Einin: Meaning, Pronunciation and Origin
Einin is an Irish girl's name meaning “little bird.” Here’s how to say it, where it comes from, and names that go well with it.
Updated September 2026
- Irish spelling
- Éinín
- Meaning
- Little bird
- Gender
- Girl
How do you pronounce Einin?
Einin is pronounced A-neen. It has two syllables, with the stress on the first.
What does Einin mean?
Éinín means “little bird” in Irish, from éan “bird” and the diminutive ending -ín, the same ending that turns Róis (Rose) into Róisín. Einin is the same name written without the fada. The Irish dictionary’s example phrase an t-éinín bíogach, “the chirpy little bird,” shows the word in ordinary use.
It is a contemporary name, taken straight from the everyday word rather than handed down from early Irish records, and it does not appear among the women’s names in Patrick Woulfe’s Irish Names and Surnames (1923).
Sources: Ó Dónaill's Irish dictionary (teanglann.ie), Behind the Name, Woulfe, Irish Names and Surnames (1923).
How popular is Einin in Ireland?
Einin wasn't in the 2025 tables, which list names given to at least three babies. It was last recorded in 2023, when 6 baby girls got the name. It was most popular in 2023, when 6 baby girls were named Éinín, No. 555 that year. It first appears in the records in 2011, with 4 baby girls.
See the numbers by year
| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 6 | No. 555 (Éinín) |
| 2021 | 4 | No. 764 (Éinín) |
| 2018 | 4 | No. 734 (Éinín) |
| 2016 | 6 | No. 585 (Einin) |
| 2015 | 3 | No. 896 (Einin) |
| 2014 | 3 | No. 876 (Einin) |
| 2012 | 3 | No. 907 (Einin) |
| 2011 | 4 | No. 798 (Einin) |
Einin 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 Einin, letter by letter.
- EEadhadh, aspen
- IIodhadh, yew
- NNion, ash
- IIodhadh, yew
- NNion, ash
Write any name in Ogham with our Ogham translator
Names that go with Einin
Questions about Einin
- How do you pronounce Einin?
- Einin is pronounced A-neen. Two syllables, stress on the first.
- What does Einin mean?
- Einin means “little bird.”
- Is Einin a girl's name or a boy's name?
- Einin is a girl's name.
- How do you spell Einin in Irish?
- In Irish it's spelled Éinín. That's the spelling most parents in Ireland now register, according to the Central Statistics Office.