Girl's name

Eithne

“ETH-na (also EN-ya)”

IPA: /ˈɛnʲə/

probably from eithne, 'kernel' or 'grain'

EnyaEthnaEdnaAithne

Why it is said that way

The th is not the English th. ETH-na is the usual respelling, and the same name gave Enya — the singer's stage name is simply Eithne spelled for English speakers.

th → h — never the English th

All seven rules, and every name with a respelling →

The story behind the name

Borne by queens, saints and at least one mother of a god: Eithne, daughter of Balor, was the mother of Lugh. Its Ulster pronunciation, spelled phonetically, gave the world Enya.

Famous people with this name

Eithne Coyle (1897–1985) — Irish Republican
Eithne FitzGerald (born 1950) — Irish politician

Irish people with an English Wikipedia article whose given name is recorded as Eithne on Wikidata; descriptions from Wikidata.

Quick answers

How do you pronounce Eithne?

Eithne is pronounced “ETH-na (also EN-ya)” (IPA: ˈɛnʲə). 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.

Why is Eithne pronounced “ETH-na (also EN-ya)”?

The th is not the English th. ETH-na is the usual respelling, and the same name gave Enya — the singer's stage name is simply Eithne spelled for English speakers.

What does the name Eithne mean?

Eithne means probably from eithne, 'kernel' or 'grain'.

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

Eithne is traditionally a girl's name in Ireland.

How popular is the name Eithne in Ireland?

Eithne was the number 304 girls' name in the Republic of Ireland in 2025, from number 660 ten years earlier. Its best year was 1966, at number 119. Source: the CSO's register of names given three or more times.

How else is Eithne spelled?

Other spellings and equivalents include Enya, Ethna, Edna, Aithne. Irish names were written down by English-speaking clerks for centuries, which is why so many spellings survive for one name.

In the register

#304 for girls in 2025 (#660 in 2015) · best: #119 in 1966

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