One family of languages, several living traditions.
"Celtic" is a language label before it is anything else. The Celtic languages still spoken today split into two branches. The Gaelic branch includes Irish, Scottish Gaelic, and Manx. The Brittonic branch includes Welsh, Cornish, and Breton. A Celtic name, in the strict sense, is one that comes from one of these languages, or from the saints, kings, and legends that grew up around them.
That is why an Irish name and a Welsh name can feel so different. Irish and Scottish Gaelic are close cousins, so names like Niamh and Eilidh share spelling habits that look unusual to English readers. Welsh sits further away, with its own sounds, like the double L in Llywelyn and the hard, clipped endings of Rhys and Gethin.
What the traditions share is a strong pull toward nature and story. Many names are everyday words (star, snow, seal, deer, dove). Others belong to figures from the old tales: the Ulster Cycle and the Fenian Cycle in Ireland, the Mabinogion in Wales. Choosing one of these names gives a child a small piece of that story to carry. If you want to browse further after this guide, NameStory keeps a full list of Celtic and British baby names with meanings and numerology.
How to read the numbers in this guide
Every name card shows its Expression number, found by converting each letter to a value on the Pythagorean chart (A=1 through I=9, then repeating) and adding them up. The total is reduced to a single digit, except for the Master Numbers 11, 22, and 33, which stay as they are. Accents are ignored, so Róisín and Roisin share a number. For the full method, see our numerology guide.
From Irish Gaelic (Gaeilge), with pronunciations and meanings.
Irish names are the most widely used Celtic names in the US, and also the ones most likely to surprise an English reader at first sight. The spelling follows Irish rules, not English ones, so "bh" and "mh" usually sound like a V or W, and "si" before a vowel is often "sh".
EE-fa
Beauty, radiance | Girl
Carried by a fierce warrior woman in the Ulster Cycle of Irish legend.
9 = The Humanitarian
NEEV
Bright, radiant | Girl
Niamh of the Golden Hair rode across the sea to carry Oisín to Tír na nÓg.
9 = The Humanitarian
SEER-sha
Freedom | Girl
A twentieth-century name born from the Irish word for liberty.
5 = The Freedom Seeker
KEE-va
Gentle, beautiful, precious | Girl
A soft, much-loved name that has been a fixture in Ireland for decades.
9 = The Humanitarian
roh-SHEEN
Little rose | Girl
Róisín Dubh, the "dark little rose", is a poetic symbol of Ireland itself.
3 = The Creative
uh-SHEEN
Little deer | Boy
The poet-warrior son of Fionn mac Cumhaill in the Fenian Cycle.
3 = The Creative
TIGE, like the start of "tiger"
Poet, philosopher | Boy
An old royal name, borne by several medieval Irish kings.
22 = The Master Builder
KEER-awn
Little dark one | Boy
Saint Ciarán founded the monastery of Clonmacnoise on the River Shannon.
1 = The Pioneer
ROH-nan
Little seal | Boy
A name from the sea, shared by several early Irish saints.
8 = The Powerhouse
From Scottish Gaelic (Gàidhlig), with pronunciations and meanings.
Scottish Gaelic is a close cousin of Irish, and many names cross the water in both directions. What sets Scottish names apart is their landscape: islands, lochs, and clan histories show up again and again, and several names have been worn smooth into easy English spellings.
EYE-la
From the isle of Islay | Girl
Named for the Hebridean island, and a modern favorite well beyond Scotland.
5 = The Freedom Seeker
AYL-sa
From Ailsa Craig | Girl
Taken from the granite island that rises out of the Firth of Clyde.
6 = The Nurturer
AY-lee
Gaelic form of Helen | Girl
A Highland classic that is still rarely heard in America.
11 = The Intuitive
MAH-ree
Gaelic form of Mary | Girl
Celebrated in the folk song "Mairi's Wedding".
5 = The Freedom Seeker
ka-TREE-uh-na
Gaelic form of Katherine | Girl
The title of Robert Louis Stevenson's sequel to Kidnapped.
9 = The Humanitarian
KAL-um
Dove | Boy
From Latin columba, through Saint Columba, who founded the monastery on Iona.
8 = The Powerhouse
LOCK-lan
From the land of lochs | Boy
An old Gaelic way of describing Norway and the Norse settlers who came from it.
6 = The Nurturer
HAY-mish
Gaelic form of James | Boy
An English spelling of Seumas, and one of the most recognizably Scottish names.
4 = The Builder
AL-us-ter
Defender of the people | Boy
The Gaelic form of Alexander, a royal name in medieval Scotland.
