185 Irish Baby Boy Names, From Popular to Totally Unique

When it comes to baby names, parents are looking to the Emerald Isle for inspiration. But which Irish names to choose? "The most coveted Irish boy names right now are energetic choices that start with 'R,'" says Sophie Kihm, the editor-in-chief of baby-naming site Nameberry, which keeps lists of popular Irish names. "Rowan and Rory lead the pack, but we’re also seeing once-obscure names like Rafferty and Redmond get the attention they deserve." Names that start with "C" and end with "N," like Cillian, Cian, and Callahan, are also getting hot, Kihm says, along with surnames like Mack and Sullivan.

And what of Liam, which is currently the most popular boy name in the United States? "Liam is beginning to fall in usage," Kihm says. "We expect it to slip in the rankings soon. Other Irish boy names now past their peak include Finn, Connor, and Declan." But that doesn't mean these names can't still be right for some families.

Whether you want to honor your heritage or just like the way these sound, these top Irish boy names are certain to be high on your list of potential baby monikers

Ireland's Central Statistics Office (CSO) keeps track of baby names going back to 1964, if you're looking for a deep well of inspiration. While they're not all names of Irish origin, according to the CSO, these are the top baby boy names in Ireland at the moment, along with their meanings.

1. Rían, "little king"
2. Jack, diminutive of John,"God is gracious"
3. Noah, "rest"
4. James, "supplanter"
5. Oisín, "little deer"
6. Fionn, "fair"
7. Liam, diminutive of William, "resolute protection"
8. Tadhg, "poet"
9. Cillian, "strife"
10. Leo, "lion"
11. Luca, "man from Lucania"
12. Páidí, "noble"
13. Charlie, "free man"
14. Daniel, "God is my judge"
15. Finn, "fair"
16. Conor, "lover of hounds"
17. Thomas, "twin"
18. Oliver, "olive tree"
19. Darragh, "oak tree"
20. Adam, "son of the red earth"
21. Theo, diminutive of Theodore,"gift of God"
22. Michael, "who is like God?"
23. Luke, "man from Lucania"
24. Seán, "God is gracious"
25. Harry, diminutive of Henry, "estate ruler"
26. Patrick, "noble"
27. Tommy, diminutive of Thomas,"twin"
28. Sonny, "son"
29. John, "God is gracious"
30. Bobby, diminutive of Robert, "bright fame"
31. Ollie, diminutive of Oliver, "olive tree"
32. Oscar, "God spear"
33. Cian, "ancient"
34. Kai, "sea"
35. Muhammad, "praised one"
36. Alfie, Diminutive of Alfred, "wise counselor"
37. Alex, diminutive of Alexander, "defending men"
38. Senan, "little old one" or "little wise one"
39. Billy, diminutive of William, "resolute protection"
40. Ben, "son of"
41. Max, "greatest"
42. Hugo, "intellect"
43. Caelan, "thin"
44. Theodore,"gift of God"
45. David, "beloved"
46. Archie, diminutive of Archibald, "truly brave" or "bold"
47. Jamie, diminutive of James, "supplanter"
48. Tom, diminutive of Thomas,"twin"
49. Callum, "dove"
50. Sam, diminutive of Samuel, "told by God"

These run the gamut of popularity this side of the pond: Some—like Liam, Noah and Oliver—are also extremely popular in the United States. Others, like Darragh (pronounced DA-ra), Oisín (pronounced oh-SHEEN), and Tadhg (pronounced TI-guh, like the first syllable in the word "tiger"), didn't even make the top 1,000 names stateside, according to the Social Security Administration (SSA), which keeps track of baby names in the United States.

There are also quite a few names on this list that follow the recent trend of using a nickname over a full name, like Theo (more popular than Theodore), Leo (more popular than Leonardo), Harry (more popular than Henry or Harold), Archie (more popular than Archibald), Alex (more popular than Alexander), and Bobby (more popular than Robert).

If you don't want to go too far out of the box, these are some more names that are currently high-rankers on the SSA's list of top baby names. All of Irish origin, they rank somewhere within the top 300 names in the United States, and they're listed here in order of popularity.

1. Liam
2. Aiden/Ayden
3. Nolan
4. Rowan
5. Ryan
6. Arthur
   
7. Declan
8. Connor
9. Arlo
10. Kevin
11. Beckett
12. Finn
13. Caden/Kaiden
    
14. Oscar
15. Patrick
    
16. Brody
17. Rory
18. Riley
19. Callan
20. Gavin
    

Interestingly, the "R" names that Kihm mentioned earlier—like Ryan, Rowan, Riley, and Rory—are also on the list of most popular baby names for girls in the United States. These are great options for families looking for a gender-neutral baby name.

