Ailill: Meaning, Pronunciation and Origin
Ailill is an Irish boy's name meaning “beauty.” Here’s how to say it, where it comes from, and names that go well with it.
Updated September 2026
- Meaning
- Beauty
- Gender
- Boy
How do you pronounce Ailill?
Ailill is pronounced ALL-yill. It has two syllables, with the stress on the first.
What does Ailill mean?
From the Irish ailleacht “beauty.” Ailill was the young husband of Queen Maebh, chosen by her because he was “a man without meanness, fear or jealousy, a match for my own greatness.” His argument with Maebh over who had the greater herd of cattle led to The Cattle Raid of Cooley (read the legend), one of the greatest epic tales in Irish mythology.
Ailill in Irish legend
The Tain -Conor MacNessa ruled Ulster; Queen Maeve and her husband Ailill ruled in Connacht. One night Maeve and Ailill were boasting about their riches.
Read The Tain
Niall was one of the great Irish kings. He was the only son of Eochaid Muighmedon, high king and his wife Catharann, daughter of an English king.
Read Legend of Nial of the Nine HostagesHow popular is Ailill in Ireland?
Ailill is rare in Ireland. Since 1964, fewer than three baby boys a year have been registered with the name, so it doesn't appear in the Central Statistics Office's baby name tables.
Source: Central Statistics Office, Irish Babies’ Names 2025 and its boys' names table.
Ailill in Ogham
Ogham is the oldest way of writing Irish. It was carved along the edges of standing stones, mostly between the 4th and 6th centuries, and read from the bottom up. In later tradition each letter was named after a tree or plant. Here’s Ailill, letter by letter.
- AAilm, pine
- IIodhadh, yew
- LLuis, rowan
- IIodhadh, yew
- LLuis, rowan
- LLuis, rowan
Write any name in Ogham with our Ogham translator
Names that go with Ailill
Questions about Ailill
- How do you pronounce Ailill?
- Ailill is pronounced ALL-yill. Two syllables, stress on the first.
- What does Ailill mean?
- Ailill means “beauty.”
- Is Ailill a girl's name or a boy's name?
- Ailill is a boy's name.
- Is Ailill a rare name?
- Yes. Fewer than three boys a year are registered as Ailill in Ireland, too few to appear in the Central Statistics Office's tables.