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Irish Name Generator

Twenty Irish names at a time, in English-form modern and classic styles or in the Irish language, with the correct Ó, Mac, Ní and Nic surnames.

Gender
Style

  1. Quinn Clarke
  2. Oliver O'Callaghan
  3. Rory Donnelly
  4. Conall Mac Cárthaigh
  5. Rían Breathnach
  6. Bríd Ní Fhearghail
  7. Ciarán Ó Súilleabháinlittle dark one
  8. Luke Barry
  9. Seosamh Mac Diarmada
  10. Oliver Nolan
  11. Daniel Kelly
  12. Callum McCarthy
  13. Rían Caomhánach
  14. Rían Bairéad
  15. James Quinn
  16. Shannon Sweeney
  17. Fionnuala Ní Fhearghail
  18. Riley Burke
  19. Kerry O'Callaghan
  20. Micheál Ó Dochartaigh
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How people pick irish names

Irish surnames wear their history openly. Ó means descendant of, and Mac means son of, so Ó Briain is a descendant of Brian (the family English speakers know as O'Brien) and Mac Cárthaigh is a son of Cárthach (McCarthy). The prefix is not decoration. It is part of the name, and in the Irish language it changes with the person: an unmarried woman is Ní, not Ó, and Mac becomes Nic. Seán Ó Briain has a sister called Máire Ní Bhriain, and that little h after the B is not a typo.

During the centuries of English rule many families dropped the Ó and Mac to look less Irish, then took them back after independence. That is why you meet both Brien and O'Brien, Carthy and McCarthy. The English-form names in the modern and classic styles below are the ones you see on shop fronts and passports in Ireland today. The Irish-language style gives the older spellings, including the fada accents that show a long vowel.

First names split the same way. Aoife, Niamh and Saoirse are Irish names with English-looking spellings that need a guide to pronounce: EE-fa, NEEV and SEER-sha. Siobhán is shuh-VAWN. The classic style uses the anglicized forms an older generation grew up with (Bridget, Kathleen, Seamus), and modern gives you the mix a current classroom would have.

Irish language names and the fada

The Irish-language setting pairs Irish given names with Irish surnames. Female surnames use Ní or Nic and lenite (soften) the next consonant where the grammar requires it, so Ó Dónaill becomes Ní Dhónaill for a woman. Because the results follow those grammar rules, they are useful for a Gaeltacht character or a piece of Irish-language writing.

A few Irish surnames do not change by sex, such as Breathnach (Walsh), de Búrca (Burke) and Caomhánach (Kavanagh). The neutral setting uses those, along with given names that are not tied to a single sex, such as Ailbhe.

Celtic, Gaelic and other names nearby

Ireland shares a naming tradition with Scotland and, more distantly, with Wales, but the three are separate. Scottish Gaelic keeps Mac but not Ó, and Welsh uses a different set of patronymics altogether. If you are building a broader Celtic cast, the Scottish and Welsh generators are better than stretching this one.

