185 Irish Baby Boy Names, From Popular to Totally Unique

When you look at the list of the most popular boy names, the top name for close to a decade is Liam, the Irish diminutive of William. You might think that would make names of Irish origin feel played or overdone, but if you look at the upcoming baby name trends, if anything, they're only getting more Irish.

That doesn't mean that there isn't a vibe shift. "Liam is beginning to fall in usage," says Sophie Kihm, the editor-in-chief of baby-naming site Nameberry, which keeps lists of popular Irish names. "We expect it to slip in the rankings soon. Other Irish boy names now past their peak include Finn, Connor and Declan."

So, which names does Kihm see on the rise? "The most coveted Irish boy names right now are energetic choices that start with 'R.' 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 Mac/Mack and Sullivan.

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

As you can see, 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, 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 (over Theodore), Leo (over Leonardo), Harry (over Henry or Harold), Alex (over Alexander) and Bobby (over Robert).

Looking for more baby boy name inspiration? Check out these Good Housekeeping lists: Disney Baby Names | French Baby Names | Hispanic Boy Names | Indian/Hindu Boy Names | Italian Baby Names | Irish Boy Names | Japanese Baby Names | Long Boy Names | Nature-Inspired Baby Names | Short Boy Names | Baby Girl Names | Gender-Neutral Names

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. Connor
7. Arthur
8. Declan
9. Arlo
10. Finn
    
11. Beckett
12. Caden
    
13. Brody
    
14. Oscar
    
15. Riley
    
16. Gavin
17. Rory
18. Tristan
19. Kenneth
20. Finley

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 if you're 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. Eiden
2. Kyren
3. Kylian/Cillian
4. Callahan
5. Bowen
   
6. Casey
   
7. Callan
8. Kieran
   
9. Madden
10. Grady

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/Kylian. Could this be the Peaky Blinders effect, a nod to Oppenheimer star Cillian Murphy?

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.

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. Senan (sennin)

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 folks have put these Irish 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. Bellamy
7. Brady
8. Brannon
9. Brendan
   
10. Brian
11. Caelin
12. Ceallach
    
13. Cedric
14. Comhghall
15. Cormac
16. Dara
17. Darren
    
18. Derry
19. Desmond
20. Donal
    
21. Ea
22. Eamon
23. Fallon
24. Faolán
    
25. Ferris
26. Finian
27. Finnegan
28. Fitz
29. Flynn
30. Gobán
    
31. Gulliver
32. Iarlaithe
    
33. Keegan
34. Kellen
    
35. Kennedy
36. Kieve
37. Laoise
38. Lorcan
39. Maguire
40. Malone
41. Mccoy
42. Murphy
    
43. Nevan
44. Nollaig
    
45. Paddy
46. Padraic
47. Pauric
48. Phelim
49. Raghnall
50. Quill
51. Quinn
52. Rafferty
53. Riordan
54. Ronan
55. Rooney
56. Ruaidhrí
57. Saeran
58. Seamus
59. Seoras
60. Shay
61. Suibhne
62. Sullivan
63. Teagan
64. Tiernan
    
65. Tigernach
66. Torin
67. Troi
68. Tynan
69. Uaine
70. Verlin

Marisa LaScala

Senior Parenting & Relationships Editor

Marisa (she/her) has covered all things parenting, from the postpartum period through the empty nest, for Good Housekeeping since 2018; previously, she wrote about parents and families at Parents and Working Mother. She lives with her toy-collecting husband and daughter in Brooklyn, where she can be found helping out her team at bar trivia or posting about movies on Twitter and Bluesky.