Éala
Say it: AY-la
GirlIrish4 letters2 syllables
#10
in Ireland (2025)
215
babies in 2025
#10
best rank (2025)
611
babies since 2010
Up 885
10-year rank change
Éala through the years
Compare with another name →Show the numbers
| Year | Babies (girls) | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 215 | #10 |
| 2024 | 114 | #41 |
| 2023 | 100 | #54 |
| 2022 | 59 | #93 |
| 2021 | 27 | #179 |
| 2020 | 23 | #197 |
| 2019 | 28 | #180 |
| 2018 | 10 | #408 |
| 2017 | 12 | #343 |
| 2016 | 7 | #518 |
| 2015 | 3 | #895 |
| 2014 | 3 | #869 |
| 2013 | 4 | #748 |
| 2011 | 3 | #932 |
| 2010 | 3 | #909 |
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 Éala mean?
Uncertain, often linked with eala (swan)
Irish, a modern name usually connected with eala, the Irish word for a swan.
Say it right
AYla
The fada on the É gives the long "ay" sound. The everyday word eala, with no fada, is said with a short "a", like AL-a.
Not:EE-laAL-a
The story of Éala
Éala is a new name, and its origin is not fully clear. It is usually connected with eala, the Irish word for a swan, which goes back to Old Irish. The fada changes the sound, though. The word is said with a short “a”, while the name sounds like Ayla.
Other explanations have been offered as well. Some see the influence of Ella, and others link it with older Irish names such as Éile or Aodhla. These are separate names that happen to share a sound pattern that is fashionable across the English-speaking world just now.
Its rise in Ireland has been remarkably fast. Éala first reached the CSO list in 2010 and was still rare a decade later. By 2025 it was number 10 in the country, with 215 girls across its spellings. The CSO counts Éala, Eala and Èala separately, but Éala made up nearly all of them, with 209 babies. In Northern Ireland it was 71st in 2025, its highest place there so far.
Say it differently where you're from, or spotted something wrong? Tell us.
Sources
- Wikipedia: Éala (given name)
- Wiktionary: eala (Irish noun)
- 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Éala | 209 | 570 |
| Eala | 3 | 38 |
| Èala | 3 | 3 |
In Northern Ireland
#71 in 2025 with 29 babies. Best rank #71 (2025); 69 babies since 2019.
Source: NISRA, Open Government Licence.