Etymology & Historical Origin of the Baby Name Aoife

Aoife is an Irish-Gaelic name and therefore Celtic in origin. Although the Irish spelling looks awkward to the average English speaker, the name is actually pronounced with quaint simplicity in its original Gaelic tongue: EE-fa. Aoife is derived from the Gaelic “aoibh” meaning “beautiful, radiant, joyful” and is also a name borne in a couple of legends from colorful Irish mythology. Both stories are exemplary of the Irish tradition of celebrating women as strong, powerful and a force to be reckoned with in their own right. In one myth, Aoife is remembered as the woman-warrior who rivals her own sister, Scáthach. As Scáthach is training the great Irish hero Cúchulainn in the ways of war, Aoife disturbs the peace by provoking battle. Cúchulainn lays the shrewd foundations of his strategy by asking Scáthach what it is that Aoife loves most (the answer: her horse and chariot). Right when Aoife is on the verge of defeating Cúchulainn in battle, the young hero yells that her horse and chariot just fell over a cliff, momentarily distracting her and enabling him to overpower her. Cúchulainn spares Aoife’s life on the condition that she bears him a son – which (you know those fertile Irishwomen) she does in short measure. Aoife is told to return the son to his father in Ireland when he grows to be a young boy, indentifying himself only by wearing a golden ring. Cúchulainn ends up killing his own son – who refused to identify himself – only to tragically discover the golden ring when it was too late. In another Irish legend, Aoife is the second wife of the ancient Irish god Lir. The first wife, Aoife’s sister, bore Lir four children before she died. When Aoife came onto the scene as wifey #2, she was insanely jealous of her husband’s love for his children (her step-children), so she ordered their death. Only hiccup? Her servants refused to carry out her diabolical plan. Taken to the task herself, Aoife was overcome with female compassion and instead turned the children into four beautiful white swans condemned to swim various waters for 900 years. Aside from Aoife’s place in Irish mythological traditional, the name is also sometimes considered the Irish-Gaelic version of Eva (given the similar pronunciations), as in Eve, the first woman of the Bible. In this case, Eva (or Aoife) is derived from the Hebrew “Havva” basically meaning “life”. In all cases, this is a name with very positive meaning and colorful mythological traditions. While Aoife is by no means popular outside of the Irish borders, the name has averaged #6 in popularity over the past 10 years on the Emerald Isle. It also remains quite heavily used in Northern Ireland, as well.

All About the Baby Name – Aoife

Personality

OF THE GIRL NAME AOIFE

The number Nine personality represents the completion or ending of the cycle, and a need for perfection. This is the personality that moves from "self" to a greater understanding and compassion for the human condition and the world order. They want to make the world a better place. Nines are capable of great spiritual and humanitarian achievements. They are courageous and fearless, able to fight great battles on behalf of worthy causes. These personalities will not tolerate injustice. They are compassionate people with a strong sensitivity to others. They are able to both educate and inspire. Friendships and relationships are the lifeblood to the Nine, and they place a high value on love and affection. Nines are often exceptionally gifted artistically, and they have a keen imagination and enterprising mind.

Popularity

OF THE GIRL NAME AOIFE

Not surprisingly, Aoife has never achieved a position on America’s Top 1000 list of baby girl names. It’s just far too exotically Gaelic for the average American parent – despite our ongoing interest in Irish names. In fact, only in recent decades has Ireland herself begun to embrace traditional Gaelic monikers for her babies, at least in large numbers. Currently on Ireland’s Top 50 list are names like Caoimhe (pronounced KEE-va); Saoirse (SEER-sha); Ciara (KEER-a); Niamh (NEEV); Róisín (ROSH-een); Aisling (ASH-ling) and Clodagh (KLO-da). However, Aoife is the most popular truly Irish-Gaelic name in Ireland today. The name’s current ϋber-popularity in Ireland today was likely inspired by a pair of Siamese twins born in Ireland in 1997 and successfully separated to great fanfare. The twin girls were named Aoife and Niamh McDonnell. Due to the media attention surrounding their surgery, both names went gangbusters on the Irish naming charts shortly thereafter.

Quick Facts

ON AOIFE

GENDER:

Girl

ORIGIN:

Celtic

NUMBER OF SYLLABLES:

2

RANKING POPULARITY:

N/A

PRONUNCIATION:

EE-fa

SIMPLE MEANING:

Beauty

Characteristics

OF AOIFE

Multi-talented

Intuitive

Oneness

Idealistic

Philanthropy

Independent

Perfection

Cultural References to the Baby Name – Aoife

Literary Characters

OF THE BABY NAME AOIFE

We cannot find any significant literary characters by the name of Aoife

Childrens Books

ON THE BABY NAME AOIFE

We cannot find any childrens books with the first name Aoife


Popular Songs

ON AOIFE

We cannot find any popular or well-known songs with the name of Aoife


Famous People

NAMED AOIFE

Aoife MacMurrough (medieval Irish princess)
Aoife O'Donovan (American bluegrass singer/songwriter)
Aoife Ní Fhearraigh (Irish singer)

Children of Famous People

NAMED AOIFE

We cannot find any children of famous people with the first name Aoife

Historic Figures

WITH THE NAME AOIFE

Born circa 1145, Aoife was the daughter of Diarmait Mac Murchada, the King of Leinster (the southeastern kingdom of Ireland) making her an Irish princess. Her father got into some deep water when he purportedly kidnapped the wife of a neighboring king, Tigernán Ua Ruairc, from the Kingdom of Breifne. As punishment, the High King of Ireland (Ruaidrí Ua Conchobair) who presided over all of Ireland’s kingdoms, dispossessed Diarmait of his lands. Angered, Diarmait went straight across the Irish Sea to seek the support of King Henry II of England. In exchange for pledging his allegiance to England’s king, Dairmait requested military support in an effort to regain his kingdom. Eventually a Cambro-Norman knight, the 2nd Earl of Pembroke (in western Wales), named Richard de Clare (but nicknamed “Strongbow” due to his prowess with the long bow) led the Norman invasion of Ireland circa 1170. Strongbow had his own twofold agenda in helping Dairmait recapture his lands: for one, he needed to get back into the good graces of King Henry II of England (Stongbow had made the bad mistake of siding with England’s King Stephen against Henry II’s mother Matilda in their wrestle for power over the English throne); and second, Dairmait promised his daughter Aoife to Strongbow in marriage (by the way, under Irish Law, Aoife had to agree to this arrangement since Irish women could not be forced to marry against their will, and she did agree). As it turned out, Strongbow was successful in his military campaigns in Ireland and Dairmait once again became King of Leinster (having helped in battle herself, Aoife is often referred to as “Aoife Rua” or “Red Eva”). Strongbow succeeded in regaining his own Norman, Welsh and English lands in a pact made with Henry II, and his high noble standing was firmly reinstated. Richard de Clare (i.e., Strongbow) and Aoife went onto have three children. After several generations, the couple's descendants represented much of the nobility throughout Great Britain and Europe (through their eldest daughter Isabel de Clare, 4th Countess of Pembroke).