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Re: ciaran, or ciarin
in reply to a message by margo
In true Gaelic, the name is usually "Ciarán."
It is pronounced [KEE-a-rawn] or just [KEER-rawn].The primary Anglicization is "Kieran."The root is 'ciar' meaning 'black,' 'dark,' and 'swarthy' with a diminutive suffix '-án' added. The only Gaelic variant is "Céirín," where the '-án' suffix is replaced by '-ín.' This name is much rarer, and typically rendered in English as "Kieren" or "Kierin."The only other variation of note is Gaelic "Ciardhubhán." This 'double-black' name is sometimes Anglicized "Kieran," but also "Kirwan."The name "Ciarin" is wholely made-up and illegitimate.
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the name might well ba a "play" on a word.I encountered that name (pronounced Sierran) a long time ago in West Virginia. The residents of the area were descendants of what were called Scotch-Irish, Welsh and some Irish who fled Ireland because the potato famine. I never thought too much of it at the time Until I met Two other families from west Virginia, One with a daughter named Ciara(Sierra) and the other with a son named Ciarin(Ciarin). I think the spelling was corrupted by Immigration officials as has happened so often.
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