Eibhlín
Say it: eye-LEEN/əiˈlʲiːnʲ/
GirlIrishMeans an Irish form of Evelyn7 letters2 syllables
#544
in Ireland (2025)
#353 with spellings combined
11
babies in 2025
#252
best rank (1984)
509
babies since 1964
Up 10
10-year rank change
Eibhlín through the years
Compare with another name →Show the numbers
| Year | Babies (girls) | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 11 | #353 |
| 2024 | 12 | #321 |
| 2023 | 11 | #335 |
| 2022 | 11 | #354 |
| 2021 | 13 | #324 |
| 2020 | 12 | #335 |
| 2019 | 14 | #310 |
| 2018 | 14 | #316 |
| 2017 | 12 | #343 |
| 2016 | 10 | #422 |
| 2015 | 13 | #363 |
| 2014 | 6 | #588 |
| 2013 | 7 | #544 |
| 2012 | 12 | #399 |
| 2011 | 13 | #361 |
| 2010 | 9 | #477 |
| 2009 | 12 | #381 |
| 2008 | 10 | #431 |
| 2006 | 12 | #326 |
| 2005 | 10 | #347 |
| 2004 | 6 | #476 |
| 2003 | 7 | #403 |
| 2002 | 6 | #406 |
| 2001 | 3 | #606 |
| 2000 | 7 | #353 |
| 1998 | 10 | #252 |
| 1997 | 10 | #304 |
| 1996 | 9 | #316 |
| 1995 | 5 | #417 |
| 1994 | 7 | #350 |
| 1993 | 9 | #320 |
| 1992 | 5 | #416 |
| 1991 | 8 | #338 |
| 1990 | 9 | #321 |
| 1989 | 10 | #300 |
| 1988 | 9 | #329 |
| 1987 | 10 | #310 |
| 1986 | 13 | #275 |
| 1985 | 10 | #306 |
| 1984 | 15 | #252 |
| 1983 | 13 | #280 |
| 1982 | 13 | #286 |
| 1981 | 7 | #363 |
| 1980 | 7 | #370 |
| 1979 | 10 | #321 |
| 1978 | 6 | #388 |
| 1977 | 6 | #391 |
| 1976 | 7 | #344 |
| 1974 | 6 | #374 |
| 1973 | 6 | #374 |
| 1972 | 6 | #352 |
| 1971 | 6 | #349 |
| 1969 | 5 | #351 |
| 1968 | 4 | #357 |
| 1967 | 5 | #315 |
| 1966 | 3 | #380 |
| 1965 | 4 | #325 |
| 1964 | 3 | #372 |
Source: CSO, Irish Babies' Names (VSA50, VSA60), CC BY 4.0. Spellings with and without fadas are combined; the CSO only recorded fadas from 2018.
★ What does Eibhlín mean?
An Irish form of Evelyn
Irish, from the Norman name Aveline (via Evelyn), reshaped with the Irish ending -ín.
Say it right
eyeLEEN
This is the Munster way. In Connacht and Ulster the bh is sounded as a v, giving EV-uh-leen.
Not:EEV-linIBB-lin
The story of Eibhlín
Eibhlín came into Irish from Evelyn, a name the Normans brought with them, from the Old French Aveline. In Irish it took on the familiar small ending -ín, so it sounds as if it has always belonged. The English name Eileen grew out of Eibhlín, not the other way round.
The best-known bearer is Eibhlín Dubh Ní Chonaill, an eighteenth-century Kerry woman. When her husband Art Ó Laoghaire was killed in 1773, she composed the lament Caoineadh Airt Uí Laoghaire, one of the great poems in the Irish language.
Eibhlín has been given to a small, steady number of Irish girls throughout the CSO records. Its best year was 1984, with 15 girls. The CSO only recorded fadas from 2018, and it counts Eibhlín and Eibhlin separately: in 2025 there were 6 of the first and 5 of the second, 11 in all. Its best rank in Northern Ireland was number 209 in 2023.
Say it differently where you're from, or spotted something wrong? Tell us.
Sources
- Wiktionary: Eibhlín (Irish proper noun)
- Wikipedia: Eibhlín Dubh Ní Chonaill
- CSO VSA60, Girls Names in Ireland with 3 or More Occurrences
- NISRA, First Forenames Given to Babies Registered in Northern Ireland
At a glance
Similar names
Sibling ideas
Spellings counted here
| Spelling | 2025 | All years |
|---|---|---|
| Eibhlín | 6 | 58 |
| Eibhlin | 5 | 451 |
In Northern Ireland
#290 in 2025 with 5 babies. Best rank #209 (2023); 88 babies since 2002.
Source: NISRA, Open Government Licence.