31 Comments

• IrishGirlyGirl | Mar 15, 2011, 07:36 PM EDT

  They are all pretty simple names, except Aoife. I'm usually, when it comes to names, steering more toward names that aren't as common, but aren't really unique. I live Aoife and Chloe though, but my other Irish orgin favorites are Reagan, Fiona, Catherine, Cassidy, and some others.

• Nelliegrace | Aug 02, 2010, 04:14 PM EDT

  I am so happy to see Grace on the list. I know I am old fashioned but I would rather see Nellie and Molly than Ava and Sarah.

• SeanDubh | Jul 10, 2010, 05:51 AM EDT

  Hey George and Wounded Knee,why are you guys so hostile and why are you even on this website?It would seem you dont have much affection for Ireland and its people or culture?

• VanessaFl | Jul 09, 2010, 10:30 AM EDT

  Oh my goodness. I pray WoundedKnee is not American, I'd be so embarrased as an American myself. I have no Irish roots but have been to Ireland many times, I love it.

• Yeats1706 | Jul 09, 2010, 07:11 AM EDT

  You've never left your cave let alone the United States of Awful. It's very clear, I read your posts, obvious to all I imagine. Just because you say sometihing doesn't make it true. In fact coming from you it most defintely a lie. Still I don't care, None of us care what animals like you say. You can't kid me, you seem to be infatuated with my country - it clearly doesn't feel the same way about you. I wonder why you spend so much time writing such silly drivel about Ireland and then claim to have made 'countless trips'. If you hate it so much why bother? You sound so angry, maybe you should stay in your cave/trailer have a burger and watch Jerry Springer to calm down. I must leave you for a while, I'm off on holidays for a few weeks. May God go with you, I'll pray he gives you a life. Slán go fóill mo chara.

• WoundedKnee | Jul 08, 2010, 07:57 PM EDT

  Yeats: " Irish is spoken fluently by most of the population here". --- Sorry, you're obviously a troll, I can't take you seriously. On countless trips to Ireland I haven't heard a word of the language being spoken on the streets of Cork, Limerick, Dublin. Even Galway. And any of the Irish immigrants to the US that I have come across can't manage two words in the language. Good try, Yeats--you may fool some of the Americans all of the time but ...

• Yeats1706 | Jul 06, 2010, 12:56 PM EDT

  I also forgot to mention the many Irish language media outlets. Have you heard of TG Ceathair (tv channel) all the featured programmes are in Irish. Not forgetting the other Irish tv channels that feature Irish language programmes. Irish language radio stations, newspapers/magazines, etc. Again, living here as I gladly do I enjoy all of the above. slàinte mhath. Xx

• Yeats1706 | Jul 06, 2010, 08:53 AM EDT

  WoundedKnee, speaks with so much venom and lack of information. A simple check of the Central Statistics Office will allow you to see that Irish is spoken fluently by most of the population here. But facts don't interest you, do they? You like to talk crap. Jealousy is an ugly emotion, but then you've nothing to loose with your obese culture. A typical example of an imbred xenophob.

• WoundedKnee | Jul 05, 2010, 03:54 PM EDT

  Yeats1706 wrote " We Irish are not 'wannabe' English or wannabe anything. And yes guess what? we do know the origins of the names chosen. We embrace other cultures on this island". ----- Of course the Irish are wannabee English. They watch English TV channels, they leer over English celebrities, they identify with English soccer teams, they read the English mass market newspapers etc. etc. And they embrace other cultures??? More baloney. Yes, you have a crazy Open Door Immigration policy which has left huge numbers of irish unemployed and on welfare, yet you come whining to the US looking for aid (see other stories on this site). But Open Door Immigration doesn't equate to "embracing other cultures"--the Irish, maybe together with their English brothers, are the worst in Europe for learning languages, for example. And there's one culture that the Irish sure haven't embraced. Their own! Proof? Most of the Irish hate their own Gaelic language! The Irish: Not shamrocks--just shams!

• Yeats1706 | Jul 05, 2010, 12:04 PM EDT

  Maybe George, you should be out indulging in the 'chav' culture that rules Britain today.

• Yeats1706 | Jul 05, 2010, 11:50 AM EDT

  George, My mother has the birth certifcate to this day, it is quite clear, Katie. Maybe I could post it to you. I'll also pray for you, a person filled with such hatred and bigotry needs a few prayers. You really should do some simple research before commenting. You know nothing of Ireland or its people, I really don't know why you're on here. As another posting says it must be due to your lack of self-esteem. I don't know you, but you sound like you're in school. I know British education isn't the best but strive to do better.

• buffaloirishman | Jul 05, 2010, 11:04 AM EDT

  The lack of self-confidence among the English over the centuries is amazingly consistent. Arrogance and terrorism are the by-products of this lack of self-esteem. As has so often been said "there are the Irish and those who want to be Irish."

• GeorgeDavis | Jul 05, 2010, 10:56 AM EDT

  Mairin: You don't even know your own family history. Your relative, if christened in either Catholic or Church of Ireland, would ahve been christened Kathleen. Any pet name later used has nothing to do with it. Like most Irish, your knowledge of your history--family or national--is very slight. And I'm not wee, by the way, so stop your silly insults. A lot of people have told me I'm quite big...

• Yeats1706 | Jul 05, 2010, 09:15 AM EDT

  George you sound like you're in a bad mood. Maybe you should go and have some 'egg n chips' and watch 'corrie'. Make yourself feel better.

