Irish American Girl Names: The BEST List for Your Baby!

Looking for the best list of Irish American girl names? Look no further! We have compiled a list of the top baby names that are have stemmed from the Irish culture in America. This will ensure that your child has a unique name that is representative of both her cultural heritage and her nationality. So, what are you waiting for? Start browsing through this list today!

We’ve done the complete guide to traditional Irish girl’s names here, this list is the more American Irish names, which relate to the Irish diaspora and have evolved in America rather than Ireland. The traditional Irish girl’s names list has more ‘Irish form’ spellings, whilst the American list has been modernised.

The names are a mix of old-fashioned and modern, some you’ve probably heard before and others you haven’t. All of these American Irish girl names are beautiful and would make great choices for your baby!

A Guide to Popular Irish Girl Names

Irish names can appear on the whole planet, from County Carlow to CA and wherever in between. Irish people were traditionally living in family clans which give us the Irish surnames and from them many first names. Throughout the past 10 centuries, Ireland was inhabited by Vikings, Anglo-Normans, Scots and the English.

Each group enriched the Irish tradition. Over the centuries many Irish people emigrated mainly through the Great Famine bringing Irish cultures and traditions and even Irish names to many countries.

Surnames as Names

What’s interesting to note about the Irish baby girl names is that may come from an original Irish surname. This was the way the Irish diaspora kept their surname alive, by naming their daughters with it. For example, the name Murphy is an old Irish clan name which became an Irish surname but has never been given to a baby girl in Ireland.

However, in America, it became more common to give girls the surname as a first name. Therefore you will find many girls with the surname Murphy who are of Irish descent, but this name was never used as a first name in Ireland. Therefore whilst these wouldn’t be classed as traditional Irish girl names in Ireland, they would be in America.

However, in the last 20 years it’s very interesting to see how these Irish American names now beginning to be registered in Ireland. I’ve detailed below when they were first registered so you can follow the trends!

What is the most popular Irish name in America?

We’ve listed all the Irish girls’ names by popularity below. However, if you are looking for an American Irish name the most popular would be Grace coming in at number 28 in the charts.

The most popular Irish traditional name is Maeve which has climbed massively in recent years and now sits at 173.

Irish Girl Names Ranked By Popularity

Grace

Meaning: The name Grace is of Latin origin and has a wonderful meaning of “favor, blessing.” It is a popular given name for girls in many English-speaking countries, including the United States. The name Grace has Irish roots and was brought to America by Irish immigrants. It has been a popular choice for girls in the US for many years.

In Irish legend, Grace O’Malley was the name of a famous 16th-century pirate queen who terrorized the seas off the coast of Ireland. The name Grace has been associated with Ireland for centuries and is a popular choice for little girls in the US. See middle names for Grace. Since the song Grace, it has become one of the more popular Irish female names both in Ireland and abroad.

Claire

Meaning: The name Claire is of French origin and means “clear, bright.” It is a popular given name for girls in many English-speaking countries, including the United States. The name Claire has Irish roots and was brought to America by Irish immigrants. It has been a popular choice for baby girls in the US for many years, the Irish version is Clare. Read more about the name Claire.

Kennedy

Meaning: The name Kennedy is of Irish origin and means “helmet head” from the Gaelic word Cinnéidigh. It is most commonly used as a feminine given name. Given its meaning, the name Kennedy would be well-suited for a girl who is brave and fearless. It could also be a good choice for parents looking for a unique and meaningful name for their daughter. Interestingly, it was only registered as a baby name in Ireland for the first time ever in 2021! See names that go with Kennedy here.

Quinn

Meaning: The name Quinn is of Irish origin and means “counsel, wisdom or advice” stemming from the Irish surname Ó Coin. Quinn has become a popular choice for baby girls in recent years, in part due to its fashionable sound and ubiquitous presence in popular culture. It was only registered as a girl’s name in Ireland for the first time in 2012. See Names that go with Quinn.

