Irish names come from Gaelic and can be read with three simple rules: Aoife is said “i-fa”, Niamh “niv”. In France, the civil registry does not accept the accents on á, í, ó and ú: Seán is registered as Sean. In Ireland, Jack and Sophie were the most popular names in 2024.
Here are the reading rules, then 30 boy and girl names with their pronunciation and meaning, what Irish parents are choosing today, the question of accents on French civil records and a few tips for choosing.
Three rules for reading an Irish name
Irish is written with the Latin alphabet, but not with French sounds. Three rules are enough to read almost every name on this page:
- bh and mh are said v: Siobhán (chi-vône), Caoimhe (ki-va);
- s before e or i is said ch: Seán (chône), Sinéad (chi-néd);
- dh and gh are most often silent: Fiadh (fi-a), Darragh (da-ra).
The ao group is read more like i or é depending on the region, hence Aoife (i-fa) and Aodhán (é-dane). The pronunciations on this page are approximations for a French ear, like those given for Breton names.
Irish boy names
We have kept fifteen names, from the easiest to say in France to the most baffling. The meaning is given only when it comes from a known Irish word; otherwise, it is described as debated.
| Name | Pronounced | Meaning or origin |
|---|---|---|
| Liam | li-am | Short form of Uilliam, the Irish version of William |
| Rónán | rô-nane | “Little seal”, from rón, the seal |
| Fionn | fyoun | “White, fair”; the hero of the legends, Fionn mac Cumhaill |
| Cian | ki-ane | “Ancient, distant” |
| Darragh | da-ra | Linked to dair, the oak |
| Seán | chône | Irish form of John |
| Pádraig | pô-dric | Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland |
| Oisín | o-chine | “Little deer”, from os; son of Fionn in the legends |
| Ciarán | ki-rône | “Little dark one”, from ciar |
| Aodhán | é-dane | “Little fire”, from aodh; Aidan in English |
| Cillian | ki-li-ane | Linked to cill, the church |
| Rían | ri-ane | Meaning debated; third most popular name in Ireland in 2024 |
| Conor | ko-nor | From Conchobhar, a king in the legends; meaning debated |
| Tadhg | taïg | Meaning debated; a very old Irish name |
| Cathal | ka-hal | Name of Irish kings and saints; meaning debated |
Irish girl names
For girls, many names come from legends or female saints, and several are read very differently from how they are written. Our favorite, Saoirse, simply means “freedom”.
| Name | Pronounced | Meaning or origin |
|---|---|---|
| Saoirse | sir-cha | “Freedom”, an Irish word |
| Aoife | i-fa | Heroine of the legends; often translated as “beauty” |
| Niamh | niv | “Radiance”; the princess of the land of eternal youth |
| Fiadh | fi-a | “Deer, wild”; in the top five in 2024 |
| Éabha | é-va | Irish form of Eve |
| Caoimhe | ki-va | “Gentle, lovely”, from caomh |
| Róisín | ro-chine | “Little rose” |
| Siobhán | chi-vône | Irish form of Joan |
| Sinéad | chi-néd | Another Irish form of Joan |
| Aisling | ach-ling | “Vision, dream” |
| Méabh | mév | Queen Medb of the legends; Maeve in English |
| Orlaith | or-la | Linked to ór, gold, and flaith, sovereign |
| Gráinne | grô-nyé | Heroine of the legends; meaning debated |
| Clodagh | clo-da | Name of a river in Ireland |
| Deirdre | dir-dre | Tragic heroine of the legends; meaning debated |
What Irish parents are choosing today
The official figures from Ireland's statistics office, the CSO, are surprising: in 2024, Jack remains at the top for boys for the eighth year, with 490 births, ahead of Noah (486) and Rían (432). Among girls, Sophie ranks first for the first time since 2010, ahead of Emily, Éabha, Grace and Fiadh.
Ireland therefore chooses both very international English names, close to American names, and rising Gaelic names, led by Rían, Éabha and Fiadh. The country recorded 9,582 different names in 2024.
The Irish accent on French civil records
The accent you see on Seán, Rían or Róisín is called the fada. It lengthens the vowel and sometimes changes the meaning of the word. In France, the circular of July 23, 2014 on civil registration only accepts the accents of French letters.
á, í, ó and ú are not among the marks accepted on civil records. Seán is registered as Sean, Rían becomes Rian, Róisín becomes Roisin. The é is accepted: Éabha and Sinéad keep theirs. The Quimper court refused the tilde in the Breton name Fañch in 2017, a sign that the rule is applied.
Nothing stops you from writing the accent on a birth announcement or a crib label. On official documents, however, your child will carry the version without the accent, and the pronunciation does not change.
Choosing an Irish name that will live well in France
An Irish name will be read aloud by teachers, doctors and grandparents who don't know the reading rules. Will your child have to correct them all their life? For Niamh or Caoimhe, often yes.
Names that are read more or less as they are written go through effortlessly: Liam, Rónán, Finn, Cian, Orla, Fiadh. The others require accepting the correction, or choosing the English form when there is one: Maeve for Méabh, Aidan for Aodhán.
In this video, a Frenchwoman living in Ireland pronounces ten everyday girl names, from Aoife to Sinéad, and gives their meaning: the surest way to hear the difference between the written and the spoken name.
Say it out loud before you choose
Keep two or three names from these lists, say them out loud with the family name, and have a loved one read them without giving the pronunciation. Finally, check the spelling without the accent that will appear on the birth certificate.
Sources
- CSO (Ireland's statistics office), “Irish Babies' Names 2024”, February 2025
- Circular of July 23, 2014 on civil registration (NOR JUSC1412888C)
- Niall Ó Dónaill, Foclóir Gaeilge–Béarla, 1977
- Donnchadh Ó Corráin and Fidelma Maguire, Irish Names
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