Iarlaith: Meaning, Pronunciation and Origin
Iarlaith is the Irish form of Jarlath, the name of the sixth-century saint who founded the monastic school of Tuam. Here’s how to say it, where it comes from, and names that go well with it.
Updated September 2026
- Gender
- Boy
- English forms
- Jarlath
- Popularity in Ireland
- No. 85 for boys (2025)
How do you pronounce Iarlaith?
Iarlaith is pronounced EER-la. It has two syllables, with the stress on the first. Other spellings: Iarfhlaith.
What does Iarlaith mean?
Iarlaith is the Irish form of Jarlath. It goes back to the Old Irish Iarlaithe, whose second part is usually taken to be flaith “ruler, sovereign”; the first part is of unknown meaning, so the name has no settled translation.
St. Iarlaith (died c. 540) founded the monastic school of Tuam, County Galway, and is the patron saint of the Archdiocese of Tuam. The Irish Lives of St. Brendan the Navigator, said to be one of his pupils, tell how Brendan advised the aged teacher to set out in a new chariot and settle where its shafts broke, which happened at Tuam. His feast day is June 6.
Sources: Behind the Name, Wikipedia, Woulfe, Irish Names and Surnames (1923).
How popular is Iarlaith in Ireland?
In 2025, 68 baby boys in Ireland were named Iarlaith, which made it No. 85 that year. That's up from No. 167 ten years earlier. It first appears in the records in 1991, with 3 baby boys.
See the numbers by year
| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 68 | No. 85 (Iarlaith) |
| 2024 | 59 | No. 99 (Iarlaith) |
| 2023 | 48 | No. 119 (Iarlaith) |
| 2022 | 50 | No. 121 (Iarlaith) |
| 2021 | 57 | No. 113 (Iarlaith) |
| 2020 | 39 | No. 147 (Iarlaith) |
| 2019 | 39 | No. 148 (Iarlaith) |
| 2018 | 32 | No. 177 (Iarlaith) |
| 2017 | 28 | No. 203 (Iarlaith) |
| 2016 | 32 | No. 182 (Iarlaith) |
| 2015 | 37 | No. 167 (Iarlaith) |
| 2014 | 29 | No. 203 (Iarlaith) |
| 2013 | 24 | No. 229 (Iarlaith) |
| 2012 | 17 | No. 279 (Iarlaith) |
| 2011 | 14 | No. 308 (Iarlaith) |
| 2010 | 13 | No. 322 (Iarlaith) |
| 2009 | 10 | No. 366 (Iarlaith) |
| 2008 | 6 | No. 472 (Iarlaith) |
| 2006 | 4 | No. 493 (Iarlaith) |
| 2005 | 3 | No. 518 (Iarlaith) |
| 2003 | 3 | No. 500 (Iarlaith) |
| 2002 | 4 | No. 393 (Iarlaith) |
| 2001 | 3 | No. 409 (Iarlaith) |
| 1991 | 3 | No. 324 (Iarlaith) |
Iarlaith 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 Iarlaith, letter by letter.
- IIodhadh, yew
- AAilm, pine
- RRuis, elder
- LLuis, rowan
- AAilm, pine
- IIodhadh, yew
- TTinne, holly
- HUath, hawthorn
Write any name in Ogham with our Ogham translator
Names that go with Iarlaith
Questions about Iarlaith
- How do you pronounce Iarlaith?
- Iarlaith is pronounced EER-la. Two syllables, stress on the first.
- Is Iarlaith a girl's name or a boy's name?
- Iarlaith is a boy's name.
- What is Iarlaith in English?
- The English form of Iarlaith is Jarlath.
- How popular is Iarlaith in Ireland?
- In 2025, Iarlaith was No. 85 for boys in Ireland, with 68 babies, according to the Central Statistics Office. That's the highest it has ever ranked.