Liadh

Liadh is a modern Irish name, and its origin is not well documented. It is often connected with the older name Líadan, which some explain as “grey”, though that meaning is itself uncertain. Liadh may be a short form of Líadan, or simply a name built to sound like it, in the same family of short names ending in a silent dh as Fiadh.

The best-known Líadan was a poet of the seventh century from Corca Dhuibhne in Kerry. A medieval tale tells how she fell in love with another poet, Cuirithir, but took religious vows before they could marry. They were kept apart, and she is said to have died of grief. Another Líadan is remembered as the mother of Saint Ciarán of Saighir.

Liadh first appears in the CSO records in 1991. It stayed rare for years but has risen in the 2020s, and 2025 was its best year, with 32 babies and a combined rank of number 141. The CSO counts Liadh (22 babies) and Líadh (10) separately, which puts the plain spelling at number 196.