22 awesome Irish names you’re probably pronouncing wrong

Gaelic is a beautiful language if you’re ever lucky enough to hear it properly spoken, and it yields some equally beautiful names. However, pronouncing them, for those unfamiliar with them, can prove to be a whole challenge of its own. 

Thanks to our Irish colleagues at Contiki Marketing HQ, we’ve whipped up a list of 22 classic Irish names and given you a pronunciation guide, as well as some interesting facts like their meanings and origins. Many Irish names come from Gaelic mythology, so you’ll be gaining some knowledge there too, and you’ll be able to dazzle all the locals on your next trip to Ireland.

1. Caoimhe

• Pronounced: Kee-va in Northern areas, Queeva as you start to move South
• Gender: female
• English equivalent: sometimes anglicised as Kiva
• Meaning: gentle, beautiful, precious
• Origin: the name actually derives from the name Kevin (Caoimhín in Gaelic) which was feminised into Caoimhe. Kevin is a well-known Irish saint who was the patron saint of the Archdiocese of Dublin.

2. Niamh

• Pronounced: Neev
• Gender: female
• English equivalent: sometimes anglicised as Neeve
• Meaning: bright, radiant
• Origin: Niamh is found in Irish mythology as a daughter of the sea god Manannan mac Lir, a princess with golden hair.

3. Seamus

• Pronounced: Shay-muss
• Gender: male
• English equivalent: James
• Meaning: supplanter, heel
• Origin: Seamus, which is the Irish equivalent of James, comes from the late Latin name Iacomus, itself from the Greek Iakobos from which Jacob is also derived. These names have biblical ties meaning both heel (because of the story of Jacob being born clutching his brother’s heel), and supplanter.

4. Siobhán

• Pronounced: Shiv-awn
• Gender: female
• English equivalent: Joan, but often anglicised as Chevonne
• Meaning: ‘God is gracious’ or ‘gift of God’
• Origin: the presently accepted meaning ‘god is gracious’ actually comes from English influence in Ireland and the equation to the name Joan, but supposedly the original meaning of Siobhán was ‘white fairy’ or ‘fairy woman’ as the name can be broken down into ‘sidh’ meaning fairy, and ‘bán’ meaning woman or white.

5. Máirín

• Pronounced: Maw-reen
• Gender: female
• English equivalent: Mary, sometimes anglicised as Maureen
• Meaning: star of the sea, beloved, rebellious
• Origin: the exact origin of Máirín is unknown though most speculate that it is a Celtic name derived from ancient Greek. Others propose it is a derivative of the Latin form Mariam or Miriam.

6. Tadgh

• Pronounced: Tyge (like tiger without the ‘r’)
• Gender: male
• English equivalent: Timothy or Thaddeus, sometimes anglicised as Teague
• Meaning: poet, storyteller, philosopher
• Origin: Tadhg was the name of many Gaelic kings from the 10th to 16th centuries. In one legend Tadhg Mór O’Kelly is reported to have fought “like a wolf dog” before he was slain by the Vikings. Upon his fall, a great beast came from the ocean to protect his dead body until it was retrieved by his kin.

7. Síle

• Pronounced: Shee-la
• Gender: female
• English version: Cecilia or Sheila
• Meaning: musical, blind, ‘of the fairies’
• Origin: Síle stems from Latin and Celtic origin and is widely accepted as meaning “of the fairies”. Other sources claim the name means “pure and musical” because Síle derives from the name Cecilia, the patron saint of music.

8. Pádraig / Pádraic

• Pronounced: Paw-drig or paw-rick
• Gender: male
• English equivalent: Patrick
• Meaning: noble, patrician
• Origin: meaning ‘nobly born’, Pádraig, or the anglicised Patrick, is the patron saint of Ireland. According to legend, Pádraig was brought to Ireland as a slave by Niall of the Nine Hostages, forced to guard sheep and live in the mountains, before being given a vision, training as a priest, and converting the country to Christianity.

9. Aoife

• Pronounced: Eee-fah
• Gender: female
• English equivalent: Eve or Eva
• Meaning: beautiful, radiance
• Origin: Aoife was the name of a legendary beautiful warrior princess, according to the Ulster Cycle of myths. The name has also been compared to the Gaulish name Esvios, relating to the tribal name Esuvii.

10. Eoghan

• Pronounced: Ow-an
• Gender: male
• English equivalent: Owen, Ewan, Eugene
• Meaning: youth, “born of the yew”
• Origin: it’s an old Irish word and name given to certain territories of Northern Ireland, and it is often accompanied by ‘Roe’ (red) in memory of the Irish patriot Eoghan Roe O’Neill who won a great battle over the British.

