Dearbhail: Meaning, Pronunciation and Origin
Dearbhail is an Irish girl's name meaning “daughter of Fal.” Here’s how to say it, where it comes from, and names that go well with it.
Updated September 2026
- Meaning
- Daughter of Fal
- Gender
- Girl
- English forms
- Dervla
How do you pronounce Dearbhail?
Dearbhail is pronounced DARE-voll. It has two syllables, with the stress on the first. It can also be said DARE-villa. Other spellings: Dearbhal.
What does Dearbhail mean?
Dearbháil comes from the Old Irish Derbáil, usually explained as der “daughter” and Fál, an ancient poetic name for Ireland, so “daughter of Fál” or “daughter of Ireland.” The name scholar Patrick Woulfe gave a different reading in 1923: dearbh “true” and áil “desire,” so “true desire.” It was a common name in medieval Ireland.
Derval and Dervla are the usual English forms, and Dearbhla blends it with Deirbhile. Deirbhile, sometimes treated as a spelling of this name, is strictly a separate name meaning “daughter of the poet.” It was borne by a sixth-century saint who founded a monastery at Erris in County Mayo.
Sources: Behind the Name, Woulfe, Irish Names and Surnames (1923), Wikipedia.
How popular is Dearbhail in Ireland?
Dearbhail wasn't in the 2025 tables, which list names given to at least three babies. It was last recorded in 2011, when 3 baby girls got the name. It was most popular in 1988, when 8 baby girls were named Dearbhail, No. 344 that year. It first appears in the records in 1970, with 4 baby girls.
See the numbers by year
| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 3 | No. 937 |
| 2009 | 5 | No. 641 |
| 2008 | 5 | No. 665 |
| 2007 | 3 | No. 842 |
| 2002 | 4 | No. 512 |
| 2001 | 4 | No. 498 |
| 1999 | 3 | No. 528 |
| 1997 | 7 | No. 363 |
| 1995 | 5 | No. 417 |
| 1994 | 3 | No. 502 |
| 1993 | 3 | No. 516 |
| 1992 | 5 | No. 417 |
| 1990 | 6 | No. 380 |
| 1989 | 3 | No. 503 |
| 1988 | 8 | No. 344 |
| 1985 | 3 | No. 519 |
| 1982 | 3 | No. 523 |
| 1981 | 5 | No. 423 |
| 1980 | 4 | No. 483 |
| 1979 | 3 | No. 523 |
| 1978 | 3 | No. 522 |
| 1976 | 4 | No. 429 |
| 1975 | 5 | No. 406 |
| 1973 | 3 | No. 508 |
| 1970 | 4 | No. 396 |
Dearbhail 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 Dearbhail, letter by letter.
- DDair, oak
- EEadhadh, aspen
- AAilm, pine
- RRuis, elder
- BBeith, birch
- HUath, hawthorn
- AAilm, pine
- IIodhadh, yew
- LLuis, rowan
Write any name in Ogham with our Ogham translator
Names that go with Dearbhail
Questions about Dearbhail
- How do you pronounce Dearbhail?
- Dearbhail is pronounced DARE-voll. Two syllables, stress on the first. There's a short video above where you can hear it said.
- What does Dearbhail mean?
- Dearbhail means “daughter of Fal.”
- Is Dearbhail a girl's name or a boy's name?
- Dearbhail is a girl's name.
- What is Dearbhail in English?
- The English form of Dearbhail is Dervla.