|
A |
Aaron (male) |
This name comes from the Bible. It was
borne by the brother of Moses in the Old Testament, and the
suggested meaning is 'high
mountain'. |
| Abigail (male) 'father rejoiced' |
The name was used to anglicise the native name Gobinet in Ireland. |
| Abraham (male) |
Hebrew, 'father of a multitude'. |
| Abram (male) Hebrew, 'high father' |
This was the name
originally borne by Abraham in the Old Testament. |
| Achaius |
It means a form of Eochaidh, mainly used
in Scotland. |
| Adam [Adhamh] (male) |
A name of uncertain meaning. 'Red earth'
and 'ruddy' are the suggested. Adam has been quite a popular name in
Ireland. |
| Adamnan (male) 'little Adam'. |
The name of an important Irish
saint,(c.624-704), the biographer of St Columba and an acquaintance
of the Venerable Bede. |
| Adrian (male) Latin 'of the Adriatic'. |
Hadrianus, in its original form. This
was the name of a well-known Roman emperor. It's a popular Irish
name in Ireland today. |
| Aeneas (male) Greek, worthy of praise' |
The name of a character in Homer's Iliad
who became the hero of Virgil's Aeneid. It has been used in Ireland
to anglicise the
native name Aengus. |
| Aengus [Aonghus] (male) 'one vigour' |
This early name, still found in Ireland.
Aengus of the Birds was the love god of the pagan Irish. St Aengus
the Culdee was a well-known bearer of the name.Aeneas was used as a
substitute name. |
| Aidan (male) 'little fire' |
St Aidan (died 651), a monk at lona who
became bishop of Lindisfarne, is the most famous bearer of this
name. It was quite common in Ireland in the eighth and ninth
centuries and it is still used today. |
| Aine (female) 'joy'; 'praise'; also
'fasting' |
Aine was said to be the queen of the
South Munster fairies,living at Knockany (Cnoc Aine - 'Aine's
hill'). The name is still used in Ireland. It has tended to become
confused with Anne. |
| Alfred (male) Anglo-Saxon 'elf counsel' |
This name was imported into Ireland by
the English.It is established,but not common. |
| Alma (female) 'all good' |
An early Irish name;it is the feminine
of Latin almus, It means 'loving' or 'good' and as such, it is
applied to the Blessed Virgin. |
| Art (male) 'stone' or 'bear' |
In England Art is a pet form of Arthur,
but in Ireland it constitutes a separate name. |
| Arthur (male) |
A name of doubtful derivation, perhaps
Celtic in origin, or perhaps a Roman sept name, borne by the
legendary king of the Britons. The first historical record of the
name occurs in the writings of St Adamnan (c. 624-704), who mentions
an Irishman bearing the name. The name is used in Ireland today. In
Irish legend there was an Artúur, son of Nemed.
Top |
|
B |
Beircheart(male) From Anglo-Saxon,
'bright army' |
This name has been anglicised often as
Benjamin and Bernard. |
| Bernadette (female) A feminine
diminutive of Bernard |
Used in memory of St Bernadette
(1844-79), the visionary at Lourdes,it is a popular name in Ireland. |
| Berneen (female) |
An Irish diminutive feminine form of
Bernard. It has the characteristic Irish diminutive suffix -een,
representing Gaelic -in. |
| Bernard (male) Germanic, 'bear stern' |
Bernard is used in Ireland to anglicise
Brian and Beircheart (the latter is itself originally Anglo-Saxon).It
contines to be used to this day,but it is less popular.Bernadette
and Berneen are feminine forms. |
| Bran, (male) 'raven' |
The name of a Celtic deity,known on both
sides of the Irish Sea.His adventures are chronicled in the early
Irish literary work The Voyage of Bran Son of Febal.Bran was also
the name of a dog belonging to the legendary hero,Finn MacCool. |
| Brandan (male) |
The first part of this name is Celtic
and signifies 'hill'. |
| Brian (male) |
Its a popular name in Ireland. It was
the name of the most famous of Irish high kings, Brian Boru (reigned
1002-14),the
victor of the decisive Battle of Clontarf.Brian was also the name of
the Co.Clare poet, Brian Merriman (c.1757-1808), whose
extraordinary work,Cúirt an Mheadhoin Oidhche is an early advocation
of the emancipation of women.
