The Irish have some wonderful names and words, some of which go back to Celtic and Gaelic times.
Many of these names would make perfect choices for your dog, be they an Irish breed or not!
From popular names to Celtic mythology, we have covered a large range of Irish dog names and their meanings for you to choose from for your new family member!
Top 10 Irish Dog Names
We'll start off with this year's top 10 list of Irish names for dogs, along with their meanings in English.
Molly ~ a pet name for Mary that means "star of the sea"
Riley ~ "brave and courageous"
Fiona ~ means "fair", as in fair-haired or fair-faced
Annabelle ~ also spelled Annbla, means "lovable one"
Nola ~ short for Nolan and means "noble"
Molly ~ a pet name for Mary that means "star of the sea"
Rory ~ means "red", refers to Ireland’s last high king, Rory O’Connor
Finn ~ refers to a mythical Irish warrior
Brody ~ can mean “from the muddy place” or "ditch"
Logan ~ means "hollow", similar to a valley
Irish Boy Dog Names
What is a good Irish name for a male dog?
If you have a male dog and are looking for a good Irish name with character, try one of these for your pet:
- Miles: eager to please or merciful
- Griffin: refers to an Irish surname, which can mean “hooked nose”. It's still a cool name though!
- Finley: white warrior or fair warrior
- Kane: battle
- Finnegan: a popular Irish surname that also makes a great name for a dog
- Seamus: "to replace", as in replacing a ruler or king
- Kevin: handsome
- Austin: great or magnificent
- Owen: youth or "born of yew”
- Liam: one who is strong and protects
- Flynn: descendant of Flann, which means ruddy or red
- Flannery: valor, ruddy (which means a reddish color)
- Conan: little wolf
- Murphy: sea warrior
- Gallagher: another popular surname, means "eager to help or please"
- Kieran: little dark one
- Aidan: small and fiery
- Cormac: refers to Saint Cormac, who was an Irish bishop
- Doyle: black or dark stranger
- Finley: fair-haired hero
There are nine breeds of dog that are native to Ireland, and the best-known of these is the Irish Wolfhound.
- Donnelly: dark, or brave one, a good strong Irish Wolfound dog name
- Kirby: what an old church settlement was called
- Keegan: son of Egan
- Duff: swarthy or one with a dark complexion
- Beacan: tiny one
- Killian: church
- Brennan: “descendant of the sad one”
- Cashel: castle or stone fort
- Grady: noble or illustrious
- Cian: ancient
- Connor: “lover of hounds”
- Cullen: refers to a holly tree
- Eamon: means wealthy protector
- Niall: cloud
- Ronan: little seal
- Sullivan: black-eyed one
Irish Female Dog Names
If you are stuck on the perfect Gaelic dog name for your female pooch, this list will help give you a head start.
- Kayla: aversion of Kayleigh, means slender and fair
- Alani: precious child
- Kylie: graceful
- Reagan: princess or queen
- Tara: star or hill
- Kira: throne
- Erin: “from the west isle”
- Sheena: “God is gracious”
- Rosalyn: pretty rose
- Aoife: (pronounced EE-fa) means radiant or beautiful
- Orla: golden Princess
- Eileen: bright or shining one
- Roisin: (pronounced Ro-sheen) little rose, a beautiful Irish setter dog name
- Tierney: descendant of a lord
There can be no doubt that the Irish Red Setter is one of the most beautiful and graceful of all breeds.
- Muriel: "of the bright sea”
- Glenda: good and fair
- Breana: honorable, strong, or virtuous
- Cadie: pure
- Sybil: refers to a prophetess, someone who foretells the future
- Sinead: “God’s gracious gift”
- Bedelia: exalted one or strength
- Eimear: fast or swift
- Ciara: refers to someone with black hair
- Clodagh: (pronounced CLO-dah) refers to a river in Ireland
- Maeve: “she who intoxicates”
- Shannon: wise one
Gaelic Dog Names
Used during World War I, as guard dogs and messengers because of their extraordinary intelligence and fearlessness, Irish Terriers were referred to as ‘Micks’ or ‘Paddys’ .
In Irish Gaelic culture, wolves and dogs play an important role.
There are many Gaelic words that are perfect for naming your canine friend.
- Madra: dog
- Aislinn/Aisling: dream
- Bran: raven
- Cael: slender
- Conry: “king of the hounds”
- Declan: full of good
- Dermot: one who is free from envy
- Felan/Phelan: wolf
- Keeva: precious and gentle
- Lorcan: little wild one
- Madigan: little dog
- Murphy: “hound of the sea”
- Rogan: red-haired
- Saoirse: freedom
- Selkie: a mythical creature that looks like a seal. Good name for a black dog perhaps?
- Arden: ardent or eager
- Artek: a variation of Arthur, it means strong like a rock or bear
Badass Irish dog names inspired by Irish mythology
Ireland, boasts of myths and legends, from St Patrick, the Banshee and Pookas, Finn MacCool to pots of gold and of course a good pint of the black stuff - all these spark creativity to naming your male or female puppy.