A shortlist of 22 irish names

  • Aoife MurphyAoife is one of the best-known Irish girls' names abroad, and Murphy is the most common surname in Ireland.
  • Conor KellyConor has been a long-running favorite in Ireland, and Kelly is one of the three or four most familiar family names.
  • Saoirse RyanSaoirse means freedom and has been a favorite girls' name in Ireland for a generation, and Ryan is a familiar Munster surname.
  • Oisín ByrneOisín is the poet-warrior of the Fenian tales, and Byrne comes from Ó Broin, a Leinster family.
  • Niamh O'BrienNiamh is a good test of whether a reader knows Irish: the spelling hides the sound NEEV.
  • Cillian DoyleCillian is a saint's name that returned to popularity in the past few decades, and Doyle means dark stranger.
  • Aisling GallagherAisling means a vision or dream, a poetic name with a long history in Irish verse.
  • Ciarán QuinnA classic Irish name from the sixth-century monk Saint Ciarán, with the very common Quinn.
  • Brigid WalshBrigid is the old form of the saint's name, and Walsh means Welshman, a reminder of medieval settlers.
  • Seamus FlanaganSeamus is the classic Irish form of James, and the spelling marks an older generation than James.
  • Kathleen FitzgeraldKathleen was extremely common in Ireland in the middle of the last century.
  • Declan HoganDeclan is another saint's name, and Hogan is an established family name across Munster.
  • Nuala BrennanNuala is a shortened form of Fionnuala, which links to the Children of Lir legend.
  • Dermot McCarthyDermot is the anglicized Diarmuid, and McCarthy is the classic Cork name.
  • Sorcha Ní BhriainSorcha means radiant, and Ní Bhriain is the female form of Ó Briain, so this is a fully Irish-language name.
  • Pádraig Ó CeallaighThe Irish form of Patrick with the fada, paired with the Irish spelling of Kelly.
  • Gráinne Ní DhónaillGráinne is a heroine of Irish legend, and the lenited Dhónaill shows correct female-surname grammar.
  • Cathal Mac CárthaighCathal is an old Gaelic name meaning battle-ruler, and Mac Cárthaigh is the surname as it appears in Irish.
  • Róisín Nic GearailtRóisín is a diminutive that means little rose, and Nic Gearailt is the female form of Fitzgerald in Irish.
  • Tadhg Ó SúilleabháinTadhg is unmistakably Irish and confuses non-speakers. The name is pronounced roughly TIGE.
  • Ailbhe BreathnachAilbhe is used for people of either sex in Ireland, and Breathnach is the same for men and women.
  • Fionn de BúrcaFionn recalls the hero Fionn mac Cumhaill, and de Búrca is the Irish form of Burke, a family of Norman origin.

Getting Irish names right

  • Choose the spelling style first. Aoife Kelly and Aoife Ní Cheallaigh are the same person written for different audiences, and mixing the two in one document looks off.
  • Give a woman Ní or Nic and the softened consonant that goes with it. Sorcha Ó Briain is wrong; Sorcha Ní Bhriain is right.
  • Add a pronunciation note the first time readers meet Niamh, Siobhán, Saoirse or Tadhg. Non-Irish readers will get them wrong otherwise.
  • Keep the fadas in Irish-language names (Seán, Máire, Ó Súilleabháin). They mark long vowels, and dropping them changes the word.
  • Use Murphy, Kelly, Byrne, Ryan and O'Sullivan when you want an ordinary Irish family, and rarer surnames for a character with roots in one county.

Questions people ask

What are the most common Irish last names?

Murphy, Kelly and O'Sullivan are among the most common, followed by Walsh, Smith, O'Brien and Byrne. Most descend from Gaelic surnames with Ó or Mac, and the English forms often dropped the prefix.

What does Ó or Mac mean in an Irish name?

Ó means grandson or descendant of, and Mac means son of. O'Brien is the descendant of Brian. In Irish, unmarried women use Ní instead of Ó and Nic instead of Mac, so Ó Briain becomes Ní Bhriain.

How do you pronounce Niamh, Siobhán and Aoife?

Niamh is NEEV, Siobhán is shuh-VAWN, and Aoife is EE-fa. Saoirse is SEER-sha, and Tadhg is close to TIGE. The spellings look odd because they follow Irish rather than English rules.

What are popular Irish names for girls and boys?

Popular girls' names include Aoife, Emily, Grace, Saoirse and Niamh, and boys' names include Jack, Conor, Cian, Oisín and Fionn. The classic style gives older favorites such as Mary, Patrick, Kathleen and Declan.

Are these real Irish names?

Yes. The first names and surnames are real and in current or historical use, in English form and in Irish-language form. Random combinations may match a real person, so check before using one for a published character.

What does the Irish language style change?

It uses Irish given names with fadas (Seán, Máire) and Irish surnames with Ó, Mac, Ní or Nic. Women's surnames use the correct Ní or Nic form, with the lenited consonant where the grammar needs one.

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Updated September 2026 · How these names are made