Names by country
Irish names for characters
Popular Irish first names by birth decade, common and regional surnames, pronunciation, and the naming rules writers trip over.
How Irish names work
Irish Catholics also take a confirmation name around age twelve. It isn't on the birth certificate but is often used as an extra middle name. Many people use both English and Irish forms of their name (John and Seán).
First names by birth decade
Names drift in and out of fashion. Pick from the decade your character was born, not the year your story is set.
Born before 1950
Girls
- Mary
- Bridget
- Margaret
- Kathleen
- Ann
- Nora
- Catherine
- Eileen
Boys
- John
- Patrick
- Michael
- James
- Thomas
- Joseph
- Seán SHAWN
- Denis
Born 1950–64
Girls
- Mary
- Catherine
- Margaret
- Anne
- Bernadette
- Geraldine
- Maureen
- Patricia
Boys
- John
- Michael
- Patrick
- Seán
- Thomas
- Declan
- Brendan
- Noel
Born 1965–79
Girls
- Mary
- Catherine
- Siobhán
- Sinéad shin-AYD
- Deirdre DEER-dra
- Niamh NEEV
- Orla
- Claire
Boys
- John
- Michael
- David
- Paul
- Brian
- Stephen
- Declan
- Kieran
Born 1980–94
Girls
- Sarah
- Aoife EE-fa
- Niamh
- Ciara KEER-a
- Laura
- Emma
- Rachel
- Sinéad
Boys
- Seán
- Conor
- Mark
- David
- Shane
- Ciarán
- Eoin OH-in
- Cian KEE-an
Born 1995–2009
Girls
- Sarah
- Aoife
- Ciara
- Chloe
- Emma
- Niamh
- Caoimhe KEE-va
- Róisín roh-SHEEN
Boys
- Jack
- Seán
- Conor
- Adam
- Cian
- Oisín uh-SHEEN
- Darragh
- Dylan
Born 2010 onward
Girls
- Emily
- Grace
- Fiadh FEE-uh
- Sophie
- Hannah
- Ava
- Lucy
- Éabha AY-va
Boys
- Jack
- James
- Noah
- Conor
- Daniel
- Seán
- Fionn FIN
- Oisín
Common Irish surnames
- Murphy
- Kelly
- O'Sullivan
- Walsh
- Smith
- O'Brien
- Byrne
- Ryan
- O'Connor
- O'Neill
- O'Reilly
- Doyle
- McCarthy
- Gallagher
- Doherty
- Kennedy
- Lynch
- Murray
- Quinn
- Moore
- McLoughlin
- Carroll
- Connolly
- Daly
Regional names
Where a character comes from inside Ireland changes their surname, and sometimes their first name.
Munster (Cork, Kerry, Limerick)
Surnames: O'Sullivan, McCarthy, O'Brien, Murphy, O'Connor, Fitzgerald, Lynch, O'Mahony, O'Donovan, O'Callaghan
Donegal and Ulster counties
Surnames: Gallagher, Doherty, Boyle, McLaughlin, Bonner, O'Donnell, McGinley, Sweeney, McFadden, Kelly
Connacht (Galway, Mayo)
Surnames: Walsh, Joyce, Conneely, O'Flaherty, Burke, Mannion, Conroy, McDonagh, Kenny, Heneghan
Leinster and Dublin
Surnames: Byrne, Kavanagh, Doyle, Nolan, Dunne, Kinsella, Tierney, Murphy, Kelly, O'Toole
Gaeltacht (Irish-speaking districts)
In Irish, a woman's surname changes form: Ó becomes Ní, Mac becomes Nic, and the next consonant often softens (Ó Domhnaill, Ní Dhomhnaill).
Surnames: Ó Conghaile, Mac Donncha, Ó Flatharta, Ó Gallchóir, Ó Domhnaill, Mac Giolla Bhríde, Ó Súilleabháin, Ó Ceallaigh
Girls: Máire, Bríd, Nóra, Síle, Méabh, Caitríona, Úna, Sorcha
Boys: Seán, Pádraig, Colm, Dónal, Tomás, Micheál, Ruairí, Cathal
Questions
What are common Irish surnames?
Some of the most common Irish surnames are Murphy, Kelly, O'Sullivan, Walsh, Smith, O'Brien. Regional surnames differ, so check the regional lists before choosing one for a character from a particular area.
How do Irish names work?
Irish Catholics also take a confirmation name around age twelve. It isn't on the birth certificate but is often used as an extra middle name. Many people use both English and Irish forms of their name (John and Seán).
Build a Irish character in one tap
InkBorn gives them a name from the right decade, a face card, a background, a personality and even their social media handles.