Reagan 

Meaning: The name Reagan stems from the Irish name Ó Riagáin and means “little king.” It has become increasingly popular in the last 40 years, partially due to the popularity of former President Ronald Reagan. Reagan can be spelt in a variety of ways, including Regan, Raygan, and Raegan. Regardless of how it is spelt, Reagan is a strong and confident name for a little girl. It is the perfect name for a leader in the making. See Names that go with Reagan

Mackenzie

Meaning: The name Mackenzie is of Scottish and Irish origin and means “son of the wise leader.” The name Mackenzie is also a variation of the name McKenzie, which is derived from the Gaelic Mac Coinnich. The name Mackenzie is most commonly found in the United States, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. In recent years, the name Mackenzie has been gaining popularity in other countries as well. See Middle names that go with Mackenzie

Margaret

Meaning: The name Margaret is of Irish origin and means “pearl.” Though it originates from Greece, it’s been a popular irish girls names for generations (being used in Ireland since the 13th century and made popular by Saint Margaret). Like many Irish female names it is often shortened, and the nicknames include Maggie and Peggy. The Irish variant is Mairead. Middle names that go with Margaret

Brianna, Briana

Meaning: The name Brianna is of Irish origin and means “strong.” Brianna is a feminine given name of Irish origin. It is a feminine form of the Celtic and Irish male name Brian, which is believed to be derived from the Old Irish word brìgh, meaning “strength”. Brian Boru was the most famous Irish High King from the middle ages and since his time, Brian has remained a very popular name in Ireland. Middle names that go with Briana

Maeve or Maebh

Meaning: The name Maeve is of Irish origin and means “intoxicating one, she who makes men drink.” In Irish mythology Maeve was a warrior queen who fought an Irish war with her husband over a bull. The Irish form is Medb, Maedhbh or Maebh with Maeve being the anglicized version. This has been a slow burner and only in recent years has it hit the top Irish names for girls outside of Ireland. There famous Irish writer was Maeve Binchy. See Good middle names for Maeve.

Molly

Meaning: The name Molly is of Irish origin and means “star of the sea.” Popularised in Ireland by the song Molly Malone in Irish folklore, it was originally a pet name for Mary but has since become a name in its own right., being first registed in the 1990’s as a baby girl name. See Names that go with Molly.

Sloane

Meaning: The name Sloane is of Irish origin and means “warrior or raider” and again stems from an Irish surname. The name has been in use in Ireland since the 16th century, and it began to gain popularity in the United States in the late 20th century. In recent years, Sloane has been one of the most popular names for baby girls in America but was only registered as baby girl name in Ireland in 2016! See Names that go with Sloane.

Teagan

Meaning: The name Teagan is of Irish origin and means “‘wise poet’, it is very similar to the Welsh name Tegan which means fair, attractive and worldly, but they are two different names. Teagan derives from the Irish male name Tadhg which means wise poet. See Names that go with Teagan.

Morgan

Meaning: The name Morgan is of Irish origin and means “sea circle.” The name is a Welsh name but also derives from the Irish name Morrigan which means great queen. In Irish myth, she was the Irish goddess of war. It’s a very common surname in Northern Ireland. See Names that go with Morgan.

Finley

Meaning: The name Finley is of Irish origin and means “fair-haired hero.” It is a diminutive form of the traditional Irish girl name Fionnlagh. In the Uk it’s a common boys names whilst in the US it is more common as a girls name. Interestingly, Finley was only registered as a baby girl name in Ireland in 2017 and to date, there have only been 3 girl babies registered with this name in Ireland! It definitely counts as a unique Irish girls name! Names that go with Finley.

Mckenna

Meaning: The name Mckenna originates from the Irish surname Mac Cionaoith which means “son of the handsome one.” The Mckenna clan were mainly based in the Ulster region of Ireland where they were known as Lords of the Truagh. Just like Finley, Mckenna was only registered as a baby girl name in Ireland in 2017 and to date, there have only been 3 babies registered with this name in Ireland! It definitely counts as a unique Irish girls name!See Names that go with Mckenna.

Fiona

Meaning: The name Fiona an anglicized form of the Irish name Fionn and means “white or fair.” and was often given to girls with golden hair, or one who was seen as a sweet and lovely lady. See names like Fiona and was popularised by an Irish folk singer Fiona. A dramatic decline in popularity in recent years falling out the top 100 names since 2000 in Ireland.

Lennon

Rank in US 2021: 299

Rank in Ireland 2021: There has never been a baby girl called Lennon registered in Ireland.

Meaning: The name Lennon stems from the Irish name Ó Leannáin meaning descendant of lover or from the Ó Lionáin meaning blackbird. This is a very unisex name and became increasingly popular after the rise of the Beatles and John Lennon, who was of Irish descent. See Names that go with Lennon Lennon is one of the more common Irish surnames.

