Saoirse (given name)
| Pronunciation | /ˈsɪərʃə, ˈsɜːrʃə/ SEER-shə, SUR-shə Irish: [ˈsˠiːɾˠʃə] |
|---|---|
| Gender | female |
| Language | Irish |
| Origin | |
| Meaning | 'freedom' |
Saoirse ( Irish: [ˈsˠiːɾˠʃə] ⓘ;[1] anglicised /ˈsɪərʃə/, /ˈsɛərʃə/, or /ˈsɜːrʃə/[2] ) is an Irish-language female given name meaning "freedom".[3][4] It became popular in Ireland in the late 20th century.[4] The actress Saoirse Ronan has given the name prominence internationally since her 2007 breakthrough in Atonement.[5]
Statistics
The Central Statistics Office (CSO) records 1971 as the first year having more than two registered births with the name in the Republic of Ireland.[6] The first year it entered the top 100 girls' names was 1994.[6] Its top count was 355 in 2010 (rank 18th) while its top rank was 12th in 2016 (count 324).[6] In 2025 it ranked 17th, with 176 registrations.[6] The CSO has also recorded variant spellings Saoírse (max 9, in 2025) and Saorise (max 3, in 2005 and 2014).[6] The highest rank recorded by the Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency (NIRSA) has been 37th in 2023 (count 50) and 2024 (count 46).[7] NIRSA also notes isolated instances of variants Saoirise and Saoirsa, and double names such as Saoirse-Eirinn, Saoirse-Grace, Saoirse-Marie.[7]
Social Security number applications for births that occurred in the United States show Saoirse was most popular in 2020, ranking 735th with 373 births.[8] In England and Wales the name peaked the same year, in 307th place with 151 registrations.[9] In Scotland the peak year was 2021 (153rd place, count 29).[10]
People
- Saoirse McHugh (born 1990), Irish-American environmentalist
- Saoirse-Monica Jackson (born 1993), Northern Irish actress
- Saoirse Ronan (born 1994), Irish and American actress
- Saoirse Noonan (born 1999), Irish footballer
Fictional characters
- Saoirse, a little girl in the 2014 film Song of the Sea
- Saoirse, a guardian spirit in the 2017 videogame Nioh
- Saoirse, a woman in "Natural Justice", the first episode of the Irish television series Single-Handed.
See also
References
- ^ "English-Irish: freedom". Foclóir. Foras na Gaeilge. Retrieved 2 March 2026.
- ^ Thorpe, Vanessa. "Saoirse Ronan: teen talent that grew into true stardom". The Observer. Retrieved 2 March 2026.
"You actually say it Sairsha," she has explained. "But you can also say it Sersha, or Seersha."
- ^ Ó Dónaill, Niall (1977). "saoirse2". Foclóir Gaeilge–Béarla (in Irish). www.teanglann.ie.
- ^ a b Ó Séaghdha, Darach (3 March 2022). "The Irish For: The rise of Rían - the latest baby names in Ireland". thejournal.ie. The Journal. Retrieved 23 May 2022.
- ^ Bramhil, Nick (29 December 2017). "Baby name Saoirse doubles in popularity in the US... but expect phoneticised spellings like Seersha". Irish Independent. Retrieved 2 March 2026.
- ^ a b c d e "Baby Names of Ireland". Interactive Data Visualisations. CSO Ireland. Retrieved 2 March 2026.
- ^ a b "First Forenames Given to Babies Registered in Northern Ireland, 1997 to 2024" (XLSX). Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency. 16 April 2025. Table 2 row 42, and Table 4 rows 14031 to 14043. Retrieved 2 March 2026.
- ^ "Popular Baby Names". Social Security Administration. Retrieved 2 March 2026.
- ^ Powell-Smith, Anna. "Saoirse". Baby name explorer based on Office for National Statistics data. Retrieved 2 March 2026.
- ^ "Babies First Names 2024". National Records of Scotland. 20 March 2025. All names given to babies between 1974 to 2024. Retrieved 2 March 2026.