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Irish girls names, A - D

During the 18th and 19th centuries, hardly any old Celtic/Irish girls' names were in use and most parents chose from a restrictive list, usually limited to the names of saints. So, in terms of those beginning with the letters A to E, there were countless little girls called Anne, Bridget, Catherine, Ellen/Eleanor. All religions embraced these names, and all social classes.

But if you come across ancestors with the names Elizabeth, Esther, Barbara, Diana, Edith, Caroline and Charlotte, you'll likely find they were Protestant, and probably at least reasonably well-off.

A Celia, however, would have been Catholic and upper-class.

You may notice in the list below of Irish girls names that old names spelt with a K in English are spelt with a C in Irish. This is because there is no letter K in the Irish alphabet.

With each of the names I've given an approximate pronunciation. However, knowing a few basics about the Irish language may help you to understand some of the more outrageous spellings and to unravel the pronunciation for yourself.

There are certainly some letter combinations that are alien to English. Just look at the delightful name Dearbhorgaill. It's a great example of a name that is guaranteed to stump the native English-speaker.

Just the sight of the 'bh' is enough to confuse. Well, if you know that 'bh' and 'mh' are usually pronounced 'v', you'd be off to a flying start.

The first syllable, however, is not 'dear' as in 'Dear John', but 'dar'. This is because 'e', which is usually pronounced as in 'bet', is silent when it appears before an 'a'. So the first six letters, make up 'darv'.

The second syllable appears simple enough but don't overdo that 'o'. It should be pronounced lke the 'u' in 'put', giving you more of a soft 'er' sound than an 'or' sound.

Moving to the end of the final syllable, and it is the turn of the 'a' to be silent to give you 'gill'. Putting the emphasis on the first syllable and running the three elements together, you have Darv-er-gill.

Irish Name	Pronunciation	English equivalent	Meaning or Origin
Ailbhe	Al-veh		A unisex name dating back to the 11th century, one of the best-known bearers was the daughter of the fairy king, Midir
Aileen	Ay-leen	Eileen	Means little noble one.
Áine	Awn-ya	Anna	A very common Irish baby girl name from 1300-1500. It's been revived as a solidly popular name since the 1990s.
Aobhinn	Ee-vin		The name of a number of princesses in the Middle Ages, it means beautiful sheen. Returning to popularity in modern times, it entered the top 100 for the first time in 2006.
Aoife	Ee-fa	Eva/Ava	In legend, the evil second wife of King Lir, who was turned into a crow as punishment for her jealousy. One of the most traditional Irish names, it means beautiful or radiant, and it topped the baby girl's list in 2000.
Betha	Bay-thah		Means life (as in Uisce Beatha = water of life = whiskey).
Briana	Bree-an-ah		The female version of the all-time popular name of Brian.
Brighid	Breed		From the Irish 'brigh', meaning high or powerful, this was the name of the most important Celtic goddess.
Brigid/ Brigit	Bridge-id/it	Bridget	A common Irish girls name in modern times with many pet forms including Biddy, Bridie, Dina and Delia. It dates back only to medieval times.
Caitlín	Kate-lin	Katherine	A pet form of Catríona.
Cara	Car-ah	Kara	Means friend in Irish.
Catríona	Coh-tree-nah	Katherine/ Kathleen	Meaning dark, this is the feminine form of Ciarán. For the first time in ten years, it fell just outside the top 10 most popular Irish girls names in 2007.
Cobhlaith	Kov-lah		One of the oldest Irish girls names, of uncertain meaning, dating from the 8th and 9th centuries.
Dáire	Dah-rah	Dara	A unisex name meaning fruitful, it occurs regularly in Irish legends.
Damhnait	Dav-nit	Dympna	Meaning little deer, among its most famous holders was the wife of a king of Munster, Áed Bennán.
Dearbhail	Dar-vil	Dervla	Known as far back as the 7th century, the name may have meant 'daughter of Fál' (Fál being the legendary name for Ireland).
Dearbhorgaill	Dar-vor-gil		Means daughter of Forgall, a god. A well-known bearer of the name was the wife of Tigernán Ó Ruairc, king of Breifne, who eloped with Dermot, king of Leinster.
Deirdre	Deer-dreh	Deirdre	Of uncertain origin, this is the name of one of the most tragic heroines of Irish legend: Deirdre of the Sorrows.
Duibheasa	Duh-vee-sah		A fairly common name in the early medieval period, it means dark lady of the waterfall.
Duibhghiolla	Duh-vil-ah		A wife of high king Donnchad mac Flaind bore this name in the 10th century. It means dark lady of Lemain.