DO YOU KNOW YOUR FIRST NAME IN THE IRISH LANGUAGE?
Do you know your first name in Irish? Does your first name have an equivalent Irish name? A while back I sent out a Letter from Ireland – and in it, I covered many of the more common first names in Irish. Well, the amount of mail I received in return would would have kept me busy for the next month!
So, what I decided to do is to lay out as many Irish names as I could come up with in the following article. I included the answers to many of the questions I was asked by readers – maybe you can find some of your own names below?
I have divided the list into boys' and girls' names. Have a look through and see what you think (btw – I am open to being corrected – the translations for some Irish names can be quite “fluid” at times):
IRISH NAMES FOR GIRLS:
Let’s start with some girls' names:
- Agnes – Equivalent Irish: Úna (pronounced “oon-ah”).
- Alice – Equivalent Irish: Ailís (pronounced “ay-leesh”).
- Anne – Equivalent Irish: Áine (pronounced “Awn-ya”).
- Barbara – Equivalent Irish: Gormladh (pronounced “Gorm-la”) and Bairbre.
- Catherine/Katherine – Equivalent Irish: Caitríona (pronounced “Ca-treena”).
- Dorothy – Equivalent Irish: Doireann (pronounced “dirr-en”).
- Edna – Equivalent Irish: Eithne (pronounced “et-na”).
- Elizabeth – Equivalent Irish: Sibeal (pronounced “Sybil”) or Eibhlís (pronounced “aye-leesh).
- Eva – Equivalent Irish: Aoife (pronounced “eef-a”).
- Evelyn/Eileen – Equivalent Irish: Eibhlín (pronounced “aye-leen”).
- Frances – Equivalent Irish: Proinnséas (pronounced “Prun-chis”).
- Grace – Equivalent Irish: Gráinne (pronounced “Grawn-ya”).
- Honora – Equivalent Irish: Nora (pronounced “nore-a”).
- Jane/Jennifer/Janet – Equivalent Irish: Sinéad (pronounced “Shin-ade”).
- Joan/Joanna/Judith/Julia – Equivalent Irish: Siobhán (pronounced “Shiv-awn”).
- Josephine – Equivalent Irish: Seosaimhín (pronounced “show-sav-een”).
- Kathleen – Equivalent Irish: Caitlín (pronounced “Cat-leen”).
- Kelly – Equivalent Irish: Ceallach (pronounced “Ka-yallock”).
- Margaret – Equivalent Irish: Mairéad (pronounced “Mar-ade”).
- Marjorie/Mabel/Maude/Marion – Equivalent Irish: Muireann (pronounced “mwir-an”).
- Mary/Miriam – Equivalent Irish: Máire (pronounced “Maw-re”).
- Patricia – Equivalent Irish: Padraigín (pronounced “paw-drig-een”).
- Pauline – Equivalent Irish: Póilín (pronounced “Poe-leen”).
- Penelope – Equivalent Irish: Fionnuala (pronounced “fyun-oola”).
- Rose – Equivalent Irish: Róisín (pronounced “rosh-een”).
- Sarah/Sophia/Sally – Equivalent Irish: Sorcha (pronounced “sor-ka”).
- Sheila/Sheelagh/Cecilia – Equivalent Irish: Síle (pronounced “Shee-la”).
- Theresa – Equivalent Irish: Treasa (pronounced “trassa”).
IRISH NAMES FOR BOYS:
And now let's move on to the boys:
- Adam – Equivalent Irish: Adhamh (pronounced “awve”).
- Aidan – Equivalent Irish: Aodhán (pronounced “ay-dawn”).
- Andrew – Equivalent Irish: Aindréis (pronounced “Ann-draysh”).
- Anthony – Equivalent Irish: Antaine (pronounced “An-tanna”).
- Bartholomew - Euivalent Irish: Parthalán (pronounced "Par-tha-lawn").
- Benjamin/Bernard – Equivalent Irish: Beaircheart (pronounced “bar-hart”).
- Brendan – Equivalent Irish: Brendán (pronounced “bren-dawn”).
- Brian – Equivalent Irish: Brían (pronounced “Bree-an”).
