Saorlaith

Gender: Feminine
Pronunciation: SAYR-la, SEER-la (dialectal)

Meaning: Free ruler, free princess
Variants: Saorla, Saorfhlaith

From the Irish words saor, meaning "free", and flaith, "ruler, prince". Names that end with -fhlaith are always feminine, so this ending is traditionally translated as "princess" (the Irish word for princess is banfhlaith).

This name is ancient; in the Annals of Ulster, there is a record for this name, under the Middle Irish spelling Sáerlaith, that dates at the year 969 AD. Saorlaith has an elusive beauty that we can only call Celtic.

The original spelling of this name is Saorfhlaith. Saorlaith is a contracted form of that spelling. Some parents think that the "fh" (which is always silent in Irish) looks redundant, so they decide to omit it. (Like Órfhlaith - Órlaith, Tuathfhlaith - Tuathlaith) Again, Saorla is an even more contracted spelling. All three spellings are correct, and which one you decide to use is a matter of your own tastes.

This name has got more common in Ireland in recent(ish) years, because of the renewed popularity of Irish names. A simple Google search will send you to profiles of young Irish women. Saorlaith might especially appeal to parents who love Saoirse and Sarah, but consider them too popular.

In the Gaelic script, Saorlaith is written Saorlaiṫ, and Saorfhlaith is written Saorḟlaiṫ.

Cúar

Gender: Masculine

Pronunictiation: CÚ-ar
Meaning: bent, crooked, curved

Comes directly from the Old Irish word cúar, which means "bent, crooked, curved". (A nicer explanation would be that it derives from cú, the Irish word for "hound", but of course, that's not the true etymology, so we won't be mentioning it here, will we?)

In Irish mythology, Cúar was one of the sons of the Scottish warrior woman Scáthach. The hero Cúchulainn was taught martial arts and combat by her. Unfortunately, we know nothing about the character of Cúar.

Naomh

Gender: Feminine
Pronunciation: NAYV
Meaning: Saint

Simply comes from the Irish word naomh. Naomh used to be a general word meaning "holy". Now, the predominant meaning is "saint". Saint Patrick and Saint Bridget (pictured) are called Naomh Pádraig and Naomh Bríd as Gaeilge. There are many schools and GAA (Gaelic Athletic Association) clubs in Ireland that have "Naomh" in their name because they were named in honour of a saint. Though naomh is a masculine noun, it is used as a feminine name in Ireland.

This name has a diminutive, Naomhín, and the variant Naoimh is also used. There is also a masculine form of Naomh - Naomhán. Naomhán and Naomhín share the same meaning - "little saint".

On a side note, there is a beautiful comhfhocal (compound word) "naomhluan". It means "halo of a saint" from the words naomh and luan (which means, in this context, halo).

In the Gaelic type, this name is written Naoṁ.

Éabha

Gender: Feminine
Pronunciation: AY-va
Meaning: Chava - to breath, to live

Éabha is the Irish form of Eve. Adam and Eve are called Ádhamh agus Éabha in Irish. Éabha is derived from Eva, the Latin form of Eve, which in turn originates from the Hebrew name Chava, which comes from a Hebrew word meaning "to breath", or "to live". It is traditionally interpreted as "living".

Éabha has never been rare in Ireland, and it has become more popular in recent years because of the soaring popularity of the English name Ava in the USA, Ireland and other Anglophone countries. In 2008, Ava ranked at #1 (!) and Éabha ranked at #53 for most popular baby girls' names in the Republic of Ireland. Éabha might appeal to parents who love Ava, and want their daughter to have a traditional Irish name.

In the Gaelic type, this name is written Éaḃa.

Críonna

Gender: Feminine
Pronunciation: KREE-na, KREE-uh-na
Meaning: Wise

Críonna simply comes from the word críonna, which means "wise" in Irish. It has only been used as a given name in recent times. A variant spelling is Críona, which may have been influenced by similar-looking names like Clíona and Tríona. The first syllable sounds like the Irish word croí, (which, as we all know, means "heart"), which makes Críonna kind of cool. For me, the meaning of this name implies intelligence and inner beauty, rather than concentrating on outside appearance.

Aoine

Gender: Feminine
Pronunciation: EE-nuh
Meaning: Friday

Love Aoife? Maybe its popularity has got to you. Consider Aoine. This spunky name comes directly from aoine, the Irish word for "Friday". Aoine has only been used as a given name in Ireland in recent times, and rarely at that. Additionally, the word aoine comes from the Latin ieiunum which means "fast", because Fridays were originally days for fasting in Roman Catholicism. Aoine would be a great choice for a girl who was born on Friday.