11. Oisín

• Pronounced: Osh-een
• Gender: male
• English Equivalent: sometimes anglicised as Osheen
• Meaning: fawn, little deer
• Origin: son of the legendary warrior Fionn Mac Cool and the goddess Sadhbh. His mother was turned into a deer by a dark druid and she reared him in this form until he was 7 years old; hence the meaning of Oisín. In the legend, Oisín and Niamh were entwined in a relationship for over 300 years.

12. Sadhbh / Saibh

• Pronounced: Si-ve
• Gender: female
• English Equivalent: sometimes anglicised as Sive
• Meaning: sweet, goodness
• Origin: the name of several real and legendary princesses, including the daughters of Conn of the Hundred Battles.

13. Maedbh

• Pronounced: May-ve
• Gender: female
• English Equivalent: Maeve
• Meaning: “she who intoxicates”, “she who rules”
• Origin: Maedbh was the great and legendary warrior queen of Connacht and viewed as the embodiment of sovereignty.

14. Róisín

• Pronounced: Roh-sheen
• Gender: female
• English Equivalent: Rosaleen, Rose, sometimes anglicised as Rosheen
• Meaning: little rose
• Origin: the name is a poetic symbol of Ireland from the figure of Róisín Dubh, featured in a poem written in 1835 when patriotic expression for Ireland was banned. The nationalistic sentiments had to be disguised as love songs, and Róisín is told “not to be downhearted for her friends are returning from abroad.”

15. Saoirse

• Pronounced: Ser-sha or Sear-sha
• Gender: female
• English Equivalent: none
• Meaning: freedom, liberty
• Origin: first recorded as being used in the 1920s as a revolutionary statement for freedom, it has since become a very popular baby name.

16. Cian

• Pronounced: Kee-uhn
• Gender: male
• English Equivalent: Kian
• Meaning: ancient, enduring one
• Origin: From the legends, Cian led the armies from the province of Munster to victory against the invading vikings in 1014. He, and his father-in-law Brian Boru, were killed in the battle. Cian is also close to a Persian name, Kian, meaning kingdom or realm.

17. Cillian

• Pronounced: Kill-ee-an
• Gender: male
• English Equivalent: Killian
• Meaning: bright-headed, church, war
• Origin: Irish author Patrick Woulfe wrote that Cillian was a diminutive of the Irish name Ceallach, meaning war, strife, and bright-headed. ‘Cill’ is also the Irish word for church, lending the name this additional meaning. One saint Cillian left Ireland on missionary work in Wurzburg, Germany, and the city of Wurzburg still celebrates a festival each year, known as Killianfest.

18. Aisling

• Pronounced: Ah-sh-ling
• Gender: female
• English Equivalent: Ashley
• Meaning: dream, vision
• Origin: Aisling refers to a poetic genre that developed in Irish poetry during the 17th and 18th centuries – it wasn’t used as a first name before the 20th century.

19. Mairéad

• Pronounced: Mah-ri-ed
• Gender: female
• English Equivalent: Margaret
• Meaning: pearl
• Origin: From the Greek name Margaret, the name Mairéad is often associated with rare beauty and natural wonder, so it’s quite a special name to give to someone.

20. Darragh / Daire

• Pronounced: Dah-rah
• Gender: unisex
• English Equivalent: sometimes anglicised as Dara
• Meaning: oak, fruitful
• Origin: From the legend of the Brown Bull of Cooley, Daire Mac refused to sell his bull to queen Maedbh, thus starting a fight between the provinces of Ulster and Connacht.

21. Fionn

• Pronounced: Fi-yon or Fen depending on the specific region of Ireland
• Gender: male
• English Equivalent: Finn
• Meaning: fair-haired, blessed
• Origin: A prominent character in Irish folklore, Fionn was the leader of a warrior band and was incredibly wise. This wisdom was accrued by touching the ‘Salmon of Knowledge’, therefore the name can also be connotated with intelligence, brilliance, and being bright.

22 – Ciarán / Ciara

• Pronounced: Kee-ran / Kya-rah
• Gender: male / female
• English Equivalent: Kieran / Chiara
• Meaning: little dark one, little dark-haired one
• Origin: This name holds Celtic origins, and in Celtic nomenclature names were attributed based on appearances. Ciarán and Ciara were names reserved for those whose hair and eyes were as dark as the night sky.