Brainstorming Irish Boys Names

Boy Names
1

I’m trying to add some more boys names to my list. Between my husband and myself, I think we have pretty specific criteria.

He really wants to give our children Irish first names if possible, or at least names associated with [name_f]Ireland[/name_f] (like [name_m]Patrick[/name_m] isn’t truly an Irish name, but St. [name_m]Patrick[/name_m] is one of the patron saint of [name_f]Ireland[/name_f]).

I don’t like names that are too difficult to spell or pronounce in English. We’re not opposed to Anglicized spellings, but some just feel a little too inauthentic (our daughter’s name is not the traditional spelling, but that spelling is at least used in [name_f]Ireland[/name_f]).

We have an Irish last name that is now becoming popular as a first name for little girls, and my husband hates that, so we’re staying away from surnames.

Our last name starts with Mc, so that may exclude some names ([name_m]Cormac[/name_m] Mc_____ would sound pretty silly, right?)

Any suggestions?

2

I like [name_m]Padraig[/name_m],
[name_m]Dermot[/name_m]
[name_m]Brendan[/name_m]
[name_m]Seamus[/name_m]
[name_m]Cillian[/name_m]
[name_m]Cathal[/name_m]/Cahal
Alroy
Lir

3

I love Irish names! I wasn’t sure what sorts of names you’re looking for as far as the popular-to-unique range, so I tried to include a variety in my suggestions. :slight_smile:

[name_m]Alastar[/name_m] – Irish form of [name_m]Alexander[/name_m]
[name_m]Brogan[/name_m]
[name_u]Carbry[/name_u]/Carbrey
[name_m]Cavan[/name_m]
[name_m]Ciar[/name_m] ([name_m]KEER[/name_m]) – might be a little too hard to pronounce for your tastes, but I love it!
[name_m]Colin[/name_m]
[name_m]Conall[/name_m]
[name_m]Conor[/name_m]/[name_m]Connor[/name_m]
[name_m]Dermot[/name_m]
[name_m]Donovan[/name_m] – I know it’s a surname, but I couldn’t resist adding it
[name_u]Finn[/name_u]/[name_u]Fionn[/name_u]
[name_m]Kean[/name_m]/[name_m]Keane[/name_m]
[name_m]Killian[/name_m]
[name_m]Lochlan[/name_m]
[name_m]Lorcan[/name_m]
[name_u]Neil[/name_u]/[name_u]Niall[/name_u]
[name_u]Owen[/name_u]
[name_m]Redmond[/name_m] – Anglicization of the Irish form of [name_m]Raymond[/name_m]
[name_u]Rory[/name_u]
[name_m]Seamus[/name_m] – Irish form of [name_u]James[/name_u]
[name_m]Sean[/name_m] – Irish form of [name_m]John[/name_m]
[name_u]Tiernan[/name_u]/[name_m]Tiarnan[/name_m]
[name_m]Torin[/name_m]

4

Have only glanced at pp so sorry for repeatss <3

Niall
Torin
Finnegan
Kieran
Liam
Ennis
Eoghan
Orin
Ronan
Cedric
Graham
<3

5

Thanks, I really like some of these!

[name_m]Seamus[/name_m] has always been on my list - my twin brother is named [name_u]James[/name_u], so I think that would be a cool way to honor him without actually using his name. I worry people think it’s weird, though.

[name_u]Niall[/name_u] is really high on my list right now. But, my 10-year-old neighbor informed me that it’s the name of one of the kids in [name_f]One[/name_f] Direction. [name_m]Will[/name_m] people automatically make that association? Or is everyone over the age of like 14 clueless about them like I am?

I also like [name_m]Brendan[/name_m] since watching the movie The [name_f]Secret[/name_f] of Kells, but I’m worried it’s too trendy-sounding. I’ve met a lot of young Braydens, Brennans, and anything-that-rhymes-with-Aidans. I know it’s not the same, but I’m concerned it comes across that way anyway.

