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Re: Meaning of Erin?
in reply to a message by Erin
Gaelic and Celtic are not separate languages as such. Rather, the Gaelic languages are a sub-family of the Celtic language family. So it is unlikely that a name would mean one thing in Gaelic and something else in 'Celtic'.Erin is a poetic name for Ireland, from the name of an ancient Irish goddess, Eriu. Have a look at these two links:
www.answers.com/erin
www.answers.com/eriuI think the 'peace' meaning is probably something fabricated by "baby name" books and sites to give the name a more interesting meaning than 'Ireland', particularly if the false meaning dates back to the time when the Irish were not well-thought-of in English-origin society.

ChrisellAll we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us. - J.R.R. Tolkien.

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Thanks. It makes more sense now. I've always heard that older generations in Ireland tend to think it's funny that Americans name their children Erin. I had a friend who visited about 5 years ago and they all paused when she told them her name and then laughed a little all in good fun. Well, I like that it means Ireland and now I know it ONLY means Ireland. Thanks and sorry for the confusion.
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No need to say sorry - I wouldn't hang out on this site if I didn't enjoy researching these things! Glad I could help.:-)
ChrisellAll we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us. - J.R.R. Tolkien.

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