Top |
|
C |
Candice (male) 'comely' |
The name of a saint (c. 515-599) who
founded a monastery at Aghaboc and who gave his name to the city of
Kilkenny,in Irish Cill Coinneach,'Canice's church'as well as
St.Canice's Cathedral in the city.
Top |
|
D |
Darerca (female) |
The name of a saint associated with
Valentia Island who,according to tradition,was the sister of St
Patrick.Legend credits here with nineteen children.
|
| Deirdre, (female) |
A name of uncertain meaning, may signify
'fear', perhaps 'one who rages', or perhaps 'broken-hearted one'. It
was borne by the heroine of a tragic Irish legend. Deirdre, the
betrothed of the king of Ulster, eloped with one of the three sons
of Uisneach. All three sons were slain by the king, and Deirdre was
left to mourn them. |
| Dudley, (male) |
Originally, this was a surname coming
from Dudley in Worcestershire, England.
It became a first name in the nineteenth century, and was used in
Ireland to anglicise Duald, Dubhdaleithe ('black man of the two
sides'), and Dubhdara. It continues in use. Top |
|
E |
Ealga, (female) 'noble' |
Ireland is sometimes referred to as Inis
Ealga, 'the Noble Isle', which is the source of this unusual name. |
| Eavan, (female) 'fair form' |
A name used in early times which has
been revived. Eavan Boland is a contemporary Irish poetess. |
| Egan, (male) 'little fire' |
Egan O'Rahilly was an Irish language
poet in the seventeenth century. Egan is common nowadays as a
surname. |
| Ernan, (male) 'little experienced one' |
This name is used in Ireland as an
equivalent of Ernest |
| Etain, (female) |
According to Irish legend, Etain was the
lover of the fairy man, Midir. Aideen is a variant. |
| Ethna, (female) A feminine form of
Aidan |
Annie was used to anglicise it - which
at one time resulted in Annie being extremely popular, much more so
than Ann(e).
Top |
|
F |
Fiach, and Fiachra (male)
|
These are the other names
derived from an Irish word for 'raven'. Top |
|
G |
Geraldine, (female) |
The Fitzgeralds, earls of Kildare, were
known as the Geraldines, and in the sixteenth century the poet
Surrey saluted Lady Elizabeth Fitzgerald as 'the Fair Geraldine; |
|
H |
Harold, (male), Germanic, 'army power' |
This was introduced into Ireland by the
Norsemen, who used the spelling Harald. The name was given to
Harold's Cross in Dublin. |
| Heiro, (male) Greek 'holy' |
St Heiro (died 885) was an Irish martyr.
The custom of naming children after saints continues. Top |
|
I |
Irene, (female) Greek, 'peace' |
A name which was used by the Byzantines,
and imported into England in the nineteenth century. It presumably
spread from there
to Ireland. It is sometimes pronounce with two syllables, sometimes
with three, as in the original Greek. |
| Isaac, (male) Hebrew, 'he may laugh' |
A rare name in Ireland. The Annals of
the Four Masters note the death of an Isaac O' Maolfoghmair in 1235.
The name was used in the Glenny family of Co Down. Iosac and Iosac
are Irish language variants.
Top |
|
J |
Jennifer, (female) means 'white wave'. |
The Cornish form of Guinevere, the name
of the wife of King Arthur. It is frequently bestowed in Ireland. |
| Juno |
A Latin name, the queen of the Roman
gods, which may mean 'young'. It was used in Ireland to anglicise
Una, but its true Irish forms are Iunainn and Iúnó.Sean O'Casey used
the name for the matriach in his play Juno and the Paycock (1924). Top |
|
K |
Kenneth,
(male) |
A name usually associated more with
Scotland than Ireland, seems to have been quite popular in Ireland
during the Middle Ages in the form of Cinaed. The name Coinneach
(English, Canice) was also translated into English as Kenneth.