My sister almost named her sons [name_u]Finn[/name_u] and [name_m]Colin[/name_m], so I feel those are off the table. My BFF would kill me if I used [name_m]Liam[/name_m]. My brother-in-law is named [name_u]Shawn[/name_u], otherwise [name_m]Sean[/name_m] would probably be a top contender to honor my husband’s BFF/our daughter’s godfather [name_m]John[/name_m]. My husband doesn’t like [name_m]Ronan[/name_m]. My brother makes fun of the name [name_m]Alistair[/name_m] all the time, so I probably shouldn’t go there. [name_m]Alexander[/name_m] was my great-grandpa’s name, though, so it’s a good option in that respect. I kind of like [name_m]Cillian[/name_m] for the meaning of it, but it sounds like the word “kill” and it rhymes with my cousin [name_f]Gillian[/name_f]'s name. I like the way [name_m]Keane[/name_m] looks better than the sound of it. We’re avoiding K names, anyway, since my name and my husband’s both start with K.

6

[name_m]Declan[/name_m]
[name_u]Kieran[/name_u]
[name_u]Owen[/name_u]
[name_m]Malcolm[/name_m]
[name_m]Conall[/name_m]
[name_m]Lachlan[/name_m]
[name_m]Callum[/name_m]
[name_m]Conor[/name_m]
[name_m]Riordan[/name_m]
[name_m]Teague[/name_m]
[name_m]Eamon[/name_m]
[name_u]Shea[/name_u]
[name_m]Fergus[/name_m]
[name_m]Donovan[/name_m]
[name_m]Lorcan[/name_m]
[name_m]Conan[/name_m]
[name_u]Sullivan[/name_u]
[name_m]Desmond[/name_m]
[name_u]Brady[/name_u]
[name_m]Brogan[/name_m]

7

[name_m]Eamon[/name_m], [name_m]Declan[/name_m], and [name_m]Callum[/name_m] are my three favorites!

8

[name_m]Seamus[/name_m] is on my list, too! To me it isn’t any weirder than [name_m]Sean[/name_m], which I don’t think is weird at all. The only negative feedback I’ve gotten on it is that some people will try to pronounce it “see-muss.” (And that high school boys will make semen jokes, but high school boys can make dirty jokes out of anything.)

I knew that [name_u]Niall[/name_u] was the name of a kid in [name_f]One[/name_f] Direction, but unless you’re 13 I would never assume that you named your child after him. I’m 25 if that makes a difference.

I wouldn’t ever think that [name_m]Brendan[/name_m] is too trendy sounding. I kind of have the opposite issue with it, which is that I feel like I knew a lot of kids named [name_m]Brendan[/name_m] growing up, so it seems like a name that’s past its prime, like [name_f]Brittany[/name_f] or [name_f]Nicole[/name_f]. In my mind there’s also the connection with [name_m]Brendan[/name_m] [name_m]Fraser[/name_m].

Since it sounds like you’ve already considered a lot of these names, I’ve made a new list for you. They’re all surname names that I avoided for my last list, but some of them don’t sound too surnamey, so maybe you’ll find something that’s acceptable to your husband. :slight_smile:

[name_u]Brady[/name_u]
[name_u]Carey[/name_u]/[name_u]Casey[/name_u]
[name_u]Clancy[/name_u]
[name_m]Daley[/name_m]
[name_m]Desmond[/name_m]
[name_u]Devin[/name_u]
[name_m]Doyle[/name_m]
[name_m]Gallagher[/name_m]
[name_u]Grady[/name_u]
[name_m]Nolan[/name_m]
[name_u]Quinn[/name_u]
[name_u]Reagan[/name_u]
[name_u]Rowan[/name_u]

9

Thanks for your reassurance about [name_m]Seamus[/name_m]. I’m 99% sure most people are familiar with it and will know how to pronounce it (any mispronunciations would be on purpose). It’s just used so infrequently that I’m scared other people perceive something wrong with it that I’m not seeing and they’re all gonna be like “oh, it’s so unfortunate they named him that”. I really like it, though!

