Irish Baby Name · Girl

Aoife

Pronounced: EE-fa

Meaning: Beautiful, radiant

About the name

Origin
Irish
English version
Eva, Eve, Effie
Variants
Aoiffe
Stronghold region
All-Ireland

Overview

Borne by a warrior-woman of Alba in the Ulster Cycle who fought Cú Chulainn and bore his only son Connla; also the wicked stepmother who turned the Children of Lir into swans.

The story behind Aoife

In the Ulster Cycle, the warrior-queen Aoife of Alba bore Cú Chulainn a son, Connla, whom Cú Chulainn would later kill in tragic ignorance; in the Mythological Cycle, the jealous Aoife transformed her stepchildren into swans for 900 years.

Mythology & legend

Both the warrior-woman lover of Cú Chulainn and the wicked stepmother of the Children of Lir.

Did you know?

Aoife has been one of Ireland's top-ten girls' names for decades.

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