UK girl's name
Aoife
A feminine Irish name derived from "aoibh", meaning beautiful, radiant or joyous.
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.
Aoife is a girl's name in the UK records. People looking for Aoife popularity in 2026 should use the latest official release, which is 2024 in this profile. In that release it ranked #220, with 216 babies registered with the name. Its strongest year in the published records was 2015, with 325 births.
This profile covers 5,534 England and Wales registrations across 29 recorded years from 1996 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 66% of the recorded peak, which gives a quick read on how the name has moved since its high point.
We estimate that about 9,791 living people in the UK are called Aoife. 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
- • Aoife ranked #220 for girls in England and Wales in 2024, with 216 registrations.
- • The name peaked in 2015, when 325 girls were registered as Aoife.
- • Aoife ranks best in Northern Ireland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #4 in 2024.
- • About 9,791 living people in the UK are estimated to have Aoife as a first name, after adjusting past birth registrations with ONS life tables.
Latest rank (E&W)
#220
2024
Births in 2024
216
Latest year
Peak year
2015
325 births
Estimated living
9,791
2026
Meaning
What does Aoife mean?
The name Aoife is an Irish Gaelic name derived from the old Irish word "aoibh", meaning "beauty" or "radiant". It is a feminine name that has been in use in Ireland since ancient times.
Aoife is a prominent name in Irish mythology and folklore. In the Ulster Cycle of Irish mythology, Aoife was the daughter of the powerful druid Ailill and was renowned for her beauty and skill as a warrior. She is also mentioned in the Fenian Cycle, where she appears as a formidable warrior and a lover of the hero Finn MacCool.
One of the earliest recorded examples of the name Aoife can be found in the Annals of the Four Masters, a chronicle of medieval Irish history. The annals mention an Aoife who was the daughter of King Lóegaire mac Néill, who reigned in the 5th century AD.
Throughout history, several notable women have borne the name Aoife. Aoife Ní Dhochartaigh (c. 1470 - c. 1540) was an Irish noblewoman and poet from County Donegal. Aoife Ní Uiginn (c. 1700 - c. 1770) was a renowned Irish poet and composer from County Sligo.
In the 20th century, Aoife de Búrca (1878 - 1959) was an Irish language activist and writer who played a significant role in the revival of the Irish language. Aoife Holohan (1913 - 2001) was an Irish actress and singer who performed on stage and in films.
More recently, Aoife McMahon (born 1980) is an Irish singer and songwriter who has released several albums and performed at various music festivals. These are just a few examples of notable individuals who have carried the name Aoife throughout history.
Sourced from namecensus.com.
Popularity
Aoife over time
The chart below shows babies named Aoife registered in England and Wales in the years where the name appears in the published records, from 1996 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 Aoife, the clearest high point is 2015. The latest England and Wales figure is 216 births in 2024, compared with 325 at the peak.
Babies born per year
Decades
Aoife by decade
Decade totals smooth out the yearly jumps and make it easier to see whether Aoife 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 | #194 | 1,294 | 5 |
| 2010s | #212 | 2,534 | 10 |
| 2000s | #311 | 1,347 | 10 |
| 1990s | #369 | 359 | 4 |
Geography
Where Aoife is most common
The bars show the latest published local birth counts for Aoife. 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.
Aoife ranks best in Northern Ireland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #4 in 2024.
Across the UK
Aoife in Scotland and Northern Ireland
Scotland (NRS)
#87 in 2024
32 years of NRS records, 661 total registered
Northern Ireland (NISRA)
#4 in 2024
28 years of NISRA records, 3,646 total registered
Notable bearers
Famous people named Aoife
-
Aoife Horgan
association football player
Irish association football player
2003-
-
Aoife Mannion
association football player
Irish footballer (born 1995)
1995-
-
Aoife Lennon
association football player
1993-
-
Aoife Hinds
actor; television actor; film actor
British actress
1991-
-
Aoife Finnegan
politician
Irish politician
1988-
-
Aoife de Búrca
red cross nurse during the Easter Rising
1885-1974
-
Aoife Hurley
association football player
English footballer
Related
Names similar to Aoife
- Amelia 94,830
- Ava 54,556
- Amy 52,495
- Alice 46,815
- Abigail 45,658
- Amber 31,922
- Anna 27,802
- Alexandra 19,455
- Amelie 18,051
- Abbie 15,971
- Aimee 15,158
- Annabelle 15,120
FAQ
Aoife: questions and answers
How popular is the name Aoife in the UK right now?
In 2024, Aoife was ranked #220 for girls in England and Wales, with 216 births registered.
When was Aoife most popular?
The peak year on record was 2015, with 325 babies registered as Aoife in England and Wales.
What is the meaning and origin of Aoife?
A feminine Irish name derived from "aoibh", meaning beautiful, radiant or joyous.
How many people are called Aoife in the UK?
A total of 5,534 babies have been registered as Aoife across the 29 years of ONS England & Wales records shown here, plus 661 more in Scotland and 3,646 in Northern Ireland.
Where is Aoife most common?
In the latest published local rankings, Aoife ranks best in Northern Ireland, where it placed #4 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.