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Irish Baby Girl Names Are Beautiful, Elegant
Filed under: Babies, Baby Names
Irish baby girl names are as beautiful as the nation's countryside. Credit: Corbis
One does not need to be Irish to appreciate the written and spoken beauty of Irish baby names.
Irish baby girl names, in particular, evoke a certain magical image: of lovely women with flowing hair and luxurious velvet gowns peering out over misty lakes, or empowered warrior queens passionately defending family, home and land.
Irish baby names are a great choice for parents looking to give their child a unique name that is still elegant. According to the Social Security Administration's yearly-published list, many of the top baby girl names are Irish in origin. Here are a few Irish baby girl names with pronunciation and their meanings. Consider these options when naming your upcoming bundle of joy.
Siobhan (pronounced shuh-VAHN) is a feminine form of John and an Irish variant of Joan. It means "God is gracious" or "God is full of grace." Alternative spellings of this Irish baby name include Siobhann, Sioban and Shivon.
Imogen (pronounced IH-moe-juhn) was the strong-willed heroine of Shakespeare's "Cymbeline." The meaning of this Irish baby girl name is "maiden" or "innocent."
Keely (pronounced KEE-lee) is an Irish girl name derived from the Gaelic word caol, which means slender. Appropriately, the name means "slender and graceful" or "beautiful."
Moire (pronounced MOY-ruh) is the Irish variant of the Latin name Mary. This Irish baby name means "star of the sea." Alternative spellings include Moira and Moyra.
Ciara (pronounced KEE-ra) is the feminine form of Ciaran. It means "little dark one," taken from the Gaelic word ciar (dark). There was an honored nun in the seventh century in County Tipperary, Ireland, named Ciara. She founded a monastery in the town of Kilkeary and is now revered as a saint. Alternative spellings of this Irish baby name are Keira and Kira.
Niamh (pronounced NEE-uhv or NEEVE) is a mythological goddess in Celtic mythology. She was the daughter of a sea god and lived out her days as a queen in Tir na Nog, the land of eternal youth. This Irish baby girl name means "radiance," "brilliance" and "brightness." An alternative spelling is Neeve.
Maeve (pronounced MAYV) was a fierce warrior queen in County Connacht, first century Ireland. She is most remembered for being a part of the conflict between Ulster and Connacht over a prize bull. This Irish girl name means "intoxicating," as she was known to be both lovely and cunning. Alternative spellings are Maive and Mayve.
Caitriona (pronounced ka-TREE-na) is a variant of the Greek Catherine. The meaning of this Irish baby name is "pure." Alternative spellings are Katrina, Catrina and Catriona.
This is just a sampling of some of the many distinctively beautiful Irish baby names out there. Visit Name Nerds for a list of additional possibilities for your Irish baby girl names.
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ReaderComments (Page 1 of 1)
3-29-2011 @ 3:20PM
Eileen said...Dead WRONG on "Eileen"! Every other source I've read for over 50 years defines my name as the Irish derivative for the original Greek "Helen", meaning "Light".
Reply
7-06-2011 @ 11:17PM
hope said...NO NO NO NO!!!! I'm a teacher, and difficult names that parents choose just because they are "beautiful and elegant" means the child will have to spell and pronounce her name for people who have never heard of it for the rest of her natural life. Names should be easy to pronounce AND TO SPELL!! Little Caitriona will spend EVERY first day of school of her LIFE saying, after the teacher calls, "Cat roin a" that "it's actually Katrina," and she'll wish forever that he mom had just spelled it the regular way. Get a pair of designer shoes, for God's sake--leave the Irish names to Ireland.
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7-15-2011 @ 7:50PM
Squiggles said...Irish names aren't just nice for girls, but also boys. I have a son named Aiden, and while it unfortunately is a supertrendy name, the first thing the nurse said after she asked his name, was "ooh, a nice Irish name!", so I can't have gone too wrong on this one, even though there is now an Aiden, Aedyn, Aaden or Aidan around every corner.
Try Welsh names, too, or Scottish ones. They're also very nice.
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