Kenneth MacAlpine (died c. 860) was king of Scots, whose reign
united the Picts with the descendants of the Irish settlers in
Scotland. Cinaeth O Hartagain (died 975) was an Irish poet. Top |
|
L |
Laoghaire,(male) 'calf-herder' |
Laoghaire, king of Tara, was said to
have had a confrontation with St Patrick. The name is pronounced
something like Leary. Dun Laoghaire ('Laoghaire's Fort') is the name
of an important town in Ireland, south of Dublin. |
| Linda, (female) |
A name derived from German Lind,
'serpent' or 'snake', which is now becoming quite popular in
Ireland. It is supposed - wrongly - to be connected with Spanish
linda, 'pretty'. The variant Lynda is also found. |
| Loughlin, (male) |
Lochlainn was originally the name of a
land in Irish legend, then it was applied to the homeland of the
Norsemen. The first name Loughlin may spring originally from
MacLochlainn, 'son of the Scandinavian'. It became widespread in
Ireland. Lochlainn was a variant in Irish. Laughlin, a variant in
English, was also used to translate Leachlainn, a short form of
Maeleachlainn ('servant of St Secundinus'). There is a similar
Scottish name, Lachlan, probably 'heroic', 'warriorlike', from
Gaelic laoch. |
| Lysagh, (male) |
Meaning 'of Laois'. Laois is a county of
central Ireland - sometimes known by its English name, Leix - which
was formerly called Queen's County The change of name came after
Independence. Lysagh/Laoiseach was anglicised as Lewis or Louis. Top |
|
M |
Mago, (male) |
A name used in the Kilrush
and Dingle areas. |
| Malvina, (female) |
The name is an invention of James Macpherson. In his Ossianic poems (1765) Malvina is the lover of
Oscar, grandson of Finn MacColl. It has been used as a Christian
name. |
| Mogue, (male) |
A pet form of Aidan given to St Aidan of
Ferns (died 626). The name was adopted into Welsh as Madog. In
Ireland it was anglicised as Aidan by Protestants, and Moses by
Catholics. |
| Morrin, (female) |
Meaning 'long-haired', this early Irish
name has been anglicised as Marion or even Madge, a pet form of
Margaret. Muirinn was an Irish language variant.
Top |
|
N |
Naal |
The name of an early Irish saint. His
name is also given as Natalis, a Latin word meaning 'birth'. Naal
may be a form of this word. |
| Natasha |
A Russian form of Natalie, 'Christmas',
occasionally found in Ireland. |
| Nevan, (male) 'little saint' |
A not so popular name in modern Ireland. |
| Niadh |
Champion. |
| Niamh, (female) 'bright' |
In Irish mythology, Niamh, princess of
the Land of Promise, departed with Ossian, son of Finn MacCool, for
the Otherworld. The name is popular in Ireland today. Niav is an
anglicised spelling.
Top |
|
O |
Orla, (female) 'golden lady' |
A name which is increasing in
popularity. It may also be spelt Orlagh.
Top |
|
P |
Phelan, diminutive of faol, 'wolf' |
This is more common as a surname, but it
has been given as a first name.
Top |
|
R |
Riona, (female) |
This name may mean 'queenly', derived
from rioghan, 'queen'. Regina was used to translate this name. |
| Ronan, (male) |
Meaning 'little seal'. The name is known
in France, sometimes in its variant form Renan. |
| Roy, (male) |
Gaelic ruadh, 'red', unconnected with
French roi, 'king'. It is becoming increasingly popular in Ireland. Top |
|
T |
Tara, [Teamhair] |
The name of a hill in
central Ireland, a seat of kingship in early times, which is now
used as a feminine first name.
Top |
|
V |
Valentine, (male) Latin, 'healthy' |
A name used from time to time in
Ireland, but at present it is declining. An Irish example in the
seventeenth century was Valentine Greatrakes, who was reputed to be
able to heal scrofula by touch.
Top |
|
W |
Whiltierna (female) |
An early name, a combination of faol,
'wolf', and tiarna, 'lord'.
Top |