I think you’re right about [name_u]Niall[/name_u], too. Given that my husband is Irish and we already have a child with an Irish name, it would be a stretch for people to assume we named our child after a boy band. We’re in our late 20s - not exactly the target demographic for that music.

I never knew any Brendans growing up, but I did know 2 Brandons and I had a teacher whose first name was [name_f]Brenda[/name_f], so I can see how it sounds dated. We’re less concerned about choosing something outdated than choosing something super trendy, though. I think this might have 1 foot in each category somehow! My husband isn’t so crazy about it anyway, so it’s probably off the list.

Since it sounds like you’ve already considered a lot of these names, I’ve made a new list for you. They’re all surname names that I avoided for my last list, but some of them don’t sound too surnamey, so maybe you’ll find something that’s acceptable to your husband. :slight_smile:

[name_u]Brady[/name_u]
[name_u]Carey[/name_u]/[name_u]Casey[/name_u]
[name_u]Clancy[/name_u]
[name_m]Daley[/name_m]
[name_m]Desmond[/name_m]
[name_u]Devin[/name_u]
[name_m]Doyle[/name_m]
[name_m]Gallagher[/name_m]
[name_u]Grady[/name_u]
[name_m]Nolan[/name_m]
[name_u]Quinn[/name_u]
[name_u]Reagan[/name_u]
[name_u]Rowan[/name_u]

Thanks. I like some of these…but he’s not going to go for any of them. LOL

10

[name_u]Reilly[/name_u] perhaps?

11

I like [name_m]Seamus[/name_m] alot… especially as it honors a [name_u]James[/name_u].
I’m also going to suggest [name_m]Brody[/name_m]

12

I love [name_m]Seamus[/name_m] : ) I don’t think it will be perceived as weird either; my father has a pretty narrow scope of names, and accepts [name_m]Seamus[/name_m] as perfectly normal (though he shuns [name_m]Declan[/name_m], [name_m]Liam[/name_m] and the like : ). A great way to honor a [name_u]James[/name_u], too. Here are more suggestions:

[name_m]Eamon[/name_m]
[name_m]Ian[/name_m]
[name_m]Lorcan[/name_m]/[name_u]Larkin[/name_u]
[name_u]Owen[/name_u]
[name_m]Ronan[/name_m]

13

I knew a [name_m]Seamus[/name_m] in high school. He was a star swimmer and had a lot of friends and as far as I know, he never got made fun of when I knew him in high school. Now, if he weren’t so “popular,” I do wonder if he still would’ve been spared from name-teasing. I am an elementary school teacher and I definitely see the potential for teasing at least when a [name_m]Seamus[/name_m] is that age. If you’re a strong person/personality, then your kid probably will be too and so maybe that won’t be something that bothers either of you.

It’s a shame [name_m]Sean[/name_m] is off the table! I love this name and it’s familiar so people know how to pronounce it correctly.

I have heard of [name_f]One[/name_f] Direction being an elementary school teacher, but had no idea of their names so I don’t think [name_u]Niall[/name_u] is something to worry about. I also have always loved the name [name_m]Patrick[/name_m], but I knew two guys growing up with the name and both were called [name_u]Pat[/name_u], which I personally loathe, so I’d only use it for a middle name. I really like [name_m]Brendan[/name_m]. Yes, it feels a little 90’s, but so could [name_m]Sean[/name_m] and [name_m]Patrick[/name_m] and they’re still both fabulous names. I can see with [name_m]Brendan[/name_m] being close to trendy [name_m]Braden[/name_m] and [name_u]Brennan[/name_u] that it could be a concern, but I still think it’s known enough to be recognized as NOT being lumped with those type of names.

Other ideas:
[name_m]Colin[/name_m]
[name_m]Craig[/name_m]
[name_m]Cian[/name_m]
[name_m]Dermot[/name_m]
[name_m]Declan[/name_m]
[name_m]Desmond[/name_m]
[name_u]Owen[/name_u]
[name_m]Hugh[/name_m]
[name_m]Lachlan[/name_m]
[name_m]Lorcan[/name_m]
[name_m]Malachi[/name_m]
[name_u]Neal[/name_u]/[name_u]Neil[/name_u] (instead of [name_u]Niall[/name_u])

14

This is so difficult because a lot of these names (or very similar names) are either already used by our family/friends or have other connections that would turn us off from using them.

