10 in 38 of the 62 years since 1964, more than any other name.
Emma →
Jude was number 9 for boys in Northern Ireland in 2025, but only number 63 in the Republic.
Jude →
Oisín turns up in the CSO lists with 6 different spellings: Oisín, Oisin, Oisìn, Óisín, Oísin, Óisin.
Oisín →
The CSO list for 2025 has 2,046 different names once spellings are combined, counting spellings given to 3 or more babies. The 1964 list had 703.
Top 100 2025 →