Most popular Irish baby names in America |
Looking for an Irish name? We've got them all here! |
By |
ANTOINETTE KELLY -
IrishCentral.com Staff Writer |
Aidan, Brayden, Colin, Riley; Kayla, Morgan, Megan, Kaitlyn - you've probably come across a newborn in the
past decade with at least one of these names. |
What do
they all have in common? These top names in the |
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For
example, the trendy name "Aidan" is the Anglicization of the Gaelic
word Aodhán, meaning "little
fire," while "Kayla" is a modern creation inspired by the
Irish man's name Cadhla, meaning
"slender." |
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If you're
an expectant parent looking for an Irish name, or you just want to figure out
what your own means, you've come to the right place. |
We've
done all the hard work of gathering the top Irish names in |
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Boys |
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Ryan:
Anglicization of the Irish surname Ó Ríain,
meaning "descendent of the little king" |
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Austin:
Anglicization of the name Aghaistín, the
Irish form of Augustine, a Latin name meaning "great" or
"magnificent" |
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Kevin:
Anglicization of the Irish name Caoimhín,
meaning "beautiful birth" |
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Connor:
Modern form of the Irish name Conchobhar, meaning
"dog lover." Usually spelled Conor in |
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Kyle:
Anglicization of the Irish word "coil" meaning "woods."
More commonly used in |
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Aidan:
Anglicization of Aodhán, meaning
"little fire" |
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Brian:
Anglicization of the Irish name Brion, meaning
"noble" |
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Sean:
Irish form of John, which means "gift from God" |
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Owen:
Usually a Welsh name. It can be an Anglicization of the Irish names Eoin (form of John) and Eoghan,
meaning "born of the yew" |
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Cody: Anglicization
of the Irish surname of Norman origin, Mac Óda,
meaning "descendent of Otto" |
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Patrick: |
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Brayden: Anglicization of the Irish surname Ó Bradaoin, meaning "salmon" |
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Tristan:
Celtic name whose meaning has been debated, but possibly means
"tumult," or "uproar" |
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Colin:
Can be either an Anglicization of Coilean, an Irish name meaning "whelp," or Cóilín, an Irish short form of Nicholas. |
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Riley:
Riley is an English surname meaning "rye field" or an Anglicization
of the Irish surname O'Reilly, or Ó Raghaillaigh,
meaning from "descendent of Raghaillaigh,"
an Irish chieftan |
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Liam:
Shortened form of Uilliam, the Irish form of William,
a Germanic name made of two words meaning "desire" and
"protection" |
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Caden: Anglicization of the Irish surname MacAodháin,
or possibly a name from the Irish name Cathán,
meaning "battle" |
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Oscar:
Anglicization of Osgar, meaning "deer lover" |
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Brady: A
name meaning "spirited," and an Anglicization of the Irish surname
Ó Bradaigh |
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Alan:
Anglicization of the Irish name Ailín,
meaning "handsome" |
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Brendan:
Anglicization of Breandán/Breannain, a major
Irish saint, meaning "prince" |
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Nolan:
Anglicization of the Irish surname Ó Nualláin
from "nuall," which means
"nobleman" |
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Donovan:
Celtic name meaning "strong fighter" |
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Corey:
Anglicization of the Irish surname Mac Gothraidh,
from a place name meaning "hill hollow" |
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Brody:
Usually Scottish, this name can also be an Anglicization of the Irish surname
Mac Bruaideadha, which comes from an Irish place
name meaning "ditch" |
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Miles:
Anglicization of "Maol," the beginning of
Irish names, meaning "devotee of (insert saint here)" |
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Keegan: Anglicization
of the Irish surname Mac Aodhgáin, "Aodhagán" meaning "small and
passionate," or "fiery" |
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Brennan:
Anglicization of the Irish surname Ó Braonáin, meaning "descendent of Braonáin." "Braonáin"
can mean "sorrow" |
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Quinn:
Anglicization of the Irish surname Ó Cuinn, meaning "descendent of |
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Micheal: Irish form of Michael, meaning "Who is like
God?" |
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Declan:
Form of the name Deaglán, an Irish saints'
name of obscure meaning |
