Áine
Say it: AWN-ya/ˈaːnʲə/
GirlIrishMythologyMeans radiance4 letters2 syllables
#91
in Ireland (2025)
53
babies in 2025
#27
best rank (1992)
8,103
babies since 1964
Down 30
10-year rank change
Áine through the years
Compare with another name →Show the numbers
| Year | Babies (girls) | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 53 | #91 |
| 2024 | 40 | #117 |
| 2023 | 59 | #88 |
| 2022 | 55 | #100 |
| 2021 | 58 | #95 |
| 2020 | 52 | #104 |
| 2019 | 62 | #93 |
| 2018 | 77 | #80 |
| 2017 | 75 | #82 |
| 2016 | 83 | #79 |
| 2015 | 105 | #61 |
| 2014 | 106 | #65 |
| 2013 | 116 | #62 |
| 2012 | 128 | #54 |
| 2011 | 130 | #58 |
| 2010 | 124 | #58 |
| 2009 | 159 | #47 |
| 2008 | 157 | #50 |
| 2007 | 203 | #37 |
| 2006 | 175 | #37 |
| 2005 | 187 | #35 |
| 2004 | 190 | #33 |
| 2003 | 183 | #32 |
| 2002 | 149 | #39 |
| 2001 | 156 | #36 |
| 2000 | 194 | #27 |
| 1999 | 155 | #32 |
| 1998 | 140 | #29 |
| 1997 | 173 | #35 |
| 1996 | 184 | #33 |
| 1995 | 182 | #30 |
| 1994 | 177 | #31 |
| 1993 | 180 | #31 |
| 1992 | 203 | #27 |
| 1991 | 162 | #36 |
| 1990 | 199 | #28 |
| 1989 | 173 | #29 |
| 1988 | 188 | #33 |
| 1987 | 197 | #36 |
| 1986 | 189 | #40 |
| 1985 | 174 | #41 |
| 1984 | 195 | #41 |
| 1983 | 172 | #49 |
| 1982 | 169 | #53 |
| 1981 | 184 | #51 |
| 1980 | 213 | #47 |
| 1979 | 171 | #53 |
| 1978 | 161 | #57 |
| 1977 | 149 | #60 |
| 1976 | 138 | #64 |
| 1975 | 107 | #79 |
| 1974 | 82 | #107 |
| 1973 | 88 | #97 |
| 1972 | 74 | #107 |
| 1971 | 71 | #115 |
| 1970 | 77 | #103 |
| 1969 | 60 | #115 |
| 1968 | 49 | #117 |
| 1967 | 44 | #123 |
| 1966 | 56 | #109 |
| 1965 | 55 | #115 |
| 1964 | 36 | #133 |
Source: CSO, Irish Babies' Names (VSA50, VSA60), CC BY 4.0. Spellings with and without fadas are combined; the CSO only recorded fadas from 2018.
★ What does Áine mean?
Radiance
Irish, from Old Irish án (bright, splendid, noble).
Say it right
AWNya
The fada on the á gives a long "aw" sound, and the slender n slides into a "ya".
Not:AINAY-nee
The story of Áine
Áine comes from the Old Irish word án, meaning bright, splendid or noble, and the name is usually translated as “radiance”.
In Irish mythology Áine is a goddess of summer, wealth and sovereignty. Her hill, Cnoc Áine or Knockainey in County Limerick, was the scene of midsummer rites into the late nineteenth century: on Saint John’s Eve men carried lighted bundles of straw and hay on poles around the hill and among the cattle. She is also linked with nearby Lough Gur, and the FitzGerald Earls of Desmond claimed a connection with her in their family legends.
Áine was already given when the CSO records begin, and it was in the top 40 every year from 1986 to 2007. Its best rank was number 27, in 1992 and again in 2000. The CSO counts Aine and Áine as separate names. Nearly all the girls in the record were registered without the fada, but in 2025 all 53 were registered as Áine.
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Sources
- Wiktionary: Áine (Irish proper noun)
- Wikipedia: Áine (given name)
- Wikipedia: Áine
- CSO VSA60, Girls Names in Ireland with 3 or More Occurrences
At a glance
Similar names
Sibling ideas
Spellings counted here
| Spelling | 2025 | All years |
|---|---|---|
| Áine | 53 | 450 |
| Aine | under 3 | 7,653 |
In Northern Ireland
#161 in 2025 with 11 babies. Best rank #30 (2000); 987 babies since 1997.
Source: NISRA, Open Government Licence.