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Celtic Name Generator

Celtic names from five languages: Irish, Scottish Gaelic, Welsh, Breton and Cornish, with authentic surname forms, accents and gender filters.

Gender
Style

  1. Iseabail Fraser
  2. Conor Kelly
  3. Artair Mac Aonghais
  4. Cai ap Rhodri
  5. Lenaïg Morvan
  6. Eseld Tresidder
  7. Gwilym Evans
  8. Ultán Walsh
  9. Clodagh Ní Dhónaill
  10. Aziliz Le Borgne
  11. Jowan Polwhele
  12. Gaëlle Tanguy
  13. Kit Nancarrow
  14. Eoghan Nolan
  15. Youenn Guillou
  16. Ailean Campbell
  17. Katell Le Du
  18. Lowena Tretheweyjoy
  19. Paol Kerjean
  20. Seasaidh MacIntosh
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Celtic is a family of languages, not one naming style

Celtic names are the names of the Celtic languages, and there are two branches that matter. Irish, Scottish Gaelic and Manx belong to the Goidelic branch; Welsh, Cornish and Breton belong to the Brythonic one. A name from one can look nothing like a name from the other, which is why the generator has a style for each. Irish and Scottish Gaelic names share roots and spelling habits, Welsh names use letters such as w and y as vowels and dd as th, and Breton and Cornish have their own revived stock alongside French and English influence.

Family names show the same split. Irish and Scottish surnames are patronymics with prefixes: Ó (descendant of) or Mac (son of), and for women Ní and Nic, meaning daughter of the descendant or of the son. So Ó Briain becomes Ní Bhriain for a woman, and the following name changes its first letter (lenition). Welsh traditionally used ap or ab (son of) and ferch (daughter of), which is why Powell is ap Hywel, Price is ap Rhys and Bowen is ab Owen. Breton surnames often begin with Le (the) and describe a trait, such as Le Bihan (small) or Le Roux (red-haired). Cornish surnames often start with Tre-, Pol- or Pen-, for farm, pool and headland.

The pronunciation is the other thing to get right. Niamh is said NEEV, Siobhán is shi-VAWN, Saoirse is SEER-sha and Aoife is EE-fa. In Welsh, Rhys sounds like rees, Rhiannon like hree-AN-on and Ffion like FEE-on. Learn the sound before you commit, since a Celtic name mispronounced in every scene will bother anyone who knows it.

Irish and Scottish Gaelic names

The Irish style gives you a first name with either an anglicized surname (Cian O'Connor) or the Irish-language form, where women use Ní (Aoife Ní Bhriain) and men use Ó. The Scottish Gaelic style does the same with Mac and Nic, so a woman named Eilidh MacDonald in English is Eilidh Nic Dhòmhnaill in Gaelic. Both styles keep the fada and grave accents, which mark long vowels and are part of the spelling.

Scottish Gaelic communities have far fewer surnames than first names, so people are often identified by a father's name or a nickname instead of a surname, and Scottish Gaelic male names outnumber female ones by about two to one.

Welsh, Breton and Cornish names

The Welsh style gives a name plus a modern surname (Seren Jones) or the older patronymic (Bryn ap Dafydd, Eira ferch Ieuan). Many everyday Welsh surnames such as Jones, Davies and Evans are English-looking, since patronymics were fixed in English form. Breton names include saints' names such as Ronan and Corentin. Cornish names include revived names of Cornish saints and words: Piran, Petroc, Tamsin and Demelza.

Cornish surnames such as Trevithick, Penrose and Polglase carry a place inside them, and the rhyme runs that by Tre, Pol and Pen you shall know Cornishmen.

