Enda: Meaning, Pronunciation and Origin
Enda is an Irish boy's name meaning “bird.” Here’s how to say it, where it comes from, and names that go well with it.
Updated September 2026
- Irish spelling
- Éanna
- Meaning
- Bird
- Gender
- Boy
- Popularity in Ireland
- No. 87 for boys (2025)
How do you pronounce Enda?
Enda is pronounced EN-da. It has two syllables, with the stress on the first.
What does Enda mean?
From ean meaning “bird” and suggests “birdlike” or “freedom of spirit.” A soldier and a prince Enda was converted by his sister, Saint Fanchea. He renounced his dreams of conquest and decided to marry one of the girls in his sister’s convent. When his financé died suddenly the night before their wedding, he surrendered his throne and a life of worldly glory to become a monk. He made a pilgrimage to Rome and was ordained there before returning to establish ten monasteries on the Aran Islands, off the west coast of Ireland. The name is used for boys and girls.
How popular is Enda in Ireland?
In 2025, 66 baby boys in Ireland were named Éanna, which made it No. 87 that year. Another 5 were registered as Eanna or Enda. That's up from No. 189 ten years earlier. It was most popular in 1969, when 110 baby boys were named Enda, No. 60 that year. The most babies got the name in 1977: 142. The records go back to 1964, when 49 baby boys were given the name.
See the numbers by year
| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 71 | No. 87 (Éanna) |
| 2024 | 52 | No. 112 (Éanna) |
| 2023 | 67 | No. 96 (Éanna) |
| 2022 | 68 | No. 116 (Éanna) |
| 2021 | 55 | No. 131 (Éanna) |
| 2020 | 59 | No. 107 (Éanna) |
| 2019 | 52 | No. 127 (Éanna) |
| 2018 | 53 | No. 138 (Éanna) |
| 2017 | 34 | No. 197 (Eanna) |
| 2016 | 56 | No. 125 (Eanna) |
| 2015 | 38 | No. 189 (Eanna) |
| 2014 | 36 | No. 184 (Eanna) |
| 2013 | 47 | No. 147 (Eanna) |
| 2012 | 49 | No. 176 (Eanna) |
| 2011 | 46 | No. 189 (Eanna) |
| 2010 | 53 | No. 165 (Eanna) |
| 2009 | 53 | No. 185 (Eanna) |
| 2008 | 48 | No. 182 (Eanna) |
| 2007 | 56 | No. 166 (Eanna) |
| 2006 | 54 | No. 161 (Eanna) |
| 2005 | 55 | No. 158 (Eanna) |
| 2004 | 45 | No. 159 (Eanna) |
| 2003 | 32 | No. 179 (Enda) |
| 2002 | 51 | No. 140 (Enda) |
| 2001 | 49 | No. 131 (Enda) |
| 2000 | 49 | No. 146 (Enda) |
| 1999 | 41 | No. 136 (Enda) |
| 1998 | 39 | No. 125 (Enda) |
| 1997 | 54 | No. 141 (Enda) |
| 1996 | 57 | No. 124 (Enda) |
| 1995 | 64 | No. 116 (Enda) |
| 1994 | 58 | No. 119 (Enda) |
| 1993 | 71 | No. 113 (Enda) |
| 1992 | 80 | No. 110 (Enda) |
| 1991 | 92 | No. 91 (Enda) |
| 1990 | 119 | No. 76 (Enda) |
| 1989 | 110 | No. 83 (Enda) |
| 1988 | 84 | No. 86 (Enda) |
| 1987 | 103 | No. 80 (Enda) |
| 1986 | 122 | No. 69 (Enda) |
| 1985 | 112 | No. 70 (Enda) |
| 1984 | 94 | No. 76 (Enda) |
| 1983 | 99 | No. 76 (Enda) |
| 1982 | 113 | No. 76 (Enda) |
| 1981 | 122 | No. 73 (Enda) |
| 1980 | 125 | No. 72 (Enda) |
| 1979 | 126 | No. 70 (Enda) |
| 1978 | 121 | No. 70 (Enda) |
| 1977 | 142 | No. 66 (Enda) |
| 1976 | 130 | No. 67 (Enda) |
| 1975 | 120 | No. 70 (Enda) |
| 1974 | 109 | No. 70 (Enda) |
| 1973 | 135 | No. 67 (Enda) |
| 1972 | 110 | No. 72 (Enda) |
| 1971 | 109 | No. 66 (Enda) |
| 1970 | 110 | No. 65 (Enda) |
| 1969 | 115 | No. 60 (Enda) |
| 1968 | 90 | No. 66 (Enda) |
| 1967 | 93 | No. 63 (Enda) |
| 1966 | 81 | No. 65 (Enda) |
| 1965 | 66 | No. 70 (Enda) |
| 1964 | 49 | No. 75 (Enda) |
Enda 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 Enda, letter by letter.
- EEadhadh, aspen
- NNion, ash
- DDair, oak
- AAilm, pine
Write any name in Ogham with our Ogham translator
Names that go with Enda
Questions about Enda
- How do you pronounce Enda?
- Enda is pronounced EN-da. Two syllables, stress on the first.
- What does Enda mean?
- Enda means “bird.”
- Is Enda a girl's name or a boy's name?
- Enda is a boy's name.
- How do you spell Enda in Irish?
- In Irish it's spelled Éanna. That's the spelling most parents in Ireland now register, according to the Central Statistics Office.
- How popular is Enda in Ireland?
- In 2025, Éanna was No. 87 for boys in Ireland, with 66 babies, according to the Central Statistics Office. It was most popular in 1969, at No. 60.