Kiara

Meaning: The name Kiara a variant of the Irish name Ciara, a feminine version of the make name Ciaran which means “dark haired or dark challenger.” In Irish history, Ciara was a 7th century nun who saved the town from fire by praying. Today it is one of the most popular Irish baby names in Ireland (spent Ciara though). Names that go with Kiara.

Delaney

Rank in US 2021: 312

Rank in Ireland 2021: There has never been a baby girl called Delaney registered in Ireland.

Meaning: The name Delaney is of Irish origin and means black river stemming from the irish surname Ó Dubhshláin (Dubh meaning black and Shlain relating to the river Slaney). Names that go with Delaney.

Collins

Rank in US 2021: 365

Rank in Ireland 2021: There has never been a baby girl called Collins registered in Ireland.

Meaning: The name Collins comes from the medieval celtic name O Coileain from West Limerick who were a leading noble family in ancient Ireland who ruled over the province Ui Fidgenti (north Ulster). A very unisex name, in recent years its grown more popular in the female form. Names that go with Collins.

Cassidy

Meaning: The name Cassidy come from the Irish clan name Ó Casaide (in original form) who in ancient cultures were a medical and poetic family, making this a perfect poetic name. The name Cassidy can also be used as a diminutive form of the given name Cassandra though in the US its more seen as stemming from the Celtic word and name. See Names that go with Cassidy.

Rory

Rank in US 2021: 457

Rank in Ireland 2021: There has never been a baby girl called Rory registered in Ireland.

Meaning: The name Rory stems from the Irish name Ruairí and means “red king.” It is most commonly used as a masculine given name in Ireland (never once being recorded as a female n name in Ireland) but is unisex in America. The last High King of Ireland was Ruaidrí Ua Conchobair. Names that go with Rory.

Kaitlyn

Meaning: The name Kaitlyn is a variant of the Irish name Caitlin and means ‘pure’. It actually stems from the Greek name Catherine. See names like Kaitlyn.

Erin

Meaning: The name Erin is of Irish origin and means “from Ireland” from the Irish word for Ireland, Éire or in old Irish Ériu. If you wanted a very Irish name this would be it! This is the name often used in culture and poetry for Ireland. Ériu was the matron goddess of Ireland in the Tuatha De Danann in Irish myths. Erin only began to be registered as a baby name in Ireland since 1976. See Middle names that go with Erin.

Lennox

Rank in US 2021: 520

Rank in Ireland 2021: 44

Meaning: The name Lennox is of Irish origin and means “elm tree.” Comes from the Irish word for elm ‘leamhan’ used in Northern Ireland and Scotland since the 11th century. Lennox has been used as a given name for both males and females, but is more commonly seen as a feminine name.

Notable people with the name include actress Lennox Lewis, singer Annie Lennox, and poet Lennox Robinson an Irish writer. See Middle names that go with Lennox.

Aileen / Eileen

Meaning: The name Aileen is of Irish & Scottish origin and means “light.” It stems from the Scottish gaelic name Eilidh (Ay-lee) and generally seen and used in the Outer Hebrides in Scotland. Generally accepted as a translation of the Latin word Helena meaning light.

In Ireland, it’s more commonly translated as Eileen but Aileen is also popular and used. Like many other Irish girl names, there can be other spellings which can often depend on what part of the Island of Ireland the person is from. See Middle names that go with Eileen.

Saoirse

Meaning: The name Saoirse is of Irish origin and means “freedom.” This is pronounced seer sha. Whilst it has been claimed that this name became popular in Ireland in the 20’s following Ireland’s independence or freedom from the United Kingdom rule, actually, it was only first registered as a baby name in Ireland for the first time in 1970! Made popular following the popularity of Irish American actress Saoirse Ronan.

Bridget

Meaning: The name Bridget is of Irish origin and means “exalted one.” Bridget is the female patron saint of Ireland and it is variant forms are still a very popular Irish name today. See Middle names that go with Bridget or for the Irish traditional version Brid.

Kelly

Meaning: The name Kelly is of Irish origin from the world Ceallaigh which means “warrior or fighter.” The Ó Ceallaigh clan were kings of Ireland and have many castles and structures throughout Ireland. This is a another traditional Irish surname which has developed into a first name, though its popularity has declined in recent years. See Middle names that go with Kelly.

Fallon

Meaning: The name Fallon is of Irish origin, relating to the Ó Fallamháin clan and means “leader” or grandchild of a rich king. It is a gender-neutral name and was only registered for the first time in Ireland in 2008 and since then a total of 46 Irish baby girls have been given this name!