Celtic names and how they sound

  • Niamh Ní BhriainRadiance, with the Irish-language form of Brien for a woman; Niamh is said NEEV.
  • Saoirse O'ConnorFreedom, a strong name that is used well beyond Ireland, said SEER-sha.
  • Róisín KellyLittle rose, with a very common surname, and a name with an accent that reads as clearly Irish.
  • Cian Ó MurchúAncient, a short, strong name with the Irish form of Murphy.
  • Oisín QuinnLittle deer; the name of a legendary poet and warrior, and easy to say at OSH-een.
  • Ruairí ByrneThe Irish form of Rory, red king, and a name with a long history among Irish chieftains.
  • Aoife Ní NéillA woman's Irish form of O'Neill, with a name that gives an ancient, formal sound.
  • Mòrag MacLeodA classic Scottish Gaelic woman's name with a surname from the Isle of Skye.
  • Eilidh Nic DhòmhnaillGaelic for Helen, with the woman's form of MacDonald, following the lenition rule.
  • Calum MacKenzieCalum, from a saint's name meaning dove, with a Highland surname.
  • Ruairidh MacLeanThe Scottish spelling of Rory, paired with a surname of clan roots.
  • Alasdair Mac AoidhAlexander in Gaelic, with the Gaelic form of MacKay.
  • Seren JonesStar, with the commonest Welsh surname; a modern Welsh pair in real use.
  • Eirlys DaviesSnowdrop, a graceful flower name and a familiar surname.
  • Rhiannon ferch IeuanThe old patronymic form, ferch meaning daughter of; it suits a legend or a period novel.
  • Rhys ap DafyddSon of Dafydd: the Welsh pattern that gave English surnames such as Price.
  • Ffion HughesFoxglove, a very Welsh spelling, with a common surname.
  • Bryn LlewellynHill, and a two-syllable name that sounds friendly and strong.
  • Tanguy Le GoffA Breton saint's name with a surname meaning smith, one of the region's commonest.
  • Nolwenn Le BihanA Breton woman's name with a surname meaning small; both are typical of Brittany.
  • Morgane Le GuenSea-born, a name found in Breton and Arthurian tradition, with a surname meaning fair.
  • Tamsin TrevithickA Cornish first name, from Thomasina, with a surname that begins with Tre for farm.
  • Piran PenroseThe patron saint of tin miners and a surname meaning headland.
  • Demelza PolglaseA Cornish place name used as a girl's name, with a Pol surname; the pairing sounds very Cornish.

Choosing a Celtic name

  • Pick the language before the name. Irish, Scottish, Welsh, Breton and Cornish are different languages with different rules, so do not mix their surnames and given names.
  • Keep the accents. The fada in Róisín or the grave in Mòrag is part of the spelling, and dropping it changes the look of the name.
  • For a woman's Irish or Scottish surname, use Ní or Nic and remember the lenition. Ó Briain becomes Ní Bhriain, and not Ní Briain.
  • Learn one pronunciation and stay with it. Niamh, Siobhán, Saoirse and Aoife are all easy to get wrong.
  • For fantasy, take a real name and adjust it lightly, such as changing a vowel or adding a suffix, so that it sounds Celtic while staying easy for readers to say.

Questions people ask

What are Celtic names?

Celtic names are names from the Celtic languages: Irish, Scottish Gaelic and Manx (Goidelic), and Welsh, Cornish and Breton (Brythonic). Examples are Niamh, Saoirse, Seren, Rhys, Tamsin and Tanguy.

What do Ó, Mac, Ní and Nic mean in names?

Ó means descendant of and Mac means son of. For women, Ní replaces Ó and Nic replaces Mac, and the next name is usually lenited. So Ó Briain becomes Ní Bhriain and Mac Dhòmhnaill becomes Nic Dhòmhnaill.

What are Welsh patronymic names?

Traditional Welsh names used ap or ab (son of) and ferch (daughter of), such as Evan ap Thomas. Many English surnames come from them: Powell from ap Hywel, Price from ap Rhys, Pritchard from ap Richard and Bowen from ab Owen.

What are some Celtic girl names?

Popular Celtic girls' names include Niamh, Saoirse, Aoife, Róisín and Áine from Ireland, Eilidh and Mòrag from Scotland, Seren and Ffion from Wales, and Tamsin and Demelza from Cornwall.

What are some Celtic boy names?

Popular Celtic boys' names include Cian, Oisín, Ciarán and Fionn from Ireland, Calum and Alasdair from Scotland, Rhys, Dylan and Owain from Wales, and Piran and Petroc from Cornwall.

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Updated September 2026 · How these names are made