This lovely Irish name for girls means 'beautiful' or 'graceful.'Getty Images
Appearing on the charts for the first time in 1994, there’s one Irish baby name out there that has had a well-deserved surge in popularity in recent years.
With their pretty, lyrical sound and unique and interesting meanings, Irish baby names are adored around the world – and for good reason!
Back home, Irish monikers made up a solid portion of the top baby names chosen in Ireland in 2023, with Fiadh meaning ‘little deer’ sitting in at second place.
Just making the cut for the top twenty Irish names, and sitting in at 87th place in the list of monikers chosen in Ireland last year as a whole, Cadhla is one lovely Irish baby name that is well deserving of its rise to popularity.
Meaning ‘beautiful’ or ‘graceful’, this endearing Irish baby name is most commonly pronounced kay-lah and has had a surge in popularity in recent times.
Taking the 502nd spot in 1994 with three babies given the name – Cadhla remained in relatively the same position a decade on, with five new Cadhlas born in 2004.
By the time 2014 rolled around, Cadhla had risen to 404th place before getting a major boost and jumping up to the 87th position in 2023, with 58 babies given the name.
Top Irish Baby Names in 2023
According to the most recent records, the top 20 Irish girl names are:
Fiadh (2)
- Pronounced ‘fee-ah’
- Meaning ‘little deer’
Éabha (8)
- Pronounced ‘ay-va’
- Meaning ‘life’
Croía (23)
- Pronounced ‘cree-ah’
- Meaning ‘of the heart’
Caoimhe (26)
- Pronounced ‘quee-va’ or ‘kee-va’
- Meaning ‘gentle,’ ‘beautiful,’ ‘precious’
Saoirse (27)
- 27th most popular name in 2023
- Pronounce ‘seer-sha’
- Meaning ‘freedom’
Cara (27)
- Pronounced ‘ka-rah’
- Meaning ‘friendship’
Aoife (31)
- Pronounced ‘ee-fa’
- Meaning ‘beautiful’ or ‘radiant’
Róisín (36)
- Pronounced ‘row-sheen’
- Meaning ‘little rose’
Erin (40)
- Pronounced ‘air-in’
- Meaning ‘Ireland’
Sadhbh (40)
- Pronounced ‘sive’
- Meaning ‘goodness’
Ailbhe (44)
- Pronounced ‘al-va’
- Meaning ‘white,’ ‘noble,’ ‘bright’
Méabh (44)
- Pronounced ‘may-ve’
- Meaning ‘intoxicating’
Éala (53)
- Pronounced ‘ay-lah’
- Meaning ‘swan’
Clodagh (54)
- Pronounced ‘clo-dah’
- After the river Clodagh
Fíadh (67)
- Pronounced ‘fee-ah’
- Meaning ‘little deer’
Aoibhín (71)
- Pronounced ‘ay-veen’ or ‘ee-veen’
- Meaning ‘beautiful’, ‘fair’
Niamh (73)
- Pronounced ‘nee-ve’
- Meaning ‘radiance,’ ‘shine,’ ‘beauty’
Maeve (80)
- Pronounced ‘may-ve’
- Meaning ‘intoxicating’
Áine (86)
- Pronounced ‘awn-ya’
- Meaning ‘radiance’
Cadhla (87)
- Pronounced ‘kay-la’
- Meaning ‘beautiful’
*This article was originally published on RollerCoaster.ie.