Celtic female names draw primarily from the Insular Celtic languages—Irish and Scottish Gaelic, Welsh, Breton, Cornish, and Manx—as well as Latinized forms of pre-Roman deities and early historical figures. A common feminine marker in Welsh is -wen (the feminine of -wyn), seen in names built on gwen “white, blessed.” Gaelic languages frequently use diminutives in feminine given names, such as Irish -ín and Scottish Gaelic -ag. Many well-known female forms appear with -a in Latin or English adaptations (for example, goddess or saint names recorded in Latin).

Female naming has long been influenced by saints (notably Brigid/Brigit) and by mythological figures. In modern use, girls’ names are often standardized to English spellings and diacritics are usually dropped, while older Celtic forms continue alongside these adaptations in Ireland and Wales.