Nighean as a Baby Name. Meaning and Origin of Nighean

What is the meaning of the name Nighean ?

The baby name Nighean is a Female name , 2 syllables long and is pronounced /ˈniən/ (approx.; respelling: NEE-ən).

Nighean is Scottish Gaelic in Origin.

Rooted in Scottish Gaelic, Nighean (pron. NEE-ən/NEE-yen) is the everyday word for "daughter," often extended to "girl" or "lass," and by poetic usage "maiden." It appears widely in songs and verse (e.g., mo nighean donn, "my brown-haired lass") and in traditional patronymics after a woman’s name: Mairi nighean Dhomhnaill, "Mary, daughter of Donald." The feminine surname prefix Nic in Gaelic derives from nighean (nighean mhic, "daughter of Mac-"). As a given name, Nighean is a modern, heritage-minded choice rather than a common historical forename.

Variants and cognates trace back to Old Irish ingen, yielding Classical Gaelic inghean; Modern Irish inion (seen in surnames as Ni) and Manx inneen share the same root. Scots Gaelic offers rare diminutives like nigheanag and descriptive epithets (nighean dhubh/ruadh). Meaning centers on filial love and youthful femininity: a cherished daughter or beloved girl.

⚙ Nighean doesn't appear in any of the birth registries or name datasets we track. That usually points to a very rare, regional, or newly coined name. However you look at it, very few people share it.