Irish Baby Names
Over the past couple of decades, it seems that people are looking for more exotic and unusual names than at any other time in recent history. Back in the day, family names were repeated from generation to generation. And it was no different in Ireland, where Irish baby names were also repeated. The following is an interesting formula that I found while researching my own Irish roots, and I think it may help people learn the names of previous generations in addition to the information that they have already obtained.

Old Irish Naming Patterns:

Sons:

1st son was named after the father's father
2nd son was named after the mother's father
3rd son was named after the father
4th son was named after the father's eldest brother
5th son was named after the mother's eldest brother

Daughters:

1st daughter was named after the mother's mother
2nd daughter was named after the father's mother
3rd daughter was named after the mother
4th daughter was named after the mother's eldest sister
5th daughter was named after the father's eldest sister

After trying to figure out what your ancestors names were, let's talk about the new most popular Irish baby names. The five most popular girls' names, which were updated in December of 2009, are Siobhan, Aisling, Deirdre, Niamh and Eileen. The most popular boys' names are Aidan, Liam, Declan, Ciaran and Conor. Gaelic names used in 1901 numbered twenty-seven but this has grown to over 180 at present.

Many Irish or Gaelic baby names are difficult to spell as well as to pronounce. Since the Irish language has so many phonetic sounds, the names are not spelled anything like the pronunciation. The Irish alphabet is different than the English or

American. They have no 'k', so 'c' sounds like the 'k' sound. Since I've known that tidbit, it really irks me when I hear the Boston Celtics pronounced 'Seltics'. Both pronunciations are accepted now, according to Webster's Dictionary.

If you are interested in finding an Irish baby name for your new baby, please look into the Irish Baby Names Book. It includes names, pronunciations and meanings. I hope you enjoy your search, which, I think, will take a little longer than you expect.




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