Girl's name
Aoife
Say it EE-fuh
Irish origin possibly beauty, radiance
2 syllables
Where Aoife is loved, common and rare
Loved in Northern Ireland. Common in Ireland. Rare in Scotland and England and Wales.
1 in 86 girls born in Northern Ireland in 2025
Northern Ireland 8thIreland 34thScotland 116th
LovedCommonRare
Every place
In 4 of the 40 official lists, among them Northern Ireland (8th), Ireland (34th) and Scotland (116th).
Show all 4 placesShow less
| Place | Rank | Girls | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Northern Ireland | 8th 2025 | 85 | 1 in 86 |
| Ireland | 34th 2025 | 121 | 1 in 175 |
| Scotland | 116th 2025 | 38 | 1 in 471 |
| England and Wales | 192nd 2025 | 265 | 1 in 956 |
Rare, below the listed names: Ontario, Quebec, British Columbia, New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland, South Australia, New Zealand, France, the Netherlands, Austria, Switzerland, Berlin, Munich, Cologne, Bonn, Leipzig, Rostock, Norway, Sweden, Spain, Catalonia, Italy, Poland, Hungary, Slovenia and Israel.
Not in a short top list, so no figure: Nova Scotia (top 21), Denmark (top 50), Finland (top 50), Iceland (top 10), Estonia (top 25), Moscow (top 61), Turkey (top 30), Argentina (top 20) and Croatia (top 50).
Sources: NISRA (Northern Ireland); Central Statistics Office (CSO) (Ireland); National Records of Scotland (Scotland); Office for National Statistics (England and Wales). How we count, and every source
About the name
Aoife comes from Old Irish Aífe, possibly from aoibh, 'beauty, radiance'. That meaning is a possibility rather than a certainty.
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Despite its spelling, it is said EE-fuh, two short syllables. Aoibhe is a related Irish name.
Aoife is a top-ten name in Northern Ireland and ranks well in Ireland, with a smaller following in Scotland. It is not found in the lists of countries outside Britain and Ireland. The Ontario and British Columbia records first show it in 1995 and place its peak in 2021. The data on its trend is limited, but it remains a firmly Irish choice.
Meaning, origin, pronunciation
- Pronounced
- EE-fuh, 2 syllables
- Meaning
possibly beauty, radiance
- Origin
- Irish
- Other spellings
- Aoibhe
Etymology
From Old Irish Aífe, possibly from aoibh (“beauty, radiance”).
From the Wiktionary entry, CC BY-SA 4.0, shortened.
Over time
Over five years: falling in 1 of 4 regions, rising in none.
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Rank in each place since 1996; higher on the chart is more popular.
Ten years of ranks
Her rank each year, English-speaking regions first. A blank means no published rank for her that year.
| Region | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| England and Wales | 186 | 198 | 182 | 189 | 172 | 190 | 191 | 198 | 220 | 192 |
| Scotland | 169 | 129 | 126 | 100 | 132 | 120 | 129 | 108 | 87 | 116 |
| Northern Ireland | 11 | 14 | 11 | 12 | 16 | 7 | 6 | 8 | 4 | 8 |
| Ireland | 15 | 17 | 17 | 16 | 24 | 32 | 30 | 31 | 45 | 34 |
| Ontario | 914 | 1206 | 812 | 1122 | 804 | 1384 | 1057 | |||
| British Columbia | 578 | 518 | 667 | 547 | ||||||
| France | 3591 | 3605 | ||||||||
| Rostock | 199 |
England and Wales, 1996 to 2025
| Year | Rank | Girls | per 100,000 girls |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 192 | 265 | 104.6 |
| 2024 | 220 | 216 | 83.7 |
| 2023 | 198 | 251 | 97.8 |
| 2022 | 191 | 265 | 100.6 |
| 2021 | 190 | 269 | 98.2 |
| 2020 | 172 | 293 | 109.2 |
| 2019 | 189 | 259 | 92.5 |
| 2018 | 182 | 289 | 100.3 |
| 2017 | 198 | 263 | 87.9 |
| 2016 | 186 | 293 | 95.4 |
| 2015 | 167 | 325 | 105.5 |
| 2014 | 209 | 256 | 83.5 |
| 2013 | 192 | 277 | 89.8 |
| 2012 | 205 | 246 | 76.4 |
| 2011 | 297 | 166 | 51.7 |
| 2010 | 296 | 160 | 49.8 |
| 2009 | 253 | 189 | 60.3 |
| 2008 | 298 | 157 | 49.7 |
| 2007 | 263 | 185 | 60.4 |
| 2006 | 316 | 139 | 46.5 |
| 2005 | 332 | 121 | 42.0 |
| 2004 | 317 | 127 | 44.4 |
| 2003 | 351 | 107 | 38.4 |
| 2002 | 344 | 102 | 38.1 |
| 2001 | 323 | 110 | 41.0 |
| 2000 | 313 | 110 | 40.3 |
| 1999 | 323 | 103 | 36.6 |
| 1998 | 354 | 95 | 32.9 |
| 1997 | 362 | 90 | 30.7 |
| 1996 | 436 | 71 | 24.0 |
Sources: Office for National Statistics (1996-2025), OGL v3.
