Irish Baby Names

Liam has been the most popular boy name in America since 2017. It's Irish. So are Finn, Declan, Aoife, Maeve, Niamh, and Saoirse. The Irish naming tradition has had an outsized influence on American naming — partly because of immigration waves in the 19th and 20th centuries, partly because many Irish names translate well into English.

Traditional Irish (Gaelic) names have patterns that don't map to English spelling rules. The fada (accent mark) changes vowel sounds: Áine sounds like AHN-ya, not Ain. The combination 'bh' makes a 'v' sound in many dialects. Most families today pick either the fully anglicized form (Fiona, Kevin, Brendan) or names that cross over cleanly in both worlds — Finn, Maeve, Declan work anywhere.

Five names to know from this list: Liam is the anglicized form of Uilliam (from the Germanic Wilhelm) and has been #1 since 2017. Finn means fair or white — short, easy to say, zero pronunciation problems. Maeve (from the legendary queen Medb) means intoxicating and is now top 50 for girls. Saoirse (pronounced SEER-sha) means freedom — beautiful sound, but expect to spell it out daily. Declan was an early Irish saint's name; now it's top 60 for boys.

The spelling decision matters. Aoife (EE-fa), Saoirse (SEER-sha), Siobhan (shi-VAWN) are authentic and beautiful, and they will require explanation in every English-speaking context for the rest of your child's life. Maeve, Finn, Declan, Brigid — these don't. If pronunciation struggles bother you, use the anglicized forms. If you're committed to traditional spellings, your kid will spend their life teaching people, and most of them will come to love it.