Dobi Apps

24 English names

English names of Irish, Scottish & Welsh origin

Names used in English that come from the Celtic languages of Ireland, Scotland and Wales.

Names

  1. ArthurBoyAR-ther · WelshMeans “possibly bear”Arthur is best known from the legends of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table. Its origin is uncertain: it may come from the old Celtic word artos, “bear”, or from the Roman family name Artorius. It is an old royal name in Britain and has become very popular again in England.
  2. BrianBoyBRY-un · IrishMeans “possibly high, noble”Brian is an old Irish name; its meaning is not certain, but it may come from an old Celtic word for “high” or “noble”. It was made famous by Brian Boru, a High King of Ireland who died in 1014. It became very common in English-speaking countries in the 20th century.
  3. CameronUnisexKAM-er-uhn · ScottishMeans “crooked nose”Cameron is the name of a famous Scottish clan, from the Gaelic words for “crooked” and “nose”. It became a first name in the 20th century. It is mainly given to boys, but girls get it too, sometimes spelled Camryn.
  4. CaseyUnisexKAY-see · IrishMeans “watchful, vigilant”Casey comes from the Irish surname Ó Cathasaigh, based on a word meaning “alert” or “on guard”. It became a first name in the US and spread from there. It is used for boys and girls in roughly similar numbers.
  5. DylanBoyDIL-un · WelshMeans “great tide”Dylan is a character in Welsh legend, a sea god who appears in the Mabinogion. The name probably comes from Welsh words meaning “great” and “tide”, so it is often linked to the sea. The poet Dylan Thomas made it known outside Wales, and Bob Dylan later took it as his stage name.
  6. FinleyUnisexFIN-lee · ScottishMeans “fair warrior”Finley comes from the Scottish Gaelic name Fionnlagh, made from words for “white, fair” and “warrior”. It is a popular boy’s name in the UK. In the US it is used for both genders and in recent years more often for girls.
  7. FinnBoyFIN · IrishMeans “fair, white”Finn comes from the Irish name Fionn, made famous by the hero Fionn mac Cumhaill (Finn McCool) in Irish legend. A similar name, Finnr, also existed in Old Norse. It has become a popular boys’ name in the UK and Ireland.
  8. ImogenGirlIM-uh-jun · IrishMeans “maiden”Imogen is the heroine of Shakespeare’s play Cymbeline. In the old story the character was called Innogen, but the name was printed wrongly and the mistake stayed. It may come from the Gaelic word for a girl or daughter, and it is mostly used in Britain.
  9. IslaGirlEYE-luh · ScottishMeans “from Islay, uncertain”Isla is taken from Islay, an island off the west coast of Scotland, and from a Scottish river of the same name; the meaning of the place name is not known. It is sometimes linked with the Spanish word isla, “island”, but that is a different word. Since the 2000s it has become one of the most popular girls’ names in Scotland and England.
  10. JenniferGirlJEN-ih-fur · WelshMeans “fair, white”Jennifer is the Cornish form of Guinevere, the wife of King Arthur, whose Welsh name Gwenhwyfar begins with a word for fair or white; the second part is less clear. It was rare outside Cornwall until George Bernard Shaw used it in a 1906 play. It was one of the most popular girls’ names in the US in the 1970s and 1980s.
  11. KellyUnisexKEL-ee · IrishMeans “bright-headed; or war, strife”Kelly comes from the Irish surname Ó Ceallaigh, from an old name whose meaning is not certain. In Ireland it was first a boy’s name. Today it is used mainly for girls, especially in the US and UK.
  12. KennethBoyKEN-ith · ScottishMeans “handsome, or born of fire”Kenneth is the English form of two Scottish Gaelic names: Coinneach, meaning “handsome”, and Cináed, which may mean “born of fire”. Kenneth MacAlpin is remembered as the first king of the Scots. The name spread beyond Scotland in the 20th century.
  13. KevinBoyKEV-in · IrishMeans “gentle birth”Kevin comes from the Irish name Caoimhín, made of words meaning “gentle” or “handsome” and “birth”. Saint Kevin founded a famous monastery at Glendalough in Ireland. The name became very popular around the world in the 20th century.
  14. KyleBoyKYL · ScottishMeans “narrow strait”Kyle comes from a Scottish Gaelic word for a narrow stretch of water between two pieces of land. It was first a place name in Ayrshire, Scotland, and then a surname. It became a common first name in the late 20th century.
  15. LeslieUnisexLEZ-lee · ScottishMeans “garden of holly”Leslie comes from a Scottish surname and place name; it probably means “garden of holly”, but the origin is not certain. In the UK it is mainly a man’s name, and women usually spell it Lesley. In the US the spelling Leslie is given far more often to girls.
  16. LoganBoyLOH-gun · ScottishMeans “little hollow”Logan began as a Scottish surname taken from a place in Ayrshire. The place name comes from a Gaelic word for a small hollow in the land. It is popular as a first name in the US and Scotland.
  17. MorganUnisexMOR-guhn · WelshMeans “sea circle”Morgan comes from the old Welsh name Morcant, probably from words for “sea” and “circle”, though the meaning is not certain. In Wales it has long been a boy’s name, but the witch Morgan le Fay in the King Arthur stories is female. Today it is used for both genders, and in the US mostly for girls.
  18. OscarBoyOS-ker · IrishMeans “possibly deer lover”Oscar is a hero in Irish legend, and the name may come from Irish words for “deer” and “loving”, though it may also come from Old English. It became famous across Europe through the 18th-century Ossian poems, and a Swedish king took the name. It is popular in the UK today.
  19. OwenBoyOH-in · WelshMeans “possibly well born”Owen is the English form of the Welsh name Owain. It may come from the Latin name Eugenius, “well born”, or from a Welsh word for “lamb”. Owain Glyndŵr led a famous Welsh rebellion against the English in the 15th century.
  20. QuinnUnisexKWIN · IrishMeans “descendant of Conn”Quinn comes from the Irish surname Ó Cuinn, from the old name Conn, which may mean “chief” or “sense, reason”. In Ireland it is mainly a surname. As a first name in the US it is now given more often to girls, but boys get it too.
  21. ReeseUnisexREES · WelshMeans “enthusiasm, ardour”Reese is an English spelling of the Welsh boy’s name Rhys, borne by several medieval Welsh princes. In the UK the Welsh spelling Rhys and the form Reece are used for boys. In the US, Reese is now mostly a girl’s name.
  22. RileyUnisexRY-lee · IrishMeans “descendant of Raghallach”Riley usually comes from the Irish surname Reilly, from an old name whose meaning is unknown. It can also come from an English place name meaning “rye clearing”. It is popular for both genders, more for boys in the UK and more for girls in the US.
  23. RowanUnisexROH-uhn · IrishMeans “little red one”Rowan comes from the Irish name Ruadhán, from a word for “red”, and it is also the name of a tree with bright red berries. It is mostly a boy’s name. It is given to girls as well, often because of the tree.
  24. TristanBoyTRIS-tun · WelshMeans “uncertain, possibly tumult”Tristan is the hero of the medieval love story Tristan and Isolde, part of the King Arthur legends. The name probably comes from the old Celtic name Drustan, whose meaning is uncertain; in French it was later linked to triste, “sad”. It has been used more often as a first name since the 20th century.