Aoife
Feminine · “beautiful”
Aoife is a warrior queen of Irish legend who fought Cú Chulainn to a standstill — and her name is read as beauty or radiance.
How old is the name Aoife?
Aoife first appears in US birth records in 1985 — 40 years ago. The typical Aoife is a kid of about 10 — this name's wave is very recent. About 2,200 people named Aoife are estimated to be alive in the US today.
When was the name Aoife most popular?
Aoife peaked in 2018, reaching #1748 nationally. Today it ranks #2117, 369 places below that high. See the whole 2018 chart.
Lists built from the same records:
Where it comes from
From aoibh to Aoife
The story of Aoife
Aoife in the Ulster Cycle is a warrior who trains and then fights Cú Chulainn, bears his son, and is bound by him; a separate Aoife in the Children of Lir turns her stepchildren into swans. It is among the most-used Irish girls' names today and appears in American records in current use.
Meaningscholars disagree
beautiful, radiant
From the Irish Aoife, generally read from aoibh, 'beauty' or 'pleasant appearance'. The reading is standard though not fully established. It is not related to Eva or Eve despite being anglicized as such. The Irish spelling is old and continuous.
How the name formed
- aoibh
- Aoife
Related forms: Aoife · Eefa · Aoife
Pronouncing Aoife
EE-fuh
Two syllables, stress on the first. The spelling gives English speakers no guide at all.
Nicknames for Aoife
Moderate
What the data says
146 years of official birth records
The long climb, and where it stands now
The same years in position rather than babies
- First recorded
- 1985
- Most girls named
- 2018117 — the highest on record
- Peak rank
- #1748reached in 2018
- Change vs 2024
- +4.8%88 in 2025, from 84
Rank is a position, a count is a headcount, and they move independently — a name can hold its rank while the number of babies behind it falls. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration.
Aoife in other languages
The same name elsewhere
- Aoife in Irish — same name
- Eefa in English — spelling variant
- Aoife in Scottish Gaelic — same name
Strongest US states over the last decade: California, New York, Massachusetts.
Aoifes among us
people named Aoife are estimated to be alive in the US today
About 1 girl in 18,264 born in 2025 was named Aoife
Estimated from SSA birth records and published actuarial life tables. Method
Is it right for you
What happens to a name after it peaks
The Krystine test
Every popular name lives one long story — a climb, a peak, a slow settling back. Aoife's later chapters haven't been written yet, so we borrowed them: Krystine climbed just as high around 1987, and its whole arc is on record. Line the two peaks up, and Krystine's path sketches the road Aoife is walking now.
Aoife sits in the calm middle of the cycle — neither chasing a wave nor sliding off one. Middle-of-the-cycle names age slowly and predictably.
A scored estimate from 146 years of naming cycles — not a prophecy. Great names outlive statistics. How this is scored
Where Aoife is headed
Aoife should hold steady through 2030 — the curve is flat, and flat curves are the most predictable kind.
Medium confidence — fitted on official counts through 2025.
A damped-trend projection of the official birth data — a sketch of momentum, not a promise. Every name's forecast, ranked.
Aoife beside its neighbors
The names ranked closest to Aoife in 2025, in babies rather than position — the bars are to scale.
US girls given each name in 2025.
The trade-off
- A warrior who fights Cú Chulainn to a draw is a first-rate legendary bearer.
- The beauty reading is attractive and standard.
- It is unmistakably and genuinely Irish.
- The spelling is opaque to every English speaker on first sight.
- It will be mispronounced essentially always outside Ireland.
- It is often wrongly equated with Eva.
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What they receive
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Aoife
Feminine · #2117 in the U.S.
Frequently asked
- How many Aoifes are there in the world?
- No country counts the world's names, so there is no worldwide figure — anyone quoting one is estimating. About 2,200 people named Aoife are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- How popular is the name Aoife in 2025?
- Aoife ranks #2117 among US girl names in 2025, with 88 babies given the name.
- How rare is the name Aoife?
- About 1 in every 18,264 US girls born in 2025 was named Aoife — 88 in all.
- Will my child share the name Aoife with classmates?
- Aoife will almost certainly be the only one in school.
Ranked beside Aoife
Names sitting at a similar level of popularity right now.
Nahomy#2117 · Anylah#2117 · Taelynn#2117 · Krystal#2117 · Adelia#2117 · Chany#2117 · Jean#2117 · Avigail#2117
Looking for what else is popular rather than what resembles Aoife? See the current top 100.
Choosing between Aoife and another name?
See them side by side — full stats, history and a gentle verdict.
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Cast your vote
Which one would you pick?
Your gut first, the numbers after — the split shows once you pick.
US figures from the Social Security Administration. 1880–2025. Data & methodology
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