The SSA doesn't just keep track of the most popular names—they keep tabs on how that popularity is changing over time. These names haven't broken into the top 100 yet, but they increased in popularity over the last year (listed in order from the biggest jump in popularity to the least).

1. Kyren
   
2. Cillian
3. Campbell
4. Cedric
5. Callahan
6. Murphy
7. Eiden
8. McCoy
9. Bellamy
10. Kieran

The last-names-as-first-names trend is showing no signs of abating, but if there's one name that looks poised to take on Liam in the future, it looks like it'll be the contender Kihm noted earlier: Cillian. Could this be the Peaky Blinders effect, a nod to Oppenheimer star Cillian Murphy, whose first and last name is trending?

Peaky Blinders star Cillian Murphy. Cillian is a fast-climbing boys’ name in the United States.

Irish Central has its own list of out-of-the-box choices that haven't yet hit the SSA list—and also helpfully provided the pronunciations (listed here alphabetically).

1. Aodhan (aidan)
2. Caolan (keelin)
3. Carraig (Craig)
4. Cathal (ka-hal)
5. Ciarán (kee-ran)
6. Colm (collum)
7. Dáithí (da-hee)
8. Diarmuid (deer-mid)
9. Donnacha (done-acka)
10. Eoghan (owen)
11. Eoin (owen)
12. Fergal (fergal)
13. Odhrán (orin)
14. Ruairí (rory)
15. Tiernan (tee-er-nan)

Fantasy names are in for boys, so these names have an element of otherworldly power to them.

1. Ailill (husband of Queen Maebh)
2. Aodh (god of the underworld)
3. Aonghus (god of love, poetry and youth)
4. Balor (a giant king who weilded an evil eye)
5. Dagda (god of life and death, fertility and agriculture)
6. Goibniu (god of smithing)
7. Lugh (supernatural being associated with light)
8. Manannán (god of the sea)
9. Nuada/Nuadha (king of the Tuatha Dé Danann)
10. Sláine (as in Sláine Mac Dela of the Fir Bolg, the first High King of Ireland)

Whether from music, movies or TV shows, famous Irish folks have put these names on the map.

1. Colin (actor Colin Farrell)
2. Damien (actor Damien Molony)
3. Keoghan (actor Barry Keoghan)
4. Naoise (member of the Irish rap group Kneecap)
5. Niall (One Direction member Niall Horan)
6. Pierce (James Bond portrayer Pierce Brosnan)
7. Roy (footballer Roy Keane)
8. Shane (Pogues frontman Shane MacGowan)
9. Wolfe (famed Irish revolutionary Wolfe Tone)
10. Yeats (poet William Butler Yeats)

Naoise "Móglaí Bap" Ó Cairealláin (left) and Liam Óg "Mo Chara" Ó Hannaidh (right), two members of the Irish group Kneecap, perform at Glastonbury.

If you're still looking for inspiration, here are more Irish boy names.

1. Aibhne
2. Amon
3. Auley
4. Banning
5. Barry
6. Bowen
7. Brady
8. Brannon
9. Brendan
10. Brian
11. Caelin
12. Casey
13. Ceallach
14. Comhghall
15. Conall
16. Cormac
17. Dara
18. Darren
19. Derry
20. Desmond
21. Donal
22. Ea
23. Eamon
24. Enda
    
25. Fallon
26. Faolán
27. Ferris
28. Finian
29. Finley
30. Finnegan
31. Fitz
32. Flynn
33. Gobán
34. Grady
35. Gulliver
36. Iarlaithe
37. Keegan
38. Kellen
39. Kenneth
40. Kennedy
41. Kieve
42. Laoise
43. Lorcan
44. Madden
45. Maguire
46. Malone
47. Nevan
48. Nollaig
49. Paddy
50. Padraic
51. Pauric
52. Phelim
53. Raghnall
54. Quill
55. Quinn
56. Rafferty
57. Riordan
58. Ronan
59. Rooney
60. Ruaidhrí
61. Saeran
62. Seamus
63. Seoras
64. Shay
65. Suibhne
66. Sullivan
67. Teagan
68. Tigernach
69. Torin
70. Tristan
71. Turlough
    
72. Troi
73. Tynan
74. Uaine
75. Verlin