NameCensus.

UK girl's name

Aoibheann

A feminine Irish name meaning "beautiful" or "radiant".

For 2026, the newest official UK baby-name figures on this page are from 2024. That release is the current official benchmark rather than a forecast.

Aoibheann is a girl's name in the UK records. People looking for Aoibheann popularity in 2026 should use the latest official release, which is 2024 in this profile. In that release it ranked #4843, with 4 babies registered with the name. Its strongest year in the published records was 2019, with 14 births.

This profile covers 108 England and Wales registrations across 20 recorded years from 2002 to 2024. The figures come from ONS England and Wales, NRS Scotland and NISRA Northern Ireland, so the page is a view of published baby-name registrations rather than a forecast or a live count of people using the name today.

The latest count is about 29% of the recorded peak, which gives a quick read on how the name has moved since its high point.

We estimate that about 717 living people in the UK are called Aoibheann. This uses published birth registrations from England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, then applies ONS national life tables to estimate how many are likely still alive. It does not forecast extra births for 2025 or 2026.

Key insights

  • Aoibheann ranked #4843 for girls in England and Wales in 2024, with 4 registrations.
  • The name peaked in 2019, when 14 girls were registered as Aoibheann.
  • Aoibheann ranks best in Northern Ireland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #93 in 2024.
  • About 717 living people in the UK are estimated to have Aoibheann as a first name, after adjusting past birth registrations with ONS life tables.

Latest rank (E&W)

#4843

2024

Births in 2024

4

Latest year

Peak year

2019

14 births

Estimated living

717

2026

Meaning

What does Aoibheann mean?

Aoibheann is an Irish feminine given name derived from the Gaelic words "aoibh" meaning beautiful or radiant, and "bheann" meaning mountain peak or hill. The name is believed to have originated in ancient Ireland, with its roots stretching back to the Celtic and Gaelic languages spoken in the region.

The earliest recorded use of the name Aoibheann can be traced back to medieval Irish literature and historical records. It is mentioned in several ancient Irish manuscripts and texts, including the Annals of the Four Masters, a chronicle of medieval Irish history compiled in the 17th century.

One of the earliest notable figures to bear the name Aoibheann was Aoibheann Callamain, a legendary Irish princess who lived in the 6th century. According to Irish mythology, she was renowned for her exceptional beauty and was the subject of many romantic tales and poems.

In the 12th century, Aoibheann ingen Muirchertaig was a celebrated Irish noblewoman and poet. She was known for her literary works and her patronage of the arts, and her poetry is still studied and admired today.

Another historical figure associated with the name Aoibheann is Aoibheann Ní Dhonnchadha, a 17th-century Irish noblewoman and landowner. She played a significant role in preserving Irish culture and language during a time of political upheaval and English colonization.

In the 19th century, Aoibheann Ní Chonchubhair was a renowned Irish scholar and teacher. She was instrumental in promoting Irish language and culture, and her work helped to preserve the rich heritage of the Gaelic tradition.

Throughout the centuries, the name Aoibheann has been associated with Irish culture, literature, and history. It has been borne by numerous notable figures, artists, and intellectuals who have made significant contributions to the preservation and promotion of Irish heritage.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

Popularity

Aoibheann over time

The chart below shows babies named Aoibheann registered in England and Wales in the years where the name appears in the published records, from 2002 to 2024. Empty years are left out so rare names are not stretched across long periods where the published files do not show any registrations.

For Aoibheann, the clearest high point is 2019. The latest England and Wales figure is 4 births in 2024, compared with 14 at the peak.

Babies born per year

Aoibheann
0471114200220132024

Decades

Aoibheann by decade

Decade totals smooth out the yearly jumps and make it easier to see whether Aoibheann was a short-lived spike or a name that stayed in regular use. Average rank is calculated only from years where a published rank exists.

Decade Average rank Total births Years covered
2020s #4524 23 5
2010s #3676 61 9
2000s #4140 24 6

Geography

Where Aoibheann is most common

The bars show the latest published local birth counts for Aoibheann. They are useful for spotting where the name is showing up in real numbers, while the rank beside each bar shows how strongly it performs inside that region.

Aoibheann ranks best in Northern Ireland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #93 in 2024.

Northern Ireland
22
Scotland
4

Across the UK

Aoibheann in Scotland and Northern Ireland

Scotland (NRS)

#681 in 2014

1 years of NRS records, 4 total registered

Northern Ireland (NISRA)

#93 in 2024

28 years of NISRA records, 609 total registered

Related

Names similar to Aoibheann

FAQ

Aoibheann: questions and answers

How popular is the name Aoibheann in the UK right now?

In 2024, Aoibheann was ranked #4843 for girls in England and Wales, with 4 births registered.

When was Aoibheann most popular?

The peak year on record was 2019, with 14 babies registered as Aoibheann in England and Wales.

What is the meaning and origin of Aoibheann?

A feminine Irish name meaning "beautiful" or "radiant".

How many people are called Aoibheann in the UK?

A total of 108 babies have been registered as Aoibheann across the 20 years of ONS England & Wales records shown here, plus 4 more in Scotland and 609 in Northern Ireland.

Where is Aoibheann most common?

In the latest published local rankings, Aoibheann ranks best in Northern Ireland, where it placed #93 in 2024. The regional bars on this page use birth counts, so they also reflect the size of each region.

Which records is this page based on?

The England and Wales timeline uses ONS baby-name records. Scotland figures come from NRS and Northern Ireland figures come from NISRA. Counts are registrations in published baby-name files. The living estimate uses those birth registrations with ONS national life tables.