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Dorian:
Although it is based on the name Dora, which has no Irish roots, the name was
coined by Irish playwright Oscar Wilde for his book, "The Portrait of
Dorian Gray" |
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Girls |
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Brianna:
Modern feminine form of Brian, an Anglicization of the Irish name Brion, meaning "noble" |
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Kayla:
Even though it's probably a modern creation, it is similar to the Irish male
name Cadhla, meaning "slender" |
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Anna:
Typically considered a Latin name, but Ana is also an ancient Celtic goddess
known as the "Wealth Provider" |
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Megan:
Though technically not a Celtic name (it's a Welsh pet form of Margaret),
it's similar to the Irish surname O'Meegan, meaning
"descendent of the brave warrior" |
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Kaitlyn: American form of the Irish Caitlín
(Irish version of Catherine) |
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Makayla: Another modern creation possibly stemming from the Irish
man's name "Cadhla," meaning slender |
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Kaylee: This name is a modern invention based on the names Kay
and Lee, but it also sounds like "céilí,"
the Irish word for a gathering |
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Kylie:
Usually considered an Australian Aboriginal name meaning
"boomerang," but like the name Kayla, it's also a form of Kiley, an Anglicization of the Irish name Cadhla, meaning "slender" |
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Riley:
Riley is an English surname meaning "rye field" or an Anglicization
of the Irish surname O'Reilly, or Ó Raghaillaigh,
meaning from "descendent of Raghaillaigh,"
an Irish chieftan |
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Erin: A
poetic name for |
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Claire:
This is a French name meaning "clear," but "Clare," an
alternate spelling, is a county in |
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Molly:
Irish pet form of Mary, or Mallaidh in Irish, that
means "star of the sea" |
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Kennedy:
Anglicization of the Irish surname Ó Cinnéide,
meaning "helmet head" |
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Kelly:
Anglicization of the Irish surname "Ó Ceallaigh,"
which possibly means "brave warrior" |
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Cassidy:
Anglicization of the Irish surname Ó Casaide,
which hasan obscure meaning but may translate to
"clever" or "curly-headed" |
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Ashlyn: Anglicization of the Irish name Aislinn
(or Aisling), meaning "dream" or
"vision" |
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Kiara: Form of Ciara, pronounced
"KEE a ra," an Irish name meaning
"dark." Often pronounced "see-Ahr-a"
in the |
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Reagan:
Anglicization of the Irish surname Ó Ríagáin,
which comes from "sovereign" or "king" |
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Delaney:
Anglicization of the Irish surname "Ó Dubhshláine,
meaning "descendant of the dark-haired man of the River Slaney" |
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Alana:
Feminine form of the name Alan, which means "handsome." Also an
Anglicization of "a leanbh, an Irish term of
endearment meaning "O child" |
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Mckenna: Anglicization of the Irish surname MacCionnaith,
interpreted as both "ardent love" and "firesprung" |
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Brenda:
Feminine form of the Irish name Brendan, an Anglicization of the Irish saint Breandán/Breannain whose name means"prince" |
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Shannon: Area
and river in |
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Kara:
Form of Cara, the Irish word for "friend" |
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Kira: Another Anglicization of Ciara,
an Irish name meaning "dark" |
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Kathleen:
Another Anglicization of the Irish Caitlín, a
form of Catherine |
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Bridget:
From the Irish name Brighid, meaning "exalted
one." St. Brigid is a patron saint of |
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Patricia:
This is the feminine form of |
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Shayla: Modern Anglicization of the Irish name Síle, meaning "blind." Also Anglicized
as "Sheila" |
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Brenna:
Modern feminine form of the name Brennan, an Anglicization of the Irish
surname Ó Braonáin, that can mean
"sorrow" |
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Fiona: An
Irish name (spelled Fíona) pronounced as
"Feena," meaning "vine" |
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Ryan:
Feminine Anglicization of the Irish surname Ó Ríain,
meaning "descendent of the little king" |
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Aileen: Anglicization
of the Irish name Aibhilín/Eibhilín,
an Irish form of Evelyn or Helen which can mean "bright light" |