Girl's name

Doireann

“DIR-in”

possibly 'sullen' or 'daughter of Finn'; disputed

DorrenDoireanDorothy

The story behind the name

A name from the Fenian tales, where Doireann is a daughter of the Otherworld figure Bodb Dearg who poisons Fionn when he refuses her. Its meaning is genuinely uncertain — the older reading 'sullen' is contested by scholars.

Quick answers

How do you pronounce Doireann?

Doireann is pronounced “DIR-in”. Irish has three main dialect groups (Ulster, Connacht and Munster) and many names are said differently in each. The respellings here give the pronunciation most commonly heard in Irish English; where a well-known variant exists, both are shown.

What does the name Doireann mean?

Doireann means possibly 'sullen' or 'daughter of Finn'; disputed.

Is Doireann a boy's or a girl's name?

Doireann is traditionally a girl's name in Ireland.

How popular is the name Doireann in Ireland?

Doireann was the number 189 girls' name in the Republic of Ireland in 2025, from number 144 ten years earlier. Its best year was 1964, at number 95. Source: the CSO's register of names given three or more times.

How else is Doireann spelled?

Other spellings and equivalents include Dorren, Doirean, Dorothy. Irish names were written down by English-speaking clerks for centuries, which is why so many spellings survive for one name.

In the register

#189 for girls in 2025 (#144 in 2015) · best: #95 in 1964

The full register → CSO, Republic of Ireland, names given three or more times.

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