Eliza, Liz, Elsie and Elsa are among the variants. Louisa is a variant. DESCRIPTION: From gran “grain, corn.” Grainne in ancient Ireland was the patron of the harvest. It’s a member of the Celtic family of languages that includes Manx, Scottish Gaelic, Welsh, Cornish, and Breton. Guinevere was King Arthur's wife. DESCRIPTION: Siobhan is another Irish form of Joan meaning “God is gracious.” A popular name in Ireland where the anglicised versions are often used. DESCRIPTION: 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. The queen of the Munster fairies was called Aine as was one of the wives of Fionn Mac Cool (read the legend). DESCRIPTION: From rionach meaning “queenly.” In legend Rionach was the wife of “Niall of the Nine Hostages” (read the legend) and as such is the maternal ancestor of many of the great Irish family dynasties. DESCRIPTION: It is really a shortened version of Fionnuala (see Fionnuala above) and in Ireland it is more widely used than Fionnuala. Saint Elizabeth was mother of John the Baptist. It is also difficult to spell out some sounds in the Irish language into English, as certain sounds don't exist in English. DESCRIPTION: From an old Irish word meaning “white,” the 6th century St. Ailbe was associated with the monastery at Emly in County Tipperary. Rivers become places for prayer and Clodagh is a popular name in this part of the country. DESCRIPTION: The name comes from fionn + ghuala “fair shouldered.” The chieftan King Lir and his wife Aobh had a daughter Fionnoula and three sons Aedh, Conn and Fiachra. She asked to be his only wife for a year – and then to have the half of his time after that. “A smock of royal silk she had next to her skin, over that an outer tunic of soft silk and around her a hooded mantle of crimson fastened on her breast with a golden brooch.”, DESCRIPTION: “noble, brave.” The poetic name for Ireland, Innis Ealga, means “The Noble Isle.”. Her father, a druid, opposed the match and had Conall killed but not before Muirne had conceived a son, who grew up to be the legendary warrior Fionn Mac Cool(read the legend) and who later avenged the death of his father. DESCRIPTION: Aibreann is April in the Irish language. When she dies the Devil comes to collect her soul but God intervenes and carries Cathleen to heaven, saying that “such a sacrificial act cannot justly lead to evil consequences.”, ENGLISH: Keelin (“kee + linn”) or Kalin (“kay + linn”), DESCRIPTION: caol “slender” and fionn “white, fair, pure.” Several saints were Caoilainn and one was described as “a pious lady who quickly won the esteem and affection of her sister nuns by her exactness to every duty, as also by her sweet temper, gentle, confiding disposition and unaffected piety.”. Gaelic form of Joan. DESCRIPTION: aoibhinn “pleasant, beautiful sheen, of radiant beauty.” Often interpreted as “little Eve.” One Aoibheann was the mother of St. Enda of Aran who died c. 530 AD. Grace is a variant. DESCRIPTION: Nessa was the mother of Conchobhar (Conor) Mac Nessa, king of Ulster. They’re unique, which is something a lot of parents look for when naming a baby girl. Log in, Gift Guides for Moms, Dads, & the Littles. DESCRIPTION: The most beautiful woman in ancient Ireland, she was bethrothed to the High King Conchobhar Mac Nessa but she fell in love with his nephew Naoise. One Fidelma, a daughter of the High King Conchobhar Mac Nessa, was known as Fidelma Nichrothach “Fidelma The Nine-Times-Beautiful,” and a warrior of note herself. DESCRIPTION: Meaning “female champion” it is the feminine form of Niall. This beautiful name stands for ‘freedom’. These are the names of saints and names from history and myth. They ran away together but Fionn’s pursuit prevented them from spending two consecutive nights in the same place. DESCRIPTION: In Irish dorcha means “dark, dark-haired” or “descendant of the dark one.” Both a surname and a given name. DESCRIPTION: An Irish form of Jane “God is gracious” and may be a shortened form of Sinead. The main female deity of the Celts, Brigid made the land fruitful and animals multiply, she blessed poets and blacksmiths. DESCRIPTION: A medieval name derived from Latin clarus “clear, bright, famous.” St. Claire, a follower of St. Francis of Assisi, who left her wealthy family to found the order of nuns known as the “Poor Clares,” has always been very respected in Ireland and the name is still popular today. DESCRIPTION: From the Latin name Rosa and means “little rose.” Records show that the name has been in use in Ireland since the sixteenth century. DESCRIPTION: From radharc meaning “a vision.”. In early Ireland women had equal rights and while the warriors were usually men there is a strong tradition of Celtic women fighting alongside the men, dating as far back as Roman times. When Aodh died Lir’s new wife Aoife was so jealous of her husband’s love for his children that she cast a spell on them and turned them into swans and condemned them to spend 300 years on Lake Daravarragh, 300 years on the Sea of Moyle and 300 years on Innis Glora. Alana is a variant, Gaelic form of Catherine, Caitlin is a variant. Megalithic sites throughout Ireland are still traditionally referred to as “the bed of Grainne and Diarmuid” (read the legend). DESCRIPTION: Eimear possessed the “Six Gifts of Womanhood” – “beauty, a gentle voice, sweet words, wisdom, needlework and chastity!” She was bethrothed to the warrior Cuchulainn (read the legend) when they were children and they loved each other very deeply. Hebrew: 'my God is satisfaction'. French feminine form of the name Michael. They’re unique, which is something a lot of parents look for when naming a baby girl. Widespread Irish surname. Gaelic form of Jane which is a feminine form of John. DESCRIPTION: “noble, virtuous.” The feminine of Brian.