Female Irish Names
Different spellings are often used for female names as well as the Gaelic version of the name. Instead of Ann, people are choosing Aine (Ann-yah), The spelling for Kiera is often changed to the Irish form 'Ciara'.

Many people believe the name 'Colleen' is a traditional Irish name, truth is it translates to 'Girl' and is a very unlikely choice for an Irish parent! The same goes for Erin and Shannon, both popular female names in recent years. Erin means from Ireland and Shannon is the largest river in Ireland, both are beautiful names but not likely to be choices of an Irish parent.

Female Irish Names - Naming Convention
Traditionally the following protocol was used to name female members of the family but more often nowadays, the name is used as a middle name instead of a first name:

• The First born daughter is named after the maternal grandmother (mother’s mother)
  

• The Second daughter is named after the paternal grandmother (father’s mother)
  

• The Third daughter is named after the mother
  

• The Fourth daughter is named after her mother’s oldest sister (Aunt)
  

• Subsequent children can be named as the parent pleases!