Feidhlim: Meaning, Pronunciation and Origin
Feidhlim is an Irish boy's name meaning “ever good.” Here’s how to say it, where it comes from, and names that go well with it.
Updated November 2026
- Meaning
- Ever good
- Gender
- Boy
- English forms
- Phelim, Felim
- Popularity in Ireland
- No. 468 for boys (2025)
How do you pronounce Feidhlim?
Feidhlim is pronounced FAIL-im. It has two syllables, with the stress on the first. Other spellings: Feilim.
What does Feidhlim mean?
Feidhlim is a short form of Feidhlimidh, the later spelling of the Old Irish name Feidlimid; its English forms include Phelim and Felim. Woulfe records that the name is explained as meaning “the ever good”; Behind the Name calls this the traditional meaning and suggests a link with the Old Irish feidil, “enduring, constant.”
The name was borne by kings of Munster, among them Feidlimid mac Crimthainn, who became king in 820 and died in 847; he was also an abbot and possibly a bishop. The Annals of Inisfallen say he became full king of Ireland in 838, but Niall Caille defeated him at Magh Ochtar in 841. Feidhelm is a different name: a spelling of Fedelm, a woman’s name in Irish legend that may be a feminine form of Feidlimid.
Sources: Woulfe, Irish Names and Surnames (1923), Behind the Name, Wikipedia.
How popular is Feidhlim in Ireland?
In 2025, 7 baby boys in Ireland were named Feidhlim, which made it No. 468 that year. Another 3 were registered as Féidhlim. That's down from No. 459 ten years earlier. It was most popular in 1991, when 5 baby boys were named Feidhlim, No. 263 that year. The most babies got the name in 2016: 17. It first appears in the records in 1972, with 3 baby boys.
See the numbers by year
| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 10 | No. 468 (Feidhlim) |
| 2023 | 12 | No. 516 (Féidhlim) |
| 2022 | 12 | No. 407 (Feidhlim) |
| 2021 | 8 | No. 414 (Feidhlim) |
| 2020 | 9 | No. 402 (Feidhlim) |
| 2019 | 5 | No. 564 (Feidhlim) |
| 2018 | 6 | No. 520 (Feidhlim) |
| 2017 | 4 | No. 610 (Feidhlim) |
| 2016 | 17 | No. 272 (Feidhlim) |
| 2015 | 7 | No. 459 (Feidhlim) |
| 2014 | 4 | No. 609 (Feidhlim) |
| 2013 | 12 | No. 338 (Feidhlim) |
| 2012 | 7 | No. 457 (Feidhlim) |
| 2011 | 11 | No. 366 (Feidhlim) |
| 2010 | 11 | No. 354 (Feidhlim) |
| 2009 | 11 | No. 337 (Feidhlim) |
| 2008 | 9 | No. 386 (Feidhlim) |
| 2007 | 9 | No. 342 (Feidhlim) |
| 2006 | 9 | No. 314 (Feidhlim) |
| 2005 | 3 | No. 518 (Feidhlim) |
| 2004 | 3 | No. 506 (Feidhlim) |
| 2003 | 3 | No. 500 (Feidhlim) |
| 2002 | 5 | No. 348 (Feidhlim) |
| 2001 | 3 | No. 409 (Feidhlim) |
| 1998 | 3 | No. 369 (Feidhlim) |
| 1997 | 3 | No. 382 (Feidhlim) |
| 1991 | 5 | No. 263 (Feidhlim) |
| 1988 | 3 | No. 319 (Feidhlim) |
| 1986 | 3 | No. 317 (Feidhlim) |
| 1983 | 3 | No. 330 (Feidhlim) |
| 1972 | 3 | No. 307 (Feidhlim) |
Feidhlim 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 Feidhlim, letter by letter.
- FFearn, alder
- EEadhadh, aspen
- IIodhadh, yew
- DDair, oak
- HUath, hawthorn
- LLuis, rowan
- IIodhadh, yew
- MMuin, vine
Write any name in Ogham with our Ogham translator
Names that go with Feidhlim
Questions about Feidhlim
- How do you pronounce Feidhlim?
- Feidhlim is pronounced FAIL-im, with two syllables and the stress on the first.
- What does Feidhlim mean?
- Feidhlim is an Irish boy's name meaning “ever good.”
- Is Feidhlim a girl's name or a boy's name?
- Feidhlim is a boy's name.
- What is Feidhlim in English?
- The English forms of Feidhlim are Phelim and Felim.
- How popular is Feidhlim in Ireland?
- In 2025, Feidhlim was No. 468 for boys in Ireland, with 7 babies, according to the Central Statistics Office. It was most popular in 1991, at No. 263.
Sources: popularity from the Central Statistics Office, table VSA50 (CC BY 4.0). Meaning and origin from Woulfe, Irish Names and Surnames (1923), Behind the Name and Wikipedia. How we research names: our sources. Spotted a mistake? support@babynamesofireland.com