Fun Facts About the Name Aoife
- More than 2 thousand babies named Aoife: U.S. records list 2,181 babies given the name Aoife from 1880 through 2025.
What Does the Name Aoife Mean?
Aoife is an Irish name, the modern spelling of Old Irish Aífe. Its established meaning is "beauty," with "radiant" and similar words often added as a customary gloss. The name is generally linked to a Celtic word for beauty or brightness; compare the Irish aoibh, "beauty, pleasant appearance," and aoibhinn, "delightful." The exact Proto-Celtic root behind the name is not settled, and part of the usual explanation rests on these later Irish words rather than on a securely documented earlier form.
Aoife Name History & Origins
Aoife appears in early Irish literature as Aífe, and it is borne by several figures in the medieval tales. In the Ulster Cycle, Aífe is a warrior woman from Alba (Scotland) who fights the hero Cú Chulainn and bears him a son, Connla; her story is told in tales such as Tochmarc Emire and Aided Óenfhir Aífe. A different Aífe is the stepmother who turns the Children of Lir into swans in the Mythological Cycle tale Oidheadh Chloinne Lir.
The name also appears in historical records. Aoife Mac Murchada, daughter of Diarmait Mac Murchada, king of Leinster, married the Anglo-Norman lord Richard de Clare, known as Strongbow, in 1170, a marriage tied to the Norman invasion of Ireland.
The name stayed in use in Ireland and traveled with Irish emigrants to English-speaking countries, where the Irish spelling is normally kept. It has occasionally been anglicized, and the forms Eva and Ava have at times been associated with it. The traditional Irish pronunciation is EE-fa.
How Popular is the Name Aoife?
Aoife has historically been an exceptionally rare given name in the United States, remaining well outside the national mainstream. It saw its highest recorded annual births in 2018. Its best rank was #1,746 in 2018.
U.S. name popularity from 1880-2025, based on SSA data. Rank shows how the name compares with other names - lower numbers mean greater popularity. Births shows how many babies received the name each year.
| Year | Rank | Births | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #2,120 | 88 | 0.0055% |
| 2024 | #2,230 | 84 | 0.0052% |
| 2023 | #2,124 | 90 | 0.0056% |
| 2022 | #1,783 | 115 | 0.0070% |
| 2021 | #1,861 | 107 | 0.0065% |
| 2020 | #1,817 | 108 | 0.0067% |
| 2019 | #1,986 | 97 | 0.0058% |
| 2018 | #1,746 | 117 | 0.0069% |
| 2017 | #1,875 | 108 | 0.0063% |
| 2016 | #1,930 | 104 | 0.0059% |
| 2015 | #2,014 | 98 | 0.0055% |
| 2014 | #2,417 | 75 | 0.0042% |
| 2013 | #2,729 | 63 | 0.0036% |
| 2012 | #2,498 | 73 | 0.0041% |
| 2011 | #2,726 | 64 | 0.0036% |
| 2010 | #2,784 | 63 | 0.0035% |
| 2009 | #2,649 | 69 | 0.0038% |
| 2008 | #2,694 | 68 | 0.0036% |
| 2007 | #3,000 | 59 | 0.0031% |
| 2006 | #3,225 | 51 | 0.0027% |
| 2005 | #2,937 | 55 | 0.0030% |
| 2004 | #3,268 | 46 | 0.0025% |
| 2003 | #3,137 | 47 | 0.0026% |
| 2002 | #3,203 | 44 | 0.0024% |
| 2001 | #3,870 | 33 | 0.0018% |
| 2000 | #3,993 | 31 | 0.0017% |
| 1999 | #4,593 | 24 | 0.0014% |
| 1998 | #3,923 | 29 | 0.0016% |
| 1997 | #3,457 | 33 | 0.0019% |
| 1996 | #4,192 | 25 | 0.0014% |
| 1995 | #4,534 | 22 | 0.0013% |
| 1994 | #4,253 | 24 | 0.0013% |
| 1993 | #5,693 | 16 | 0.0009% |
| 1992 | #8,108 | 10 | 0.0005% |
| 1991 | #8,647 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 1990 | #8,542 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 1989 | #9,753 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1988 | #11,942 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1987 | #11,430 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1985 | #9,381 | 6 | 0.0003% |
Name popularity over more than a century, based on Social Security Administration data. Gaps in the chart indicate years when the name does not appear in the published records.
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How the Name Aoife Shapes Your Personality and Life?
Powerful and complete. You are good intellectually and require several outlets for your energies. You are not a builder but a planner, and you want others to carry out your plans. You are bold, independent, inquisitive and interested in research. You know what you want and why you want it.
You desire to inspire and lead, to control other's affairs. You are giving, courageous and bold, action oriented,energetic and strong willed. You want to make a difference in the world, and this attitude often attracts you to cultural interests, politics, social issues, and the cultivation of your creative talents.
✦ Aoife's Deeper Meaning & Tips for Parents Discover Aoife's symbolic numbers and practical tips for choosing a name that complements your child's birth date.