Girl's name
Aoife
“EE-fa”
IPA: /ˈiːfʲə/
from aoibh, 'beauty' or 'radiance' — 'the beautiful one'
Why it is said that way
Ao is a long ee, so EE-fa. Not ay-oh-fee.
- ao → ee, or ay in Munster
The story behind the name
Ireland's most enduring female name. In the Ulster Cycle, Aoife is the warrior-woman who trains and loves Cú Chulainn and bears his only son, Connla — whom Cú Chulainn later kills without knowing him. A second Aoife, daughter of Diarmait Mac Murchada, married Strongbow at Waterford in 1170 and carried Leinster into Norman hands.
Where the name belongs
Meanings follow Ó Corráin & Maguire's Irish Names and Woulfe; pronunciations give the commonest Irish-English form. Know this name better — a dialect pronunciation, a family tradition? Tell us. · All Irish names A–Z