Ontario and British Columbia since 1925
Half of the babies named Aoife in Ontario and British Columbia since 1925 were born in or after 2017. First recorded in 1995. Her peak year there: 2021, at 26.8 per 100,000 girls.
Babies named Aoife per 100,000 girls born in Ontario and British Columbia, by five-year period. Her 2021 peak is averaged into its five-year period, so the line sits below it.
Sources: Ontario Office of the Registrar General (Ontario Data Catalogue) (1917-2024), OGL-Ontario; BC Vital Statistics Agency (BC Data Catalogue) (1924-2023), OGL-BC.
Sister names for Aoife
1 in 114 in Ireland
Rose and fell with Aoife.
1 in 134 in Scotland
Rose and fell with Aoife.
Similar forms, not dealt separately: Orlaith and Orlagh.
1 in 270 in Northern Ireland
Rose and fell with Aoife.
1 in 185 in England and Wales
Rose and fell with Aoife. Same first letter as Aoife.
1 in 183 in Scotland
Rose and fell with Aoife.
1 in 131 in Scotland
1 in 106 in Scotland
Rose and fell with Aoife.
1 in 383 in Northern Ireland
Rose and fell with Aoife.
1 in 160 in Scotland
Rose and fell with Aoife.
1 in 491 in Ireland
Rose and fell with Aoife.
Middle names for Aoife
1 in 71 in Scotland
Aoife Olivia
2-4 beats · initials AO
Changes the beat after Aoife: 2 syllables, then 4 syllables.
1 in 78 in Northern Ireland
Aoife Emily
2-3 beats · initials AE
Changes the beat after Aoife: 2 syllables, then 3 syllables.
1 in 57 in Northern Ireland
Aoife Grace
2-1 beats · initials AG
Changes the beat after Aoife: 2 syllables, then 1 syllable.
1 in 99 in Scotland
Aoife Sophia
2-3 beats · initials AS
Changes the beat after Aoife: 2 syllables, then 3 syllables.
1 in 311 in Ireland
Aoife Maria
2-3 beats · initials AM
Changes the beat after Aoife: 2 syllables, then 3 syllables.
1 in 162 in England and Wales
Aoife Evelyn
2-3 beats · initials AE
Changes the beat after Aoife: 2 syllables, then 3 syllables.
1 in 214 in Northern Ireland
Aoife Rose
2-1 beats · initials AR
Changes the beat after Aoife: 2 syllables, then 1 syllable.
1 in 88 in Scotland
Aoife Amelia
2-4 beats · initials AA
Changes the beat after Aoife: 2 syllables, then 4 syllables.
Same style as Aoife
Names whose popularity rose and fell with hers across regions and decades.
1 in 114 in Ireland
97% alike: moves with Aoife across countries and decades.
1 in 270 in Northern Ireland
95% alike: moves with Aoife across countries and decades.
1 in 486 in Northern Ireland
94% alike: moves with Aoife across countries and decades.
1 in 163 in Ireland
93% alike: moves with Aoife across countries and decades.
1 in 134 in Scotland
93% alike: moves with Aoife across countries and decades.
1 in 607 in Northern Ireland
93% alike: moves with Aoife across countries and decades.
1 in 813 in Ireland
93% alike: moves with Aoife across countries and decades.
1 in 145 in Ireland
92% alike: moves with Aoife across countries and decades.
Famous people named Aoife
Aoife Valkyrie.
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Irish professional wrestler, better born 1996
People: Wikidata (CC0), linked to Wikipedia in this page's language when an article exists.
Questions about Aoife
5 questions, on how popular she is, what it means, how to say it, whether she is rising and sister names.
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How popular is Aoife?
Her best rank is No. 8 in Northern Ireland in 2025, about 1 in 86 girls. She is in the published lists of 4 of our 40 regions.
What does Aoife mean?
Wiktionary glosses Aoife as "possibly beauty, radiance".
How do you pronounce Aoife?
EE-fuh, with 2 syllables.
Is Aoife getting more popular?
Over five years: falling in 1 of 4 regions, rising in none.
Which sister names go with Aoife?
The deck's top five sisters for Aoife: Saoirse, Orla, Niamh, Arabella and Esme. Each is scored on style, era, popularity and origin, with sound clashes flagged.