The Irish Language Grimoire — Names
Modern Irish names come from many sources: medieval mythology, Christian saints and the Gaelic Revival, twentieth-century coinages, and contemporary fashion. The names below are ones that are still in everyday use today and that also appear most often in the volumes we have brought back to print in Rosmerta’s Library and in the Irish Culture Project.
Women’s names
| Name | How to say it | What it means | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aoife | EE-fuh | beauty, radiance | warrior queen in the Ulster Cycle, mother of Connla |
| Niamh | NEEV | brightness, brilliance | Niamh of the Golden Hair, who took Oisín to Tír na nÓg |
| Saoirse | SEER-shuh | freedom, liberty | modern usage, a name born of independence |
| Caoimhe | KEE-vuh | gentle, beautiful, beloved | from the older root caomh |
| Aisling | ASH-ling | dream, vision | also a poetic genre, the vision-poem |
| Áine | AWN-yuh | brightness, radiance | queen of the fairies of South Munster, sun goddess |
| Bríd, Brigid | BREEJ, BRIJ-id | exalted one | pre-Christian goddess of poetry, healing, and smithcraft |
| Maeve, Medb | MAYV, MAYV | she who intoxicates | queen of Connacht, central figure of the Táin Bó Cúailnge |
| Siobhán | shi-VAWN | God is gracious | Irish form of Joan |
| Sinéad | shi-NAYD | God is gracious | Irish form of Janet |
| Deirdre, Deirdriu | DEER-druh | sorrow | tragic heroine of the Sons of Uisneach |
| Gráinne | GRAW-nyuh | grain, charm | elopes with Diarmuid in the Fenian Cycle |
Men’s names
| Name | How to say it | What it means | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cian | KEE-an | ancient, enduring | father of Lugh in the Mythological Cycle |
| Seán | SHAWN | God is gracious | Irish form of John |
| Liam | LEE-um | strong-willed warrior | short for Uilliam, Irish form of William |
| Aidan, Aodhán | AY-dan, AY-dawn | little fire | diminutive of aodh, fire |
| Conor, Conchobhar | KON-or, KON-uh-vur | lover of hounds | King Conchobhar of Ulster in the Táin |
| Cú Chulainn | koo KUL-in | hound of Culann | greatest hero of the Ulster Cycle |
| Fionn | FYUN | fair, white | Fionn mac Cumhaill, leader of the Fianna |
| Oisín | uh-SHEEN | young deer, fawn | son of Fionn, the great poet of the Fianna |
| Cormac | KOR-mak | charioteer, son of the chariot | Cormac mac Airt, high king in the Cycles of the Kings |
| Diarmuid | DEER-mid | without envy, free man | elopes with Gráinne in the Fenian Cycle |
| Lugh | LOO | oath, light | shining-faced god of skill, master of every craft |
| Bran | BRAN | raven | Fionn’s hound; also Bran mac Febail, who voyaged to the Otherworld |
| Cathal | KAH-hul | battle ruler | warrior name, common in medieval Ireland |
| Eoin | OH-in | God is gracious | another Irish form of John, distinct from Seán |
This list will keep growing. Place names, fairy-cycle names, the names of the gods, and the long catalogue of saints’ names are all separate categories that warrant their own entries as we add them.