95 Irish Boy Names (With Pronunciation, Because You'll Need It)

Irish names split into two groups, and the split matters more than any meaning.

There are the ones that travel — Liam, Finn, Declan, Ronan — which spell more or less phonetically in English and pass through an American classroom without incident. And there are the ones that need explaining forever: Caoimhín, Tadhg, Saoirse, Ruairí. Beautiful, older, and a lifetime of "how do you say that?"

Neither is the wrong choice. But it is a choice, and it's worth making it deliberately rather than discovering it at his first day of school. Ninety-five names below, grouped that way, with pronunciation on everything that needs it.

Travels easily — no explaining required

1. Liam — Short for Uilliam (William). Currently the most popular boys' name in the US.
2. Finn — Fionn, "fair, bright". The anglicized spelling carries none of the difficulty.
3. Declan — Saint's name, meaning uncertain. Warm, well-used, unmistakable.
4. Ronan — "Little seal". Soft, distinctive, easy.
5. Connor — Conchobhar, "lover of hounds". Very familiar in the US.
6. Kieran — Ciarán, "little dark one". The -ie- spelling solves it.
7. Rory — Ruairí, "red king". The anglicized form is effortless.
8. Brendan — "Prince". Mid-century American-Irish, due a return.
9. Nolan — Surname-style, "champion".
10. Callum — Scottish-Irish crossover, "dove".
11. Aidan — Aodhán, "little fire". Common; know that going in.
12. Keegan — "Son of Egan". Crisp.
13. Quinn — "Descendant of Conn". Used both ways now.
14. Shane — Seán, anglicized. Plain and solid.
15. Colin — Coilean, "young pup". Unfashionable enough to be interesting again.
16. Conan — "Little wolf". One association to weigh.
17. Neil — Niall, "champion". Understated.
18. Barry — Bearach, "spear". Overdue a revival.
19. Casey — "Vigilant". Unisex, breezy.
20. Devin — "Poet". Soft and usable.

Worth the explaining — traditional spellings

Pronunciation given because you'll be giving it for the next forty years.

21. Cian — KEE-an. "Ancient". Short and genuinely lovely.
22. Oisín — uh-SHEEN. "Little deer". The most-loved name in Ireland that Americans cannot spell.
23. Caoimhín — KWEE-veen. "Gentle birth". The original of Kevin.
24. Tadhg — TYGE (rhymes with "Nige"). "Poet". Beautiful, and a lifetime of confusion.
25. Ruairí — ROAR-ee. "Red king".
26. Fionn — FIN or FYUN. "Fair". Safer as Finn if you're outside Ireland.
27. Rían — REE-an. "Little king". Note: not the same as Ryan.
28. Eoin — OH-in. The Irish John.
29. Seán — SHAWN. Ubiquitous and still good.
30. Cillian — KIL-ee-an. "Little church". Rising fast internationally.
31. Odhrán — OH-rawn. "Little pale one".
32. Lorcán — LOR-kawn. "Little fierce one".
33. Dáithí — DAW-hee. "Swiftness". The Irish David.
34. Páidí — PAW-dee. Diminutive of Patrick.
35. Cathal — CA-hal. "Battle-ruler".
36. Diarmuid — DEER-mid. "Without envy".
37. Fearghas — FAR-gus. "Man of strength". Fergus travels better.
38. Éamon — AY-mun. The Irish Edmund.
39. Colm — CUL-um. "Dove". Quiet and dignified.
40. Donncha — DUN-uh-kha. "Brown warrior".
41. Ciarán — KEER-awn. The traditional spelling of Kieran.
42. Aodh — AY. "Fire". Two letters of sound, four of spelling.
43. Naoise — NEE-sha. From the legend of Deirdre.
44. Conchobhar — CRUH-hoor. The full form of Connor. Committed.
45. Ultán — UL-tawn. "Ulsterman".

Strength and battle

46. Conall — "Strong as a wolf".
47. Niall — "Champion". The origin of the entire Neill family.
48. Nuada — Mythological king. Unusual and striking.
49. Cormac — "Charioteer". Familiar, literary, ages well.
50. Murchadh — MUR-a-kha. "Sea warrior".
51. Faolán — FWAY-lawn. "Little wolf".
52. Art — Genuinely an old Irish name meaning "bear". Three letters.
53. Bran — "Raven". Short, and now carries a television association.
54. Éibhear — AY-ver. Mythological.
55. Sárán — "Little noble one".

Nature and place

56. Darragh — DA-ra. "Oak". Very popular in Ireland.
57. Rowan — Also a tree; Irish and Scottish both.
58. Loughlin — LOCK-lin. "Land of the lakes".
59. Shannon — The river. Now mostly feminine in the US.
60. Cloud — Anglicization of Clúid. Rare.
61. Torin — "Chief".
62. Sliabh — SHLEE-ev. "Mountain". Very rare, very handsome.
63. Corrie — From coire, a mountain hollow.
64. Beacán — "Little one". Also the root of Beckett in some readings.
65. Glen — Gaelic gleann, a valley.

Saints and the church

66. Patrick — Obviously. Still excellent, currently unfashionable.
67. Brendan — The Navigator.
68. Kevin — Caoimhín, anglicized. Overdue a return.
69. Malachy — MAL-a-kee. "Messenger".
70. Fintan — "White fire". Uncommon and very usable.
71. Senan — "Wise, old".
72. Canice — Rare, gentle.
73. Finbar — "Fair-headed". Distinctive without being difficult.
74. Ailbhe — AL-va. Used both ways.
75. Cronan — "Little dark one".

Surname-style firsts

76. Sullivan — "Dark-eyed". Big and friendly.
77. Donovan — "Dark chief".
78. Flynn — "Bright red". Sharp and short.
79. Brady — "Broad".
80. Cassidy — "Curly-haired". Unisex now.
81. Reagan — "Little king". Political association to weigh.
82. Kellan — "Powerful".
83. Delaney — "From the alder grove".
84. Rafferty — "Prosperity". Playful and underused.
85. Sheridan — "Seeker".

Short and modern

86. Cael — "Slender".
87. Cody — "Helpful".
88. Dara — Unisex, from Darragh.
89. Eoghan — OH-in. "Born of the yew".
90. Fiach — FEE-akh. "Raven".
91. Kian — Phonetic spelling of Cian, and the one that travels.
92. Lonan — "Blackbird".
93. Ruari — Simplified Ruairí.
94. Tiernan — "Little lord".
95. Zach — Not Irish at all, but included because it's what half the Tadhgs end up being called.

The practical test

Say it to a stranger on the phone. If you have to spell it twice, that's the rest of his life — which is fine, plenty of people happily do it, but decide now rather than discovering it later.

And if you love a traditional spelling but not the daily correction, the anglicized form usually exists for exactly that reason: Fionn/Finn, Ruairí/Rory, Caoimhín/Kevin, Ciarán/Kieran. You lose a little and gain a lot of ease.

More lists: 90 nature boy names if you liked Darragh and Rowan, 80 boy names that mean light — where Aodh and the fire names get fuller treatment — and classic boy names that never date.