St. Patrick’s Day-Inspired Baby Names For Your Little Leprechaun

When it comes to names for your St. Patrick’s Day baby, Patrick is, well, an obvious choice. You might want to switch up the spelling (think Patric or even Patrik), to make it more interesting. Want to make it more Irish? Up the ante and spell it Padraig, which is the Irish equivalent of Patrick, and means “noble.”

If you’re having a girl, you might want to give her the feminine equivalent of Patrick, which would be Patricia. Although it’s not as popular as it was, say, 20 or 30 years ago, Patricia has a ton of cute nicknames, like Trisha, Tricia, Patty, Tia, Patrice, or even Trixie. And the name Patricia means “noble.”

Erin go bragh! (“Ireland forever!”) As far as names honoring Ireland go, you can’t go wrong with Erin — because it literally means Ireland in Irish Gaelic. It’s not as popular as it used to be, since traditional Gaelic baby names have become more common, but it’s still a solid way to salute the Emerald Isle.

Goldie is an adorable name that will remind you of leprechauns and luck, without being a totally obvious St. Patrick’s Day name. And while its origin is Yiddish, it can also be a (very cute) nickname for longer names like Marigold.

Searching for four-leaf clovers is a much-beloved St. Patrick’s Day tradition. That’s why giving your little cutie the name Clover is so fitting for the holiday. Clover is a super unique name, so you won’t have to worry about a cluster of Clovers in your kid’s classes in the future.

Little known fact: Maewyn is the given name of St. Patrick. A lovely gender-neutral name, it’s sort of a deep cut as far as St. Patrick’s Day names go, and we love it.

Teagan is an Irish surname that’s becoming popular as a gender-neutral baby name. It means “poet, philosopher” as well as “attractive,” all the things you might hope your little lad or lassie will be.

There’s only one color that’s synonymous with Ireland, and that’s green. Emerald is a bold name, and you already know what it means. A gemstone name is so unique, and it has awesome nicknames, too, like Emme or Emelie.

Ronan is a very popular baby name in Ireland, and it’s made its way to the USA. Although it’s typically a boy’s name, Ronan can be for either a boy or a girl, and it’s so cute, it literally means “little seal.”

Let’s say that you’re looking for a baby name that conjures up the lush green landscape of Ireland. The name Forest plays on the greenery theme of St. Patrick's Day without being overtly obvious.

With tons of different ways to spell it (think Aiden, Ayden, Aedan, Aadyn, etc), Aidan is a boy’s name which means “little fire.” It’s also extremely popular, ranking as the 20th most popular name in U.S. births.

Even though it has Scandinavian origin, Leif is a fitting name for your St. Patrick’s Day baby. It’s a wink and a nod to the verdant landscape of Ireland, but if you don’t want your kid stuck with leafy nicknames, you can always switch up the spelling to make it Leif, which sounds so cool.

Another color that makes a great baby name, Jade is a precious green stone said to transmit wisdom and clarity. It ranked just outside of the top 100 baby names (coming in at 104) in 2019.

Sometimes just a good old-fashioned Irish baby name can be enough to celebrate the day your babe was born. Declan (pronounced Deck-lan) is of Irish origin, and is becoming a popular gender-neutral name.

For a name that means lucky without being as overtly obvious as Lucky, consider Bennett. It’s an English origin name which means “blessed,” which is kind of what lucky means anyway, right? Of course, Bennett is a popular surname, but in recent years it’s become a fantastic first name for boys and girls.

If you want a name that will always remind you of the Emerald Isle, then look no further than Ireland itself. Obvs, it’s of Irish descent, and can be unisex. And since destination names are becoming more popular (think Chicago, Brooklyn, or Phoenix, for example), by naming your baby Ireland, you’ll be putting the name on the map — literally.

Sean is a classic Irish boy baby name, and it’s a nice nod to a baby born on St. Patrick’s Day, without going all the way into the holiday-ness of it all. It’s also gender-neutral and works nicely for a boy or a girl. Sean means “God is gracious,” too.

Is there a cuter nickname than Finn? Finnegan is a Gaelic name that means “fair.” Again, it’s one of those names that isn’t just a boys’ name or a girls’ name, and is honestly just a fun name to say.

Molly is a name that has mixed origins. Although Molly means “bitter” in Hebrew, Molly has also been known as an Irish name meaning “star of the sea” as well. It’s a nickname for Mary, and no matter which meaning you choose, it’s a solid Irish name for your little lass.

It’s one of those names that looks almost impossible to pronounce, but Aoife (pronounced basically like “Eva”) is a common Irish girl’s name. It has links back to ancient Irish mythology, and is steeped in Irish culture.

Kelly is an Irish baby name if ever there was one. It’s a gender neutral name and means “bright headed” or (ack), “war.” But for your fiery Irish baby, it could be a perfect fit, considering Kelly green is reminiscent of the rolling hills and lush landscape of Ireland.

Don’t be swayed by all the extra letters. Eireann is pronounced like Erin and is an Irish girl’s name. It means “Ireland,” and with its cool spelling, it’s definitely a beautiful way to celebrate your Irish heritage.

Of Irish Gaelic and Old English origin, Gale might be more commonly written as Gail or Gayle. It was once a name for boys, but is now seeing a resurgence as a girl’s name. It means “foreigner” or “happy and cheerful,” which makes sense since its derivative of the Old English word “gal” is meant to represent a pleasant and happy person.

If you want an Irish boy’s name that is at once classic and trendy, look to Liam. It has ranked consistently as the number one baby boy’s name by the Social Security Administration for the fourth year in a row. And rightly so, since Liam is a solid Irish baby boy’s name meaning “strong-willed warrior.” It’s actually a nickname of the longer Irish name Uilliam, which means “helmet of will.”

Listen, if it’s okay for the Kardashians, it can be cool for your kid, too. To honor St. Patrick, you can focus more on the Saint part by naming your child just that. It’s a gender-neutral name that means “holy person.” Saint is seeing a spike in popularity, since 476 births of babies with the name Saint occurred in 2020 alone.

The baby name Bridget is such a sweet choice and it feels both spunky and lovely. It has very definite Irish roots, and means “power, strength, vigor, and virtue.” Yes, please.

Another super sweet Irish name is Siobhan, pronounced like Shiv-awn, and it means “God is gracious.” This also has a cute nickname of Shiv.