Aoife: Meaning, Pronunciation and Origin
Aoife is an Irish girl's name meaning “beautiful, radiant, joyful.” Here’s how to say it, where it comes from, and names that go well with it.
Updated September 2026
- Meaning
- Beautiful, radiant, joyful
- Gender
- Girl
- English forms
- Eva, Ava
- Popularity in Ireland
- No. 34 for girls (2025)
How do you pronounce Aoife?
Aoife is pronounced EE-fa. It has two syllables, with the stress on the first.
What does Aoife mean?
Aoife means “beautiful, radiant, joyful.” Known as the greatest woman warrior in the world, Aoife was the mother of Cuchulainn’s (read the legend) only son, Connlach. Aoife Dearg (“Red Aoife”) was a daughter of a king of Connacht who had her marriage arranged by St. Patrick himself. In 2003 Aoife was the third most popular Irish girls name for babies in Ireland
Aoife in Irish legend
Long ago there lived a king called Lir. He lived with his wife and four children: Fionnuala, Aodh, Fiachra and Conn.
Read The Legend of The Children of LirHow popular is Aoife in Ireland?
In 2025, 121 baby girls in Ireland were named Aoife, which made it No. 34 that year. That's down from No. 13 ten years earlier. It was most popular in 2000, when 633 baby girls were named Aoife, No. 1 that year. The most babies got the name in 1997: 727. The records go back to 1964, when 13 baby girls were given the name.
See the numbers by year
| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 121 | No. 34 |
| 2024 | 107 | No. 45 |
| 2023 | 148 | No. 31 |
| 2022 | 158 | No. 30 |
| 2021 | 159 | No. 32 |
| 2020 | 179 | No. 24 |
| 2019 | 229 | No. 16 |
| 2018 | 240 | No. 17 |
| 2017 | 256 | No. 17 |
| 2016 | 300 | No. 15 |
| 2015 | 321 | No. 13 |
| 2014 | 364 | No. 10 |
| 2013 | 424 | No. 6 |
| 2012 | 426 | No. 11 |
| 2011 | 399 | No. 13 |
| 2010 | 425 | No. 10 |
| 2009 | 459 | No. 9 |
| 2008 | 518 | No. 8 |
| 2007 | 527 | No. 7 |
| 2006 | 546 | No. 4 |
| 2005 | 492 | No. 5 |
| 2004 | 534 | No. 5 |
| 2003 | 571 | No. 3 |
| 2002 | 585 | No. 2 |
| 2001 | 601 | No. 2 |
| 2000 | 633 | No. 1 |
| 1999 | 612 | No. 2 |
| 1998 | 529 | No. 4 |
| 1997 | 727 | No. 2 |
| 1996 | 584 | No. 5 |
| 1995 | 621 | No. 3 |
| 1994 | 524 | No. 6 |
| 1993 | 575 | No. 5 |
| 1992 | 570 | No. 4 |
| 1991 | 576 | No. 4 |
| 1990 | 529 | No. 7 |
| 1989 | 437 | No. 10 |
| 1988 | 471 | No. 10 |
| 1987 | 492 | No. 9 |
| 1986 | 465 | No. 12 |
| 1985 | 526 | No. 9 |
| 1984 | 420 | No. 16 |
| 1983 | 489 | No. 10 |
| 1982 | 466 | No. 14 |
| 1981 | 471 | No. 15 |
| 1980 | 344 | No. 28 |
| 1979 | 379 | No. 21 |
| 1978 | 290 | No. 31 |
| 1977 | 252 | No. 36 |
| 1976 | 186 | No. 46 |
| 1975 | 157 | No. 56 |
| 1974 | 162 | No. 58 |
| 1973 | 137 | No. 67 |
| 1972 | 104 | No. 80 |
| 1971 | 58 | No. 122 |
| 1970 | 53 | No. 123 |
| 1969 | 44 | No. 136 |
| 1968 | 23 | No. 181 |
| 1967 | 18 | No. 189 |
| 1966 | 17 | No. 189 |
| 1965 | 20 | No. 175 |
| 1964 | 13 | No. 206 |
Aoife 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 Aoife, letter by letter.
- AAilm, pine
- OOnn, gorse
- IIodhadh, yew
- FFearn, alder
- EEadhadh, aspen
Write any name in Ogham with our Ogham translator
Names that go with Aoife
Questions about Aoife
- How do you pronounce Aoife?
- Aoife is pronounced EE-fa. Two syllables, stress on the first. There's a short video above where you can hear it said.
- What does Aoife mean?
- Aoife means “beautiful, radiant, joyful.”
- Is Aoife a girl's name or a boy's name?
- Aoife is a girl's name.
- What is Aoife in English?
- The English forms of Aoife are Eva and Ava.
- How popular is Aoife in Ireland?
- In 2025, Aoife was No. 34 for girls in Ireland, with 121 babies, according to the Central Statistics Office. It was most popular in 2000, at No. 1.