11 = The Intuitive
From Welsh (Cymraeg), with pronunciations and meanings.
Welsh belongs to the other branch of the Celtic language family, the Brittonic side it shares with Cornish and Breton. Its names often come straight from everyday Welsh words for stars, snow, and love, and a surprising number reach back to the medieval tales of the Mabinogion.
SEH-ren
Star | Girl
The everyday Welsh word for star, and a popular name in Wales today.
7 = The Analyzer
KARR-iss
Love | Girl
Built from the Welsh word câr, "love". Cerys is the other common spelling.
3 = The Creative
AY-ra
Snow | Girl
A crisp, two-syllable winter name that is easy to say in English.
6 = The Nurturer
ree-AN-on
Great queen | Girl
The otherworldly horsewoman of the Mabinogion.
3 = The Creative
GWEN
White, fair, blessed | Girl
A complete name on its own, and the root of Gwendolyn and Bronwen.
22 = The Master Builder
REES
Ardor, enthusiasm | Boy
Carried by Rhys ap Gruffydd, a powerful twelfth-century Welsh prince.
7 = The Analyzer
DUH-lan (Welsh), DIL-an (US)
Linked to the sea | Boy
Dylan ail Don is a sea figure in the Mabinogion. Poet Dylan Thomas made it famous.
2 = The Peacemaker
GETH-in
Dark, swarthy | Boy
An old Welsh nickname that became a given name, with a hard G.
9 = The Humanitarian
EM-riss
Immortal | Boy
The Welsh form of Ambrose, and part of Merlin's Welsh name, Myrddin Emrys.
8 = The Powerhouse
Four names from this guide land on 11 or 22.
Most names reduce to a digit from 1 to 9. A few land exactly on 11, 22, or 33 along the way, and numerology treats those as Master Numbers: amplified, rarer versions of their root number that are never reduced further. An 11 carries the sensitivity of a 2 turned up high. A 22 carries the practical, building energy of a 4 with a much larger vision attached.
Short Celtic names are unusually good at this. Tadhg and Gwen are only five and four letters long, yet both add up to exactly 22. Their letters carry fairly high values (H is 8 and G is 7 in Tadhg; Gwen is a 7 followed by three 5s), so they reach a Master Number with very few letters.
The Master Builder
The Master Builder
The Intuitive
The Intuitive
Master Numbers are not "better" than any other number. They simply carry more intensity, which some families love and others would rather avoid. If a Master Number name appeals to you, it is worth seeing how it sits alongside your baby's Life Path number, which comes from the birth date rather than the name.
Same sound, different letters, different numerology.
Celtic names face a choice most names never do. Many exist in two forms: the original spelling, and an English-friendly spelling that matches the sound. Niamh and Neve are pronounced the same way. So are Caoimhe and Keeva. To the ear they are one name. To numerology, which reads letters rather than sounds, they are two.
This is not a reason to pick one spelling over the other. It is simply one more thing to look at if you are torn. Here is how a few common pairs compare.
Notice Alasdair and Alistair: the Gaelic spelling reaches Master Number 11, while the English spelling reduces to 8. Fionn and Finn move from 4 to 7. If a spelling question keeps coming up in your house, running both versions against your baby's birth date is a quick way to add one more piece of information to the conversation.
Practical questions worth answering before you commit.
Irish spellings delight people who know them and puzzle people who do not. Picture your child spelling "Caoimhe" for a substitute teacher. If that makes you smile, go for it. If it makes you wince, a simpler spelling or a different name may suit your family better.
Some parents want the original Gaelic or Welsh spelling as a direct link to family roots. Others love the sound and prefer an English-friendly form. Both are legitimate choices. Just know that the two spellings are, in numerology terms, two different names.
Celtic first names are often short and consonant-heavy (Rhys, Tadhg, Finn), or long and flowing (Rhiannon, Catriona). A short first name tends to balance a long surname, and the reverse. Read the full name aloud several times before deciding.
Alasdair becomes Ali, Catriona becomes Cat or Katie, Lachlan becomes Lachie. If you dislike the likely nickname, it will follow your child anyway, so pick a name whose short form you like too.
A name meaning "freedom" or "little deer" already tells a story. Its numerology adds another layer, and seeing how that number pairs with your baby's birth date can help you choose between two names you love equally.
Whatever you choose, a Celtic name gives your child a sound and a story that stand out without feeling invented. Names like Seren, Callum, and Aoife are old enough to have deep roots and uncommon enough in the US to feel personal. When you have a shortlist, try each name with your baby's due date to see how well each one matches.
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