Aodha
Say it: AY-a
GirlIrish5 letters2 syllables
#544
in Ireland (2025)
#528 with spellings combined
6
babies in 2025
#226
best rank (2021)
92
babies since 2018
Aodha through the years
Compare with another name →Show the numbers
| Year | Babies (girls) | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 6 | #528 |
| 2024 | 17 | #248 |
| 2023 | 13 | #295 |
| 2022 | 15 | #288 |
| 2021 | 21 | #226 |
| 2020 | 13 | #313 |
| 2019 | 3 | #844 |
| 2018 | 4 | #715 |
Source: CSO, Irish Babies' Names (VSA50, VSA60), CC BY 4.0.
★ What does Aodha mean?
Uncertain, probably linked with Aodh (fire)
Irish, apparently a girls' name built on Aodh, from Old Irish áed (fire).
Say it right
AYa
"Aodh" is said AY in Munster, but closer to EE in the north and west, so some say EE-a.
The story of Aodha
Aodha looks back to Aodh, one of the oldest boys’ names in Ireland. Aodh comes from the Old Irish word áed, meaning fire, and it was often put into English as Hugh. In Irish grammar, Aodha is also the form Aodh takes after another word, as in “mac Aodha”, son of Aodh.
As a girls’ name, Aodha is new, and our sources don’t explain exactly how it came about. It seems to be used as a feminine partner to Aodh, in the way other old boys’ names have been reshaped for girls, but the meaning is best treated as uncertain.
Aodha first reached the CSO list in 2018, given to 4 girls. Its best year so far was 2021, with 21 girls, when it was number 221 on the official list. It has done relatively well in Northern Ireland too, where it reached 158th in 2021.
Say it differently where you're from, or spotted something wrong? Tell us.
Sources
- Wiktionary: Aodh (Irish proper noun)
- CSO VSA60, Girls Names in Ireland with 3 or More Occurrences
- NISRA, Baby Names in Northern Ireland