- Charles – Equivalent Irish: Cathal (pronounced “Caw-hal”). This also gives us the surname Cahill. As you may be aware, most Irish surnames are derived from first names.
- Christopher – Equivalent Irish: Críostóir (pronounced “kree-store”).
- Conor/Cornelius – Equivalent Irish: Conchobhar (pronounced “conner”).
- Daniel – Equivalent Irish: Domhnall/Dónal (pronounced “Dough-nal”). This also gives us the surnames McDonnell and O’Donnell. Think of “Daniel O’Donnell”.
- David – Equivalent Irish: Daithí (pronounced “daw-hee”).
- Declan – Equivalent Irish: Deaglán (pronounced “day-glawn”).
- Denis – Equivalent Irish: Donnchadh (pronounced “dunn-a-ka”).
- Dermot/Jeremiah/Derry – Equivalent Irish: Diarmuid (pronounced “dear-mid”).
- Edward/Edmund – Equivalent Irish: Eamon (pronounced “Ay-mon”).
- Florence – Equivalent Irish: Finín (pronounced “finn-een”).
- Francis/Frank – Equivalent Irish: Prionsíos (pronounced “Prun-sheeis”).
- Frederick/Ferdinand – Equivalent Irish: Ferghus (pronounced “fer-guss”).
- George – Equivalent Irish: Seoirse (pronounced “shor-sha”).
- Hugh – Equivalent Irish: Aodh (pronounced “Aay”).
- James – Equivalent Irish: Séamus (pronounced “Shay-mus”) – often Shay for short.
- John/Jack/Shane – Equivalent Irish: Seán (pronounced “shawn”).
- Joseph – Equivalent Irish: Seosamh (pronounced “show-siv”).
- Kenneth – Equivalent Irish: Coinneach (pronounced “quin-ock”).
- Kevin – Equivalent Irish: Caoimhín (pronounced “Quiv-een”).
- Kieran – Equivalent Irish: Ciarán (pronounced “Keer-awn”).
- Laurence – Equivalent Irish: Lochlann (pronounced “Lock-lan”).
- Luke – Equivalent Irish: Lúcás (pronounced “Loo-cawse”).
- Martin – Equivalent Irish: Máirtín (pronounced “mar-teen”).
- Matthew – Equivalent Irish: Maitiú (pronounced “matt-you”).
- Maurice – Equivalent Irish: Muiris (pronounced “Mwir-ish”).
- Michael – Equivalent Irish: Micheál (pronounced “mee-hawl”).
- Murtagh/Mortimer – Equivalent Irish: Muircheartach (pronounced “mwir-cyar-toch”).
- Neil – Equivalent Irish: Niall (pronounced “Nile”).
- Owen/Eugene – Equivalent Irish: Eoghan (pronounced “Owe-en”).
- Patrick – Equivalent Irish: Pádraig (pronounced “paw-drig”).
- Paul – Equivalent Irish: Pól (pronounced “pole”).
- Peter – Equivalent Irish: Peadar (pronounced “pad-ar”).
- Philip – Equivalent Irish: Pilib (pronounced “phil-ib”).
- Richard – Equivalent Irish: Risteárd(pronounced “Rish-teared”).
- Robert – Equivalent Irish: Robeárd (pronounced “rob-ayrd”).
- Roger – Equivalent Irish: Ruadhraí (pronounced “Rue-ree”).
- Stephen – Equivalent Irish: Stiofáin (pronounced “stiff-awn”).
- Terrence/Terry – Equivalent Irish: Turlough (pronounced “Tur-lock”)
- Timothy/Ted – Equivalent Irish: Tadhg (pronounced “tie-g”).
- Thomas – Equivalent Irish: Tomás (pronounced “tom-awse”).
- William – Equivalent Irish: Liam (pronounced “lee-am”).
Are any of your family Irish names above? Does your first name have an equivalent Irish name? Remember, there are lots of modern names for which we don’t really have Irish equivalents – but there are still quite a few to choose from above!
That’s it for this week. Do feel free to share the Irish surnames (or first names) in your family or a story or two!
Slán for now,
Mike (Micheál).
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