Saoirse is the Irish word for "freedom" or "liberty". It was adopted as a given name in the 1920s, during the struggle for Irish independence, and is pronounced roughly SEER-sha. Actress Saoirse Ronan introduced it to American audiences, and the name entered the US top 1000 in 2016, peaked at number 735 in 2020 and has settled back to number 1089 in 2025.