Caoimhe: Meaning, Pronunciation and Origin
Caoimhe is an Irish girl's name meaning “gentle, beautiful, precious.” Here’s how to say it, where it comes from, and names that go well with it.
Updated September 2026
- Meaning
- Gentle, beautiful, precious
- Gender
- Girl
- English forms
- Keeva, Keva
- Popularity in Ireland
- No. 31 for girls (2025)
How do you pronounce Caoimhe?
Caoimhe is pronounced KEE-va. It has two syllables, with the stress on the first.
What does Caoimhe mean?
From “gentle, beautiful, precious”. The same root as Kevin, the name has become very popular in Ireland with the original Irish spelling. In 2003 it was the twelfth most popular Irish girl name for baby girls.
How popular is Caoimhe in Ireland?
In 2025, 130 baby girls in Ireland were named Caoimhe, which made it No. 31 that year. That's down from No. 20 ten years earlier. It was most popular in 2003, when 357 baby girls were named Caoimhe, No. 12 that year. The most babies got the name in 2011: 398. It first appears in the records in 1966, with 3 baby girls.
See the numbers by year
| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 130 | No. 31 (Caoimhe) |
| 2024 | 135 | No. 31 (Caoimhe) |
| 2023 | 162 | No. 26 (Caoimhe) |
| 2022 | 193 | No. 24 (Caoimhe) |
| 2021 | 183 | No. 25 (Caoimhe) |
| 2020 | 163 | No. 27 (Caoimhe) |
| 2019 | 226 | No. 17 (Caoimhe) |
| 2018 | 190 | No. 25 (Caoimhe) |
| 2017 | 223 | No. 23 (Caoimhe) |
| 2016 | 256 | No. 19 (Caoimhe) |
| 2015 | 252 | No. 20 (Caoimhe) |
| 2014 | 242 | No. 25 (Caoimhe) |
| 2013 | 292 | No. 19 (Caoimhe) |
| 2012 | 334 | No. 16 (Caoimhe) |
| 2011 | 398 | No. 14 (Caoimhe) |
| 2010 | 323 | No. 24 (Caoimhe) |
| 2009 | 326 | No. 21 (Caoimhe) |
| 2008 | 355 | No. 16 (Caoimhe) |
| 2007 | 361 | No. 17 (Caoimhe) |
| 2006 | 363 | No. 15 (Caoimhe) |
| 2005 | 345 | No. 17 (Caoimhe) |
| 2004 | 357 | No. 12 (Caoimhe) |
| 2003 | 357 | No. 12 (Caoimhe) |
| 2002 | 272 | No. 20 (Caoimhe) |
| 2001 | 274 | No. 19 (Caoimhe) |
| 2000 | 253 | No. 22 (Caoimhe) |
| 1999 | 236 | No. 22 (Caoimhe) |
| 1998 | 184 | No. 24 (Caoimhe) |
| 1997 | 252 | No. 25 (Caoimhe) |
| 1996 | 161 | No. 40 (Caoimhe) |
| 1995 | 171 | No. 34 (Caoimhe) |
| 1994 | 124 | No. 45 (Caoimhe) |
| 1993 | 123 | No. 48 (Caoimhe) |
| 1992 | 103 | No. 61 (Caoimhe) |
| 1991 | 105 | No. 66 (Caoimhe) |
| 1990 | 82 | No. 86 (Caoimhe) |
| 1989 | 73 | No. 95 (Caoimhe) |
| 1988 | 79 | No. 85 (Caoimhe) |
| 1987 | 64 | No. 106 (Caoimhe) |
| 1986 | 56 | No. 111 (Caoimhe) |
| 1985 | 42 | No. 140 (Caoimhe) |
| 1984 | 54 | No. 124 (Caoimhe) |
| 1983 | 36 | No. 167 (Caoimhe) |
| 1982 | 36 | No. 169 (Caoimhe) |
| 1981 | 34 | No. 188 (Caoimhe) |
| 1980 | 23 | No. 220 (Caoimhe) |
| 1979 | 28 | No. 197 (Caoimhe) |
| 1978 | 25 | No. 211 (Caoimhe) |
| 1977 | 22 | No. 215 (Caoimhe) |
| 1976 | 16 | No. 248 (Caoimhe) |
| 1975 | 13 | No. 262 (Caoimhe) |
| 1974 | 16 | No. 249 (Caoimhe) |
| 1973 | 11 | No. 292 (Caoimhe) |
| 1972 | 9 | No. 300 (Caoimhe) |
| 1971 | 9 | No. 289 (Caoimhe) |
| 1970 | 5 | No. 363 (Caoimhe) |
| 1966 | 3 | No. 380 (Caoimhe) |
Caoimhe 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 Caoimhe, letter by letter.
- CColl, hazel
- AAilm, pine
- OOnn, gorse
- IIodhadh, yew
- MMuin, vine
- HUath, hawthorn
- EEadhadh, aspen
Write any name in Ogham with our Ogham translator
Names that go with Caoimhe
Questions about Caoimhe
- How do you pronounce Caoimhe?
- Caoimhe is pronounced KEE-va. Two syllables, stress on the first. There's a short video above where you can hear it said.
- What does Caoimhe mean?
- Caoimhe means “gentle, beautiful, precious.”
- Is Caoimhe a girl's name or a boy's name?
- Caoimhe is a girl's name.
- What is Caoimhe in English?
- The English forms of Caoimhe are Keeva and Keva.
- How popular is Caoimhe in Ireland?
- In 2025, Caoimhe was No. 31 for girls in Ireland, with 130 babies, according to the Central Statistics Office. It was most popular in 2003, at No. 12.