Sibeal: Meaning, Pronunciation and Origin
Sibeal is an Irish girl's name meaning “God is my oath.” Here’s how to say it, where it comes from, and names that go well with it.
Updated September 2026
- Irish spelling
- Sibéal
- Meaning
- God is my oath
- Gender
- Girl
- English forms
- Sybil, Elizabeth
- Popularity in Ireland
- No. 352 for girls (2025)
How do you pronounce Sibeal?
Sibeal is pronounced SHIB-ale. It has two syllables, with the stress on the first.
What does Sibeal mean?
Sibéal is a shortened form of Isibéal, the Irish form of Isabel. Isabel began as a medieval form of Elizabeth in the Occitan language of southern France and later became the usual form in Spain and Portugal. Elizabeth itself goes back to the Hebrew Elisheba, “my God is an oath.” Patrick Woulfe wrote in 1923 that Isibéal was apparently the form in which Elizabeth first came into Ireland.
Woulfe gave Isabella, Elizabeth, Sybil and Sibby as its English equivalents. Sybil is strictly a different name, from the Greek Sibylla, “prophetess,” but the two were treated as matching names in Ireland. Related forms include the Scottish Isobel and the Scottish Gaelic Ealasaid.
Sources: Behind the Name, Woulfe, Irish Names and Surnames (1923).
How popular is Sibeal in Ireland?
In 2025, 11 baby girls in Ireland were named Sibéal, which made it No. 352 that year. It was most popular in 2024, when 11 baby girls were named Sibéal, No. 342 that year. It first appears in the records in 1974, with 3 baby girls.
See the numbers by year
| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 11 | No. 352 (Sibéal) |
| 2024 | 11 | No. 342 (Sibéal) |
| 2023 | 5 | No. 625 (Sibéal) |
| 2022 | 6 | No. 559 (Sibéal) |
| 2021 | 6 | No. 586 (Sibéal) |
| 2020 | 10 | No. 375 (Sibéal) |
| 2019 | 6 | No. 551 (Sibéal) |
| 2018 | 3 | No. 896 (Sibéal) |
| 2017 | 4 | No. 734 (Sibeal) |
| 2016 | 4 | No. 750 (Sibeal) |
| 2014 | 5 | No. 661 (Sibeal) |
| 2013 | 4 | No. 747 (Sibeal) |
| 2011 | 5 | No. 695 (Sibeal) |
| 2010 | 5 | No. 663 (Sibeal) |
| 2008 | 3 | No. 862 (Sibeal) |
| 2006 | 4 | No. 635 (Sibeal) |
| 2005 | 3 | No. 689 (Sibeal) |
| 2003 | 4 | No. 559 (Sibeal) |
| 2001 | 3 | No. 606 (Sibeal) |
| 2000 | 5 | No. 413 (Sibeal) |
| 1999 | 6 | No. 355 (Sibeal) |
| 1998 | 6 | No. 345 (Sibeal) |
| 1997 | 5 | No. 440 (Sibeal) |
| 1995 | 3 | No. 516 (Sibeal) |
| 1993 | 3 | No. 516 (Sibeal) |
| 1991 | 4 | No. 457 (Sibeal) |
| 1989 | 3 | No. 503 (Sibeal) |
| 1982 | 4 | No. 467 (Sibeal) |
| 1981 | 3 | No. 533 (Sibeal) |
| 1978 | 3 | No. 522 (Sibeal) |
| 1974 | 3 | No. 490 (Sibeal) |
Sibeal 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 Sibeal, letter by letter.
- SSail, willow
- IIodhadh, yew
- BBeith, birch
- EEadhadh, aspen
- AAilm, pine
- LLuis, rowan
Write any name in Ogham with our Ogham translator
Names that go with Sibeal
Questions about Sibeal
- How do you pronounce Sibeal?
- Sibeal is pronounced SHIB-ale. Two syllables, stress on the first. There's a short video above where you can hear it said.
- What does Sibeal mean?
- Sibeal means “God is my oath.”
- Is Sibeal a girl's name or a boy's name?
- Sibeal is a girl's name.
- How do you spell Sibeal in Irish?
- In Irish it's spelled Sibéal. That's the spelling most parents in Ireland now register, according to the Central Statistics Office.
- What is Sibeal in English?
- The English forms of Sibeal are Sybil and Elizabeth.
- What is Sybil in Irish?
- Sybil in Irish is Sibeal, pronounced SHIB-ale. Sibeal means “God is my oath.”
- What is Elizabeth in Irish?
- Elizabeth in Irish is Sibeal, pronounced SHIB-ale. Sibeal means “God is my oath.”
- How popular is Sibeal in Ireland?
- In 2025, Sibéal was No. 352 for girls in Ireland, with 11 babies, according to the Central Statistics Office. It was most popular in 2024, at No. 342.