Cara

Meaning: The name Cara is of Irish origin and means “friend.”, the Irish word for friend being cara, my friend being ‘mo chara’ (a h is added due to Irish lenition rules). Cara is actually a name stemming from Italian as well where it comes from the Latin word Carus meaning darling beloved one. A beautiful name with a beautiful meaning! See Middle names that go with Cara.

Shay

Rank in US 2021: 928

Rank in Ireland 2021: There has never been a baby girl called Shay registered in Ireland.

Meaning: The name Shay has traditionally been a diminutive of the name Seamus, the Irish for James. It has been a masculine name but in recent times in the US it is being seen more as a unisex name. It comes the latin Jacob meaning “one who supplants”. Se Middle names that go with Shay.

Aislinn

Meaning: The name Aislinn is of Irish origin and means “dream or vision.” It’s a variant of Aisling which is a much more popular version, ranking number 136 in Ireland in 2021.

Murphy

Rank in US 2021: 969

Rank in Ireland 2021: There has never been a baby girl called Murphy registered in Ireland.

Meaning: The name Murphy is of Irish origin and means “sea warrior.”

Other Irish Girls Names Not Currently Ranked

The following gorgeous Irish female names are either on the way up or have declined in use in America. Popular Irish girl names tend to change with times as fashions come and go and whilst traditional Irish names might be declining for more modern, unique Irish female names.

Colleen

Meaning: The name Colleen is of Irish origin and means “girl.”

Shannon

Meaning: The name Shannon is from the Irish surname O’ Shannon or Ó Seanáin, meaning descent of Seanan (Sean or John) which means graced by God. An alternative meaning for Shannon is from the river Shannon or Sionnain which means old river.

The Sionnain is one of the seven rivers of knowledge, and comes from the Irish goddess Sionnainn or Sionna which means possessor of wisdom.

Tara

Meaning: The name Tara is of Irish origin and means “hill,” coming from the Hill of Tara in Meath. The Hill of Tara was the seat of the High King of Ireland and is very important historically in Ireland.

Orla

Meaning: Orla is a very popular Irish name that means golden lady or golden princess.

Fiadh

Meaning: Fiadh is the Irish for deer and has only recently been adopted in Ireland as a name yet in less that 20 years it went from a new name to the no.1 spot!

What name means little queen in Irish?

Riona or Rionach means little queen in Irish. Other queenly Irish names include Aine who was queen of the fairies, Blathnaid who was a warrior queen, Cliona who was Queen of the Banshees, Maeve who was the most famous Irish Queen, and Niamh who was the queen of Tir Na nOg (land of eternal youth)

What is a strong Irish name?

There are many strong Irish names for baby girls. If you are looking for a name that is both unique and has meaning, consider one of these beautiful American Irish girl names.

One strong Irish name for a baby girl is Aoife. This name means “beautiful,” “radiant,” or “joyful.”

Another strong Irish name for a baby girl is Saoirse. This name means “freedom” or “liberty.”

Also, Bláthnat is a name of profound beauty and symbolism, rooted in a rich linguistic and cultural heritage. Its literal translation as “little flower” is derived from the Irish word “bláth,” which means “flower.”

What is the prettiest Irish name?

Well, that is subjective! What I might find pretty you find awful, but here are just my top 3 Irish names (I tend to prefer traditional Irish girls names so bear that in mind!)

Aisling is a beautiful Irish name which means vision or dream. It is pronounced, “ASH-ling.”

Niamh is a beautiful Irish name which means bright or radiant. It is pronounced, “NEEV.”

Aine is a beautiful Irish name which means bright or radiant. It is pronounced, “Arn-ya.”

What is the most Irish girl name?

The most common Irish name for girls is Fiadh which ranked number 1 in 2021. Other popular Irish names for girls include Éabha, Saoirse, Aoife (pronounced ee fa) and Caoimhe (pronounced Quee-va or kee va). These are just a few of the many beautiful Irish names for girls.

Conclusion

There are many beautiful Irish names for girls. Whether you are looking for a name that is unique, has meaning, or is just plain pretty, there is an Irish name for you. From traditional to unique, there is a name for everyone with lots of spelling variations so you can choose one to suit your family!.

Irish names are beautiful, but they can also be strong and meaningful. If you are looking for a name with depth, consider one of these American girl names.

Whatever you are looking for in a name, there is an Irish American girl name for you!