Clíodhna
Say it: KLEE-uh-na
GirlIrishMythology8 letters3 syllables
#273
in Ireland (2025)
#276 with spellings combined
15
babies in 2025
#129
best rank (2001)
1,057
babies since 1965
Down 32
10-year rank change
Clíodhna through the years
Compare with another name →Show the numbers
| Year | Babies (girls) | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 15 | #276 |
| 2024 | 20 | #216 |
| 2023 | 23 | #200 |
| 2022 | 18 | #240 |
| 2021 | 11 | #364 |
| 2020 | 4 | #678 |
| 2019 | 16 | #284 |
| 2018 | 23 | #210 |
| 2017 | 15 | #301 |
| 2016 | 12 | #360 |
| 2015 | 21 | #244 |
| 2014 | 16 | #304 |
| 2013 | 14 | #340 |
| 2012 | 19 | #265 |
| 2011 | 31 | #189 |
| 2010 | 29 | #204 |
| 2009 | 34 | #177 |
| 2008 | 33 | #176 |
| 2007 | 30 | #186 |
| 2006 | 28 | #174 |
| 2005 | 25 | #178 |
| 2004 | 25 | #170 |
| 2003 | 23 | #174 |
| 2002 | 28 | #148 |
| 2001 | 34 | #129 |
| 2000 | 19 | #188 |
| 1999 | 19 | #185 |
| 1998 | 27 | #136 |
| 1997 | 35 | #145 |
| 1996 | 38 | #136 |
| 1995 | 31 | #146 |
| 1994 | 33 | #145 |
| 1993 | 30 | #155 |
| 1992 | 27 | #172 |
| 1991 | 28 | #167 |
| 1990 | 13 | #257 |
| 1989 | 17 | #224 |
| 1988 | 13 | #270 |
| 1987 | 19 | #225 |
| 1986 | 6 | #388 |
| 1985 | 11 | #292 |
| 1984 | 11 | #298 |
| 1983 | 8 | #347 |
| 1982 | 18 | #248 |
| 1981 | 13 | #287 |
| 1980 | 6 | #401 |
| 1979 | 15 | #273 |
| 1978 | 9 | #331 |
| 1977 | 12 | #283 |
| 1976 | 7 | #344 |
| 1975 | 12 | #274 |
| 1974 | 7 | #340 |
| 1973 | 5 | #402 |
| 1972 | 9 | #300 |
| 1970 | 4 | #396 |
| 1969 | 3 | #443 |
| 1965 | 5 | #297 |
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 Clíodhna mean?
Uncertain
Irish, the name of a fairy queen of south Munster in folklore, of unknown meaning.
Say it right
KLEEuhna
The "dh" is silent. Many people shorten it to two syllables, KLEE-na.
Not:KLY-od-na
The story of Clíodhna
Clíodhna is a figure from Irish folklore and early literature, a queen of the fairies of south Munster linked with the Tuatha Dé Danann. The meaning of the name is not known. One nineteenth-century scholar tied it to the name of a Gaulish goddess, but that was a guess rather than an accepted etymology.
Her best-known story is a love story. She leaves the otherworld with a mortal man, Ciabhán, and is carried off by a great wave, which gave its name to Tonn Chlíodhna near Glandore. Tellings differ on whether she drowns. Her home is said to be Carraig Chlíodhna, a rock south of Mallow, and one later tale has her advising a MacCarthy lord to kiss the Blarney Stone.
The name turns up in the CSO lists from 1965 on. Before 2018 the CSO printed no fadas, so the older figures are for Cliodhna. Counting both spellings, its best rank was number 129 in 2001. It has long been more popular in Northern Ireland, where it reached number 52 in 2000.
Say it differently where you're from, or spotted something wrong? Tell us.
Sources
- Wikipedia: Clíodhna
- CSO VSA60, Girls Names in Ireland with 3 or More Occurrences
- NISRA, Baby Names in Northern Ireland
At a glance
Similar names
Sibling ideas
Spellings counted here
| Spelling | 2025 | All years |
|---|---|---|
| Clíodhna | 15 | 124 |
| Cliodhna | under 3 | 933 |
In Northern Ireland
#154 in 2025 with 12 babies. Best rank #52 (2000); 683 babies since 1997.
Source: NISRA, Open Government Licence.