- Angus: the Celtic God of beauty, dreams, and love
- Arawn: Celtic king of the underworld
- Balor: was the king of a race of giants in Celtic mythology
- Lir: the Irish lord of the sea
- Lugh: Celtic Sun God and God of lightening
- Fáilinis: a special hound that belonged to the God Lugh
- Fermac: in Irish mythology, this was a dog who belched out gold, wine, and silver. By day, he was a huge dog, but at night he would shrink to fit in a lap. A good choice for those big dogs who think they are lap dogs
- Finn MacCool: was a legendary warrior who was given the gift of knowledge by the Salmon of Wisdom
- Puca: this creature could bring you both bade and good luck in Irish lore
- Dagda: An Irish mythological god who had power over life and death
Tough sounding male and female dog names inspired by legendary Scottish and Irish kings
- Bonny: refers to Anne Bonny, the most feared female pirate hailed from Co. Cork during the 18th century. Nobody messed with Anne Bonny.
- Airell: is a Celtic word that means “nobleman”
- Cináed: in modern form, this is Kenneth, and it refers to the King of the Picts
- Niels/Naill: means “champion” and refers to one of Irelands greatest kings, Niall of the Nine Hostages
- Conall: is Gaelic for strong wolf and has been used many times in Irish lore for legendary kings and mythic warriors, a tough dog name for any breed
- Duff/Dubh: means dark and also refers to a king who was murdered after reigning 5 years. It was said the Sun eclipsed at the time of his death
- Duncan: means brown warrior, refers to two famous kings and was also used in Macbeth
Irish Dog Names Inspired by Irish Drinks
- Bailey: refers to the famous Bailey's Irish Cream, made by Gilbey's of Ireland
- Murphy: named after Murphy's Irish Stout beer
- Guinness: is a very dark and dry Irish stout beer that originated in Dublin
- Shandy: a popular drink in Ireland that mixes a beer with a soft drink
A good Guinness must come complete with good head – not too foamy – and pouring it into anything other than the iconic Guinness glass is a big no-no.
- Porter: a dark beer made from a brown malt that was popular with river and street porters
- Whiskey: a general name for the spirit whiskey, which has many great blends in Ireland
- Jameson: an Irish whiskey
- Poitín: prounounced (PUUT-cheen) is a traditional Irish distilled beverage.
Irish dog names inspired by places
The Emerald Isle is a beautiful country with stunning landscapes from castles, towns, cities, villages and hamlets. The list below of Irish locations makes for some cool-sounding Irish dog names for your furry pal.
- Dublin: the capital of Ireland and one of its largest cities
- Galway: an ancient place that holds myth and wonder, and is located in the west of Ireland
- Limerick: a charming Irish town in the middle of Ireland
- Cork: located near the bottom of the country, Cork is a city in Ireland
- Blarney: home of the legendary Blarney Stone and Blarney Castle
- Kilkenny: an Irish city that is a popular tourist destination
- Ennis: a small town located on the River Fergus
Donegal: This rugged section of Ireland's Wild Atlantic Way is littered with stretching beaches and delightful villages which only add to the charm of the place.
- Wexford: for the more sophisticated Irish hound, this is a town found in the southeast of Ireland
- Moher: refers to the natural attraction, the Cliffs of Moher
- Killarney: a city that is known for its wonderful national park
- Connemara: known for its spectacular land features, this area is located in County Galway
- Burren: a region of County Clare known for its karst (rocky) land and many caves
- Donegal: historic city in Northern Ireland
Creative Irish dog names
What's not to like about Ireland from the humor, the myths, the storytelling to foods, drinking tea and having good craic. Here are some creative dog names with a twist.
- Cabbage: a staple veg in the traditional Irish dinner (Bacon & Cabbage) but can make for a cute puppy name.
- Leprechaun: a small bearded man in Irish folklore that hordes gold. If you catch him, you get his gold.
- Goldy: another name that can refer to the treasure of the leprechauns
- Pork Chops: another Irish favorite dinner, and a hilarious dog name.
- Rasher(s): food-themed dog names are so much fun, don't know anyone who doesn't love "Denny" rashers
- Gael: this is a culture and language that began in Ireland
- Tayto: next best export after Guinness in Ireland, is the Tayto chip, perfect Irish name for a puppy
"Buttie": Combine two of Ireland's favorite things- sliced pan and a bag of Cheese & Onion Taytos and you've got pure delight
- Emerald: This gorgeous color green is often associated with the Emerald Isle itself (because it always rains)
- Paddy: this is an abbreviation for Patrick
- Rainbow: that famous place where “pots ‘o gold” are found
- Celt: refers to the tribal society of the Celts from 500 B.C.
- Boxty: an old traditional Irish pancake
- Buttie: a popular Irish sandwich, basically anything at all sandwiched between two slices of buttered bread - generally Tayto chips or french fries
- Charm: referring to a good luck charm
Good Irish dog names inspired by pop culture
- Boondock: this is based on a movie called “The Boondock Saints
- Wilde: named after native Irishman Oscar Wilde, who was a playwright and poet
- Bono: lead singer in Irish band - U2.
- Van Morrison: for the Irish band Van Morrison
- Brosnan: played James Bond, Irish actor Pierce Brosnan hailing from Navan
- O'Hara: named for the fiery Irish actress and singer Maureen O'Hara
- Neeson: Irish actor - Liam Neeson- famous now for delivering best cinematic lines "I will find you, and I will...."
- Fassbender: great Irish name for a dog, hails from another famos Irish actor Michael Fassbender
- Enya: a famous female Irish singer, writer, and record producer
There you have it!
154+ unique Irish names that you can use for your dog. They can fit any dog and their personality, but make great choices for those Irish dog breeds, such as Irish RedSetters, Irish Wolfhounds, Irish Terriers, Glen of Imaal Terriers, Irish Water Spaniels, Kerry Beagles, and Kerry Blues.
Have fun with choosing your dog's Irish name (we did in researching and compiling this list)!
