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What’s Your Name in Irish?

What’s Your Name in Irish?

Have you ever thought of your Irish name? Many famous names have an Irish equivalent. Some of them are their family nicknames derived from their formal forenames. There are Irish names that are simple, but there are also challenging ones. In Irish tradition, your children's names will determine who they will become when they grow older. That is why when picking a name for your children, you have to consider the meaning of the name before giving it to them.

While we were meeting for the Irish Heritage Month celebration and doing more research about this tradition to see what kind of gifts are better for this celebration, the Celtic Knot team discussed everyone’s name and the impact on one’s life. We had some favorite characters, and it was so surprising we could brainstorm based on the stories about Irish names.

During our brainstorming, we were reminded of the Irish culture and our origin story of the Celtic Knot. How we crafted our Irish pieces of jewellery to remind us of our Irish culture, and if you spend $199 on our line, the shipping fee is on us.

So today, without further ado, let’s dive into some familiar “English” names, their old Irish equivalents, and their direct translations. – let’s now look at some familiar “English” names – and share some old Irish equivalents. Now, note that some of these names are “equivalents” instead of direct translations. Many of the Irish names mentioned existed before the equivalent English ones.

English Names and Irish Equivalents.

Let’s start with some girl's names:

English: Jane/Janet – Equivalent Irish: Sinéad (pronounced “Shin-ade”).

English: Barbara – Equivalent Irish: Gormladh (pronounced “Gurm-la”).

English: Joan/Joanna – Equivalent Irish: Siobhán (pronounced “Shiv-awn”).

English: Margaret – Equivalent Irish: Mairéad (pronounced “Mire-ade”).

English: Elizabeth – Equivalent Irish: Sibeal (pronounced “Sybil”).

English: Grace – Equivalent Irish: Gráinne (pronounced “Grawn-ya”).

And on to the boys:

English: 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.

English: Terrence/Terry – Equivalent Irish: Turlough (pronounced “Tur-lock”)

English: James – Equivalent Irish: Séamus (pronounced “Shay-mus”) – often Shay for short.

English: Daniel – Equivalent Irish: Domhnall/Dónal (pronounced “Dough-nal”). This also gives us the surnames McDonnell and O’Donnell. Think of “Daniel O’Donnell.”

English: Timothy – Equivalent Irish: Tadhg (pronounced “tie-g”).

English: Dermot – Equivalent Irish: Diarmuid (pronounced “dear-mid”).

What about all the “Patricks” and “Patricia” out there? The actual Irish for Patrick is often used in Ireland – it is “Pádraig” and pronounced “Paw-drug.” However, in Munster especially, most Pádraigs are pronounced “Paw-rick,” and often the shorter version of that is used – “Paudie” (pronounced “Paw-dy”). So, you, Patricks, might want to try these alternatives for a change!

Well, that’s it on “given names” for a while. How about you – do feel free to reply below and share the Irish names in your family!

Match your name with Celtic keepsakes made just for you. Purchase yours today!


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