Ailish
A feminine given name of Irish-Gaelic origin meaning "being sought after".
Name Census estimates that about 638 living Americans carry the first name Ailish. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Ailish today is around 17 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Ailish births was 2016 (38 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Ailish. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
People living today
638
~ 1 in 537,233 Americans
Peak year
2016
38 babies that year
Average age
17
years old
2024 SSA rank
#8,934
Tracked since 1991
Popularity
Ailish: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Ailish from the 1990s through to the 2020s, spanning 4 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 235 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Ailish remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Ailish by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Ailish during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Ailishs live
The SSA's state-level files cover 4 states and territories. California, New York, Massachusetts recorded the most babies named Ailish, while Washington, Massachusetts, New York recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 21 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Ailish
The name Ailish is believed to have its origins in the Irish Gaelic language. It is derived from the Old Irish name Oilish, which itself is a diminutive form of the name Ailis or Alice. The name is thought to stem from the ancient Germanic name Adalhaidis, composed of the elements "adal" meaning "noble" and "haid" meaning "kind" or "heathy."
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Ailish can be found in the 12th century Irish text known as the Annals of Inisfallen, where it appears as the name of a noblewoman. This suggests that the name has been in use in Ireland for centuries.
Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals who have borne the name Ailish. One of the earliest was Ailish Ó Maoil Chonaire (born around 1570), an Irish poet and historian from County Clare. Another was Ailish Ní Charra (1628-1705), an Irish noblewoman and landowner from County Mayo.
In the 19th century, Ailish Nic Dhonnchadha (1838-1907) was a renowned Irish language scholar and educator from County Cork. She played a significant role in preserving and promoting the Irish language during a time when its use was declining.
In more recent times, Ailish Tynan (born 1982) is an Irish operatic soprano who has performed with leading opera companies around the world. Ailish Craven (born 1995) is an Irish actress known for her role in the television series Penny Dreadful.
These are just a few examples of the many individuals who have carried the name Ailish throughout history, highlighting its enduring presence and significance within Irish culture and society.
People
Ailish + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Ailish as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with A
Other first names starting with A with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Ailish: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Ailish?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 638 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Ailish going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 537,233 US residents.
Is Ailish a common name?
We classify Ailish as "Very Rare". It ranks above 86.8% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 647 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Ailish most popular?
The single biggest year for Ailish was 2016, when 38 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Ailish is about 17 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Ailish a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Ailish in the SSA data are female. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.