• Yeats1706 | Jul 05, 2010, 08:54 AM EDT

  Ahh poor wee George. My point has been proven. Thanks a million as we say here. P.s. I'm not wrong - the name Katie has been popular for many generations, my own great grandmother was called and christened Katie. I think counts as generations, but maybe the years are different on your planet.

• GeorgeDavis | Jul 05, 2010, 08:37 AM EDT

  Wrong, Yeats. And abusive--though that usually goes with ignorance. The name Katie has not been popular for generations. Kathleen was popular, but the people are not naming their daughters Kathleen. That's too "Irish" for them. Instead, according to a recent report, they prefer things like "Lady Gaga" for their daughters. That's being open to foreign culture! Irish names, particularly for girls, are vanishing. The Irish even name their streets after places in England. Of course they're wannabees English--Get your head out of the bog.

• Yeats1706 | Jul 05, 2010, 08:05 AM EDT

  Clearly WoundedKnee and GeorgeDavis are ignorant and incredibly ill-informed half-wits. We Irish are not 'wannabe' English or wannabe anything. And yes guess what? we do know the origins of the names chosen. We embrace other cultures on this island and will not always choose traditional Irish names for our children. The name Katie has been incredibly popular in Ireland for many generations which has nothing to do with the talentless English-woman Katie Price. Maybe you both would be so kind as to do some research (if it is indeed within your abilites to do so). Clearly, another case of jealousy on your part. The Irish are loved throughout the world your nations are........... P.s. George 'Grace' is a Christian name not solely a Catholic one. I think you should maybe change yours to Idiot. A truer reflection of your personality.

• Laura Wilson | Jul 04, 2010, 08:51 PM EDT

  Lay down with Dogs and wake up with Flea's & name thier kids such crappy names & Im sorry any name that has a Q in it just sounds Getto,

• Juneface | Jul 04, 2010, 09:46 AM EDT

  I have a grandchild due in late December so I've forwarded this on to my daughter-in-law. I also do the website for actress Maureen O'Hara - (Maureen O'Hara Magazine) so I still think the two most beautiful girl's names are Maureen and Kathleen.

• ciarrai | Jul 04, 2010, 08:46 AM EDT

  Welcome to American yuppydom. What no Brooklyn?

• WoundedKnee | Jul 01, 2010, 07:48 AM EDT

  Addendum to my other note: I have just realized where the Irish get the name Katie. It's from a woman called Katie Price, an English "model" who became famous for... er, what, I really don't know! But for the Irish she's not just a model, she's a role model!

• WoundedKnee | Jul 01, 2010, 07:45 AM EDT

  Nail on the head, George. And the poster's claim that Katie is really Kathleen is equally ridiculous. Kathleen is a traditional Irish name, Katie is something from Mills & Boon English fiction. Is that poster telling us that the Irish really wanted to name their daughters Kathleen but somehow got it mixed up with Katie? The sad fact, which the poster tries to excuse, is that Irish people have so little left of their culture that nine out of ten names are not Irish.

• GeorgeDavis | Jul 01, 2010, 06:41 AM EDT

  adrienrain: "Chloe is Greek" ..... What a ridiculous statement. By that token names such as John, Timothy etc. are Greek. And do you think the Irish wannabee English know that Chloe is Greek? Have some sense. They get their names from some English soap opera.

• adrienrain | Jun 30, 2010, 10:03 PM EDT

  Aoife is an Irish name, and since Katie can be a nickname for Kathleen, it kind of qualifies. Chloe is Greek, not English, and Sarah is Hebrew - it's a biblical name and those have been common in Ireland since Christianity came in. Grace is a Catholic name as well.

• Robynlaoi | Jun 30, 2010, 07:38 PM EDT

  I named my son Ryan James, thirty one years ago. Both names were family surnames. Ryan was seldom used as a first name back then. I'm surprised Kyle and Liam didn't make the list. I hear them all the time.

• pat52rk | Jun 30, 2010, 02:25 PM EDT

  who in the hell call's their child chloe ?

• GeorgeDavis | Jun 30, 2010, 01:23 PM EDT

  It's real sad to see all those middle-class Surrey English names for girls taking over, and, as usual, the Irish spurning their own beautiful heritage. Why don't the Irish admit it--they're just wannabee English who can't manage the Received Pronunciation of English.

• gabrielles | Jun 30, 2010, 09:11 AM EDT

  What happened to all the beautiful Irish girls names.

• torbreezy | Jun 30, 2010, 08:52 AM EDT

  Hi Cathy, I don't want to be persnickety, but I believe you meant to say "fewer" than "less" in the last sentence of the 2nd paragraph. It's an all-too-common error made by broadcast journalists who know no better but certainly not in the literate and enlivened journalism of Irish Central. This is written by a former English teacher who has difficulty getting "over it" . . . .

• Joanhugh | Jun 30, 2010, 08:46 AM EDT

  How sad no Irish names for girls but the Irish in America seem to be making up for the Irish in Ireland We have Maggie and Bridget

• carrickcourt | Jun 30, 2010, 08:45 AM EDT

  Interesting about Jack being one of the top boy names. Got lots of Johns in my paternal grandfather's family going back at least three generations. All these Johns were of course called Jack in their time. Since my grandfather was called Jack my dad was called Jackie by the family.