Irish Girl Names G to N

Often refers to a person who is a native Irish speaker or a person who is from Ireland. Medieval legend holds that Gael was the name of the hero from whom the Irish race took its name.

Anglicized as Barbara. May come from gorm “illustrious” or “splendid” and flaith “queen, princess.”

From gran “grain, corn.” Grainne in ancient Ireland was the patron of the harvest.

Described as “one of the most remarkable women in Irish history” Granuaile or Grainne Ni Mhaille (ang. as Grace O’Malley) was a renowned sea captain who led a band of 200 sea-raiders from the coast of Galway in the sixteenth century.

Hannah in Irish is Aine, pronounced AWN-ye, meaning “splendor, radiance, brilliance.”

Meaning “thirst” as in “thirst for goodness or knowledge.” St. Ide and St. Brigid are considered the most influential woman saints of early Irish Christianity.

Iona is the name of a small island off the Isle of Mull, on the west coast of Scotland, where the Irish saint Colm Cille (Columba) founded his monastery around 563 AD.

Ita in Irish is Ide, pronounced EE-da, meaning “thirst for goodness.”

Jane in Irish is Sinead, pronounced shin-AID, meaning “God is gracious.”

Janet in Irish is Sinead, pronounced shin-AID, meaning “God is gracious.”

Janette in Irish is Sinead, pronounced shin-AID, meaning “God is gracious.”

Kaitlin in Irish is Caitlin, pronounced KOIT-leen, meaning “pure, clear.”

Kalin in Irish is Caoilainn, pronounced KAY-linn, meaning “slender and fair.”

Karan in Irish is Caireann, pronounced CARE-in, meaning “little beloved.”

Karen in Irish is Caireann, pronounced CARE-in, meaning “little beloved.”

Kathleen in Irish is Caitlin, pronounced KOIT-leen, meaning “pure, clear.”

Keela is a modern spelling usually linked with the Irish Cadhla, from the old adjective cadhla, “beautiful.”

Keelin in Irish is Caoilainn, pronounced KAY-linn, meaning “slender and fair.”

Keera in Irish is Ciara, pronounced KEE-ra, meaning “dark.”

Keeva in Irish is Caoimhe, pronounced KEE-va, meaning “gentle, beautiful, precious.”

Keira in Irish is Ciara, pronounced KEE-ra, meaning “dark.”

Ciar means “dark” and probably implies “dark hair and brown eyes.”

Keva in Irish is Caoimhe, pronounced KEE-va, meaning “gentle, beautiful, precious.”

Kira in Irish is Ciara, pronounced KEE-ra, meaning “dark.”

Kyna is traced to the Irish word cion, which means “love, affection” and also “regard, esteem.”

Laoise is an Irish girl’s name of uncertain origin.

From an old Irish name Madb, “the cause of great joy” or “she who intoxicates.”

Maeve in Irish is Maebh, pronounced MAYV, meaning “the cause of great joy.”

The name that was used in Ireland for Our Lady was Muire and interestingly, her name was so honored that it was rarely used as a first name until the end of the fifteenth century.

Mairéad is the Irish form of Margaret, from the Latin Margarita and the Greek margarites, “pearl.”

Maolisa is a simplified spelling of the Irish Maolíosa (Old Irish Máel Ísu), from maol “devotee, servant” and Íosa “Jesus,” so “servant of Jesus” or “devotee of Jesus.”

Margaret in Irish is Mairead, pronounced mawr-AID, meaning “pearl.”

Mary in Irish is Maire, pronounced MY-ra.

Meara is usually explained through the Irish mara, the form of muir, “sea,” that means “of the sea” (it is also the plural, “seas”).

Melissa in Irish is Maolisa, pronounced mail-ISSA, meaning “follower of Jesus.”

Meryl in Irish is Muirgheal, pronounced MUR-el, meaning “bright as the sea.”

Miren in Irish is Muireann, pronounced MUR-in, meaning “sea white, sea fair.”

Moirin in Irish is Muireann, pronounced MUR-in, meaning “sea white, sea fair.”

Muadhnat “little noble one” is one possible source of the name. The Normans brought Monique, “giver of advice,” or it could refer to Madonna, “lady” as in the Mona Lisa.

Morna in Irish is Muirne, pronounced MIR-ne, meaning “high-spirited, festive.”

Means “sea white, sea fair.” The very appropriate name of the 6th century mermaid caught by a fisherman in Lough Neagh.

Muirgheal comes from the Old Irish Muirgel, from muir “sea” and geal “bright,” so “sea-bright” or, as Patrick Woulfe put it in 1923, “fair one of the sea.”

Muirne means “high-spirited, festive.” Muirne loved Conall who was from an opposing tribe.

Muriel in Irish is Muirgheal, pronounced MUR-el, meaning “bright as the sea.”

Myrna in Irish is Muirne, pronounced MIR-ne, meaning “high-spirited, festive.”

Naoise is a name from Irish legend, and its meaning is unknown.

Neala is a modern feminine form of Niall, based on its English spelling Neal. It is not a traditional Irish name and does not appear in Patrick Woulfe’s 1923 list of Irish women’s names.

Neave in Irish is Niamh, pronounced NEE-iv, meaning “radiance, lustre, brightness.”

Nessa was the mother of Conchobhar (Conor) Mac Nessa, king of Ulster.

From niamh “radiance, lustre, brightness.” The daughter of the sea god Manannan she was known as “Niamh of the Golden Hair,” a beautiful princess riding on a white horse.

Niav in Irish is Niamh, pronounced NEE-iv, meaning “radiance, lustre, brightness.”

Noelle in Irish is Nollaig, pronounced NULL-ig, meaning “Christmas.”

Nola is often explained as a short form of Fionnuala, the old Irish name from fionn “fair, white” and guala “shoulder,” so “fair shoulder.”

Nollaig is the Irish word for Christmas. It comes from the Old Irish Notlaic, borrowed from the Latin nātālīcia, “birthday celebration,” from nātālis, “of birth.”

A classic Irish name, it could be a shortened form of Eleanor meaning “torch” or could be from the Latin Honora meaning “honor, reputation” and became so popular in Ireland in the Middle Ages that many people assumed it was Irish.

It is really a shortened version of Fionnuala and in Ireland it is more widely used than Fionnuala.