Hey all,
I’m looking for an Irish name to be used on my main character. She’s a female, but I’m open to using traditionally male names for a girl. I’m interested in finding a name that relates in some way to water, ocean, swimming, etc. but haven’t been able to come across anything that has really stood out to me. Any suggestions?
There aren’t many names on Nameberry that were Irish, had to do with water, and were easy to pronounce in English (I’m guessing you’re writing in English?). I did find a few, though:
[name]Meara[/name]
[name]Moira[/name]
[name]Isla[/name], which technically is Scottish.
I also looked up lists of [name]Ireland[/name]'s lakes and rivers - maybe the character could have been named after the lake her parents met at or something? Here’s what I found:
([name]Lake[/name]) [name]Lene[/name]
[name]Clea[/name] ([name]Lake[/name])
[name]Lacy[/name] ('s Canal)
[name]Hope[/name] that helped a bit 
I’m going to assume that you mean the Republic of [name]Ireland[/name] and list off the river and lake/lough names from there which, I think, can maybe work for a girl.
Irish [name]Rivers[/name]:
[name]Fane[/name]
[name]Boyne[/name]
Liffey
Avoca
Bann
Vartry
Erkina
Suir
Dalua
[name]Bride[/name]
[name]Lee[/name]
Bandon
Llen
[name]Shannon[/name]
Brosna
Moy
Erne
[name]Annalee[/name]
Cladagh (Be aware, this is also a style of jewelry involving a heart, two hands and a crown!)
Eske
Feale
Irish Lakes/Loughs:
[name]Allan[/name]
[name]Arrow[/name]
Beg
[name]Carra[/name]
[name]Conn[/name]
Corrib
Key (My nickname!)
[name]Lene[/name]
Owel
Ramor
[name]Ree[/name]
[name]Rynn[/name]
Sheelin
Sillan
If you wanted to go with a word relating to water translated into Gaelic:
Water: Uisce (Pronounced Ish-keh)
[name]River[/name]: Abhainn (Au-wann)
[name]Lake[/name]: [name]Loch[/name] ([name]Lock[/name])
Drop: Titim
[name]Rain[/name]: Báisteach (Bou-shteak)
Drizzle: Ceobhrán (Cou-ran)
Sea: Farraige (Far-rig)
[name]Just[/name] to warn you, if your character is actually living in [name]Ireland[/name] then she would be a laughing stock; Absolutely no one in [name]Ireland[/name] is named anything on these lists, except for [name]Shannon[/name], [name]Allan[/name], [name]Annalee[/name], and [name]Lee[/name]. If they were in [name]America[/name] or someplace I guess it would be alright but definately not here! Good luck with your story
I live near lough Erne (air-n) which woudl make a nice girls name.
Cliodhna (clay-na/clio-na) was an irish goddess who was washed away to sea after falling in love with and marrying a mortal
[name]Niamh[/name] (neev) was the daughter of the sea.
I agree with nikitaj though, be careful with some of those river and word names, because they could end up being ridiculous!
thanks a lot, this is super helpful. I’m leaning towards going with Llen or [name]Loch[/name]. My story is set in a futuristic US, would that be an inappropriate time for any of these names? My character has never lived in [name]Ireland[/name], she’s 4th generation.
Here are some Irish names/words that mean water.
Farraige (Farriga)
Trá (Traw)
Uisce (Ish-ka)
Muireann - This means [name]Goddess[/name] of the Sea, and has been Anglicised to [name]Maren[/name]. Pn: Mwirrin or Mirrin
I think Muireann is beautiful and I’d go with that. Its so pretty!
My best friend is named Muirenn! She had always thought it meant ‘moors’. I’ll have to tell her about that! I think Muirenn/Muireann would suit your character, and it’s such a lovely name! I would think your only problem with it could be that it had no noticeable nickname–If you wanted one, that is.
My daughter’s name is Muirenn. It is the older form of [name]Muireann[/name]. In Irish Gaelic it is pronounced Meer-in (which is how we pronounce it) while in Scottish Gaelic it is pronounced Murr-in like [name]William[/name] [name]Wallace[/name]'s wife in Braveheart (Muron). It is often Anglicized to [name]Marion[/name]. When I was researching the name, I found that there are many women in Irish history and mythology named Muirenn. [name]One[/name] in particular story was about a mermaid and her name Muirenn was said to mean ‘drawn from the sea’.
As far as nicknames go, my daughter’s is Meercat, given to her by her friends.
Uisce I would not use as it’s also a word used for moonshine in [name]Ireland[/name].
[name]Clodagh[/name] is a river in co. Tipperary. There’s the classic [name]Shannon[/name] (also a river). [name]Ennis[/name] is an island. Liffey is a river which runs through [name]Dublin[/name]. There’s also [name]Muireann[/name]/Muirin, [name]Muirgheal[/name].