Barra

Barra is the Irish short form of Fionnbarra, better known in English as Finbarr. The full name is made from fionn, fair, and barr, a head or top, so it is usually explained as “fair head”. Saint Finbarr himself was often called Barra.

Finbarr was born around 550 near Bandon in County Cork. Late in his life he set up a church and school on a limestone cliff above the River Lee, and the settlement around it grew into the city of Cork. He is the city’s patron saint, and his feast day is 25 September.

Barra first appears in the CSO records in 1981 and stayed rare for decades. It has risen quickly in recent years, from number 505 in 2015 to its best year yet in 2025, with 29 boys and a combined rank of number 168. It is rarer in Northern Ireland, where 3 boys were named Barra in 2025.