Baby Boys' Names Inspired by St. Patrick's Day

I have a nephew who was born on St. Patrick's Day. In my opinion, it's a very cool birthday and it means I never forget when it is. Although his name isn't related to his birthday, it made me think of the possibilities for St. Patrick's Day babies. So I had a brainstorm for baby boy names inspired by St. Patrick's Day, and here's what I came up with.

Here are baby boy names perfect for new arrivals on or around St. Patrick's Day (March 17th).

Keegan: Keegan can also be spelled Kegan or Keagan. Traditionally Keegan is a baby boys' name, although I think in the future it will be increasingly used for both baby girls and boys. Keegan is derived from an old Gaelic name, but is spreading quickly outside of Ireland. (6)

Patrick: Obviously on a list of names inspired by St. Patrick's Day, I have to include the name Patrick. Obviously in this case it would have reference to St. Patrick (the patron saint of Ireland) and St. Patrick's Day. Famous people with the name Patrick include: actor Patrick Swayze, actor Patrick Dempsey, and author Patrick Neate.

Saul: Saul, in Downpatrick, Ireland, was an important area in St. Patrick's life. This is where he reportedly "preached his first sermon to the Irish". (2) After devoting his life to spreading Christianity to the Irish people, St. Patrick died in Saal. You can still visit sites related to St. Patrick in this area of Ireland.

Seamus: Seamus is the Irish form of the name James. (4) Old-fashioned names are becoming increasingly popular. In the UK, for example, James is the 9th most popular baby boys name, with other names like Harry and Thomas also making the top ten. (5) You could keep in this naming trend by either using the more common variation, James, or be a bit more unique by using the Irish Seamus.

Sean: Sean is a popular Irish boys' name. Sean is the Irish version of the more popular boys' name John, so If you don't like Sean, you can use the variations of John, Jean, Johan, or Shawn. (1) This is a solid boys' name that is obviously Irish without being unusual, and Sean works well as a first or middle name.

Slane: When St. Patrick returned to Ireland to commence his missionary work there, he returned first to Slane in 433. (3) This is an unique, but masculine name that could follow in the trend of names based on places.

Sources:

(1) http://www.thinkbabynames.com/meaning/1/Sean

(2) http://www.geographia.com/northern-ireland/ukidwn03.htm

(3) http://www.catholic.org/saints/saint.php?saint_id=89

(4) http://www.babynames.com/name/SEAMUS

(5) http://www.babynames.co.uk/

(6) http://babynamesworld.parentsconnect.com/meaning_of_Keegan.html