Ireland
Feminine · “land of Ériu”
Ireland is given to both — 6,347 girls and 209 boys since 1880. See other names given to both
Ireland is Ériu's land — a goddess whose name may go back to a word meaning fat or fertile, so the country is named for abundance.
How old is the name Ireland?
Ireland first appears in US birth records in 1993 — 32 years ago. The typical Ireland alive today was born around 2010, making them about 15 years old. About 6,300 people named Ireland are estimated to be alive in the US today.
When was the name Ireland most popular?
Ireland peaked in 1998, reaching #818 nationally. Today it ranks #2214, 1,396 places below that high. See the whole 1998 chart.
Where it comes from
From Ériu to Ireland
The story of Ireland
The Book of Invasions has three goddesses — Ériu, Banba and Fódla — each ask that the island be named for her, and Ériu's name won; Éire is the modern Irish form and Ireland the English. Her name may mean abundant land. Ireland appears in American records as a given name in current use.
Meaningscholars disagree
land of Ériu
From the Old Irish Ériu, the goddess-personification of the island, plus the English 'land'. Ériu's own name is generally traced to a root meaning 'fat', 'abundant' or possibly 'to flow'. The goddess is documented; her name's root is proposed rather than settled.
How the name formed
- Ériu
- Éire
- Ireland
Related forms: Éire · Erin
Pronouncing Ireland
EYE-er-lund
Two or three syllables depending on the speaker, stress on the first. Irish Éire is AIR-uh.
Nicknames for Ireland
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
- 1993
- Most girls named
- 2009345 — the highest on record
- Peak rank
- #818reached in 1998
- Change vs 2024
- −23.1%83 in 2025, from 108
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.
Ireland in other languages
The same name elsewhere
- Éire in Irish — related form
- Erin in English — related form
Strongest US states over the last decade: California, Florida, Texas.
Irelands among us
people named Ireland are estimated to be alive in the US today
About 1 girl in 19,365 born in 2025 was named Ireland
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 Jeanetta test
Every popular name lives one long story — a climb, a peak, a slow settling back. Ireland's later chapters haven't been written yet, so we borrowed them: Jeanetta climbed just as high around 1936, and its whole arc is on record. Line the two peaks up, and Jeanetta's path sketches the road Ireland is walking now.
Ireland 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 Ireland is headed
Ireland is easing off slowly — about 22% fewer babies a year by 2030 if the trend continues.
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.
Ireland beside its neighbors
The names ranked closest to Ireland in 2025, in babies rather than position — the bars are to scale.
US girls given each name in 2025.
The trade-off
- That three goddesses competed to name the island is a first-rate story.
- The abundance reading is attractive where it holds.
- It is instantly recognized everywhere.
- It is a country name and reads as one entirely.
- Ériu's own root is proposed rather than settled.
- It is very new as a given name.
Nobody names a baby alone.
Put Ireland to the vote.
Add it to a family vote or a couple’s swipe deck — the other person gets one card, a simple answer and room to say why. No app, no account for them.
Only the people you invite can see your list.
Already decided on Ireland? Hide it among decoys and let them guess.
What they receive
Someone added a name to your list
Ireland
Feminine · #2214 in the U.S.
Frequently asked
- How many Irelands are there in the world?
- No country counts the world's names, so there is no worldwide figure — anyone quoting one is estimating. About 6,300 people named Ireland are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- How popular is the name Ireland in 2025?
- Ireland ranks #2214 among US girl names in 2025, with 83 babies given the name.
- How rare is the name Ireland?
- About 1 in every 19,365 US girls born in 2025 was named Ireland — 83 in all.
- Will my child share the name Ireland with classmates?
- Ireland will almost certainly be the only one in school.
Ranked beside Ireland
Names sitting at a similar level of popularity right now.
Hania#2214 · Perry#2214 · Bea#2214 · Lyana#2214 · Mahira#2214 · Lanie#2214 · Alorah#2214 · Nava#2214
Looking for what else is popular rather than what resembles Ireland? See the current top 100.
Choosing between Ireland and another name?
See them side by side — full stats, history and a gentle verdict.
Compare side by sideIn a hurry? Just pick a winner — one tap, no sign-up, and you see how everyone else voted.
Weighing a whole shortlist? Add the rest in the builder, or settle it with a bracket.
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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