[name_u]Reilly[/name_u] - We know a female [name_u]Rylee[/name_u]; love her, but wouldn’t name a son after her. Plus, it kind of brings to mind [name_m]Bill[/name_m] O’[name_u]Reilly[/name_u]…my parents would like that, but my husband…not so much!

[name_m]Brody[/name_m] - A friend/co-worker of mine has a bulldog named [name_m]Brody[/name_m]. All the students know about him, too, he’s like the class mascot.

[name_m]Eamon[/name_m] - Our friends just had a baby boy named K@em0n. I’m not sure it goes with our other names anyway.

[name_m]Ian[/name_m]/[name_u]Owen[/name_u] - My husband does actually like one of these, but I can’t remember which one! He says the other one is “too Scottish”. [name_u]Owen[/name_u] is my aunt’s maiden name, though, so we probably wouldn’t use it for that reason.

[name_m]Lorcan[/name_m] - I like that it can be Anglicized as [name_u]Laurence[/name_u] because that’s my father-in-law’s name. I think it sounds very different than our other names, though. Not sure how I feel about it.

[name_m]Ronan[/name_m] - I think it’s cute, but my husband doesn’t like it. Too much like [name_m]Conan[/name_m]…I guess.

@Chrisco, My husband doesn’t care for [name_m]Declan[/name_m] or [name_m]Liam[/name_m], either! I associate [name_m]Declan[/name_m] with Southern USA more than [name_f]Ireland[/name_f] anyway, so I probably wouldn’t use it. But, I don’t understand why he wouldn’t like [name_m]Liam[/name_m]. [name_m]William[/name_m] is a family name in his family.

I’m pleasantly surprised to see so much support for [name_m]Seamus[/name_m], though! I have always really liked it.

15

Tadgh -pronounced tie-GH As in tiger is awesome.
[name_m]Dermot[/name_m] I like
[name_m]Eamon[/name_m]

16

[name_u]Aidan[/name_u] is authentically Irish and I’m fond of it, but Nameberry generally considers it too popular. I only like this spelling.
[name_m]Alan[/name_m] is authentically Irish, but, on the opposite end of the cool scale, generally panned for being old-man-ish.
[name_u]Shane[/name_u] - Not particularly authentic and kind of cowboy-ish but I like it. I find it more endearing than [name_m]Sean[/name_m], probably because it’s never been as popular.
[name_m]Connor[/name_m]/[name_m]Conor[/name_m]
[name_m]Eoin[/name_m] - which is just a very-Irish-indeed way to spell [name_u]Owen[/name_u]. My DH has been wanting to use this.
[name_m]Gavin[/name_m]
[name_m]Hugh[/name_m]
[name_m]Malachy[/name_m] - I love this one, but I can’t use it because my married surname is one of those 3-syllable Irish names that starts with M and ends with y and it’s too same-y.
[name_m]Finnian[/name_m]
[name_m]Callum[/name_m]
[name_u]Corbin[/name_u]
[name_u]Emmet[/name_u]/[name_u]Emmett[/name_u]
[name_m]Quinlan[/name_m]
[name_u]Rowan[/name_u]
[name_m]Barnaby[/name_m] - Have an Irish friend who adores this one, not sure I’d be brave enough to use it.
[name_m]Arthur[/name_m]
[name_u]Finn[/name_u]
[name_m]Oisin[/name_m]

17

My favourite Irish boys name is Oisín (as in the legend; pronounced USH-een), but I see how that might cause pronunciation problems.

[name_m]Cillian[/name_m]
[name_m]Finbar[/name_m]
[name_u]Flynn[/name_u]
[name_m]Liam[/name_m]
[name_m]Oscar[/name_m]
[name_u]Rory[/name_u]
[name_m]Seamus[/name_m]

Pardon any repeats, I didn’